to gain specialty approval by jointly sponsoring the LREC and Annals, by political work in the AMA, and by co-sponsoring the formation of ABEM.

We now have specialty approval and a board with a certifying exam, but these do not ensure that emer- gency medicine is or will be recognized as a quality performer, or that the other 22 societies will join our fan club. A performer must establish a distinct style and identity to achieve stardom. Pettiness, bruised egos, and quarrels among the members of groups are great for gossip tabloids, but totally counter-produc- tive to the attainment of harmony and recognition by peers. What is most disconcerting about this dishar- mony is that each organization has essentially the same overriding objective, ie, improving emergency care. The only difference is in the approach to achiev- ing that goal; each organization has or is refining its own style of play. This is, in fact, good; it is productive and in the best interest of emergency medicine for each group to do what it does best.

ACER as the all-encompassing organization with the largest financial base, should be concerned with the educational, socioeconomic, and political needs of its members. The College must properly represent its members while gently regulating and directing them toward better patient care. STEM should continue to educate the educators, strive to improve educational methods, and help solve the dilemmas facing educa- tors and their institutions. To do so will positively affect patient care. EMRA must strive to represent those young physicians who are the future of emer- gency medicine. They must be properly trained in all

aspects of their specialty, and they must be able to put into practice what they have learned. If they do, pa- tient care will improve. UAEM must continue to pro- vide a forum in which tradit ional specialists and emergency medicine specialists can present research and exchange ideas on all aspects of patient care. The new specialty must have its own body of knowledge and areas of expertise. ABEM must certify compe- tency in providing quality patient care.

It is right that these organizations overlap, and that each contributes in its own way to the theme and cycle of emergency medicine. The cycle begins with the College member who is certified as competent by his peers. Through continual practicing, he delineates what is good patient care and raises questions about the needs and goals of emergency medicine. He and his colleagues in research and academics attempt to answer these questions. The academicians and educa- tors then try to impart the basics, as well as the new frontiers in emergency medicine, to future physicians by s t i m u l a t i n g the i r in te l l ec tua l cur ios i ty and teaching them sound educational habits. The new physicians must be tested before they assume the re- sponsibility for patient care. The cycle then repeats.

Our common theme is excellence in patient care; our styles, our instruments, and our interpretations are only slightly different. There must not be discord among the players or the circle will be broken, and emergency medicine will not rise to stardom as it should.

Joseph F. Waeckerle, MD President, UAEM

Emergency Medicine and Political Action When 56 Americans, five of them physicians,

signed the Declaration of Independence 205 years ago, their collective wisdom established a new kind of poli- tical system which has had a profound effect on the structure of government throughout the world. Cen- tral to this system is the direct election of representa- tives to a legislative body, known in the United States as the Congress.

Every two years every seat in the House of Repre- sentatives is subject to a new decision of the electorate it serves. Every two years one-third of the seats in the United States Senate also must be filled anew by the electorate. It is this biennial electoral process that keeps the Congress representative of the voters in the 50 states and 435 congressional districts across the land.

The electoral process is central to political in- volvement.

The profession of medicine is one of the few pro- fessions left tha t the majori ty of Americans still admire. The physician is respected in the community in which he lives. His opinion is important and can make a difference. This being so, I believe that doctors have a special responsibility to become involved in the political process on a collective basis, in keeping with the significant involvement that those five physician- signers of theDeclaration of Independence declared in 1776.

The National Emergency Medicine Political Ac-

tion Committee (NEMPAC) is one important part of a physician's involvement in the political process. Polit- ical action committees, in one form or another, have evolved over a period dating back to President Theo- dore Roosevelt's second term in the early 1900s.

The formation of NEMPAC provides a mechanism for emergency medicine and emergency physicians to enter the political arena. Identifying key incumbent legislators and key candidates - - those known to be interested in the goals of emergency medicine and emergency physicians - - is a goal which makes sense for NEMPAC. The fact is that congressional election campaigns can exceed a million dollars today, and political campaign contribution support can help heighten awareness of your other goals.

The results of the 1980 election are a testament to the influence of political action committees, of various stripes, on the political process. During the past elec- tion more than 1,800 business, trade, and professional associations contributed $30 million to congressional candidates th rough their PACs. Par t ic ipat ing in NEMPAC will give the emergency physician a closer association with legislators who act on issues of the day, including those which impact on emergency medicine - - legislation which affects you and every emergency physician.

These are extraordinary times for emergency physicians and our country. You are part of a medical community that is growing in maturity and is begin-

10:7 (July) 1981 Ann Emerg Med 392/79

ning to experience the excitement of making its voice heard in Washington. As legislators, other members of Congress and I need to hear your advice and counsel. We also need your support if we are to meet the high costs of re-election every two years. You will be most effective in your efforts if, through your National Emergency Medicine Political Action Committee, you take responsibilitY for part of this burden.

Please accept my congratulations for the advances being made in your specialty. Your entry into the po- litical arena is timely, important, and very much in the best interest of emergency medicine.

Jim Wright Majority Leader

United States House of Representatives Washington, DC

80/393 Ann Emerg Med 10:7 (July) 1981