Working for You

EMRA’s Response to the Proposed ACGME Program Requirements for Graduate Medical Education in Emergency Medicine

On Feb. 12, 2025, the ACGME released the proposed Program Requirements for Graduate Medical Education in Emergency Medicine. The most drastic change would mandate all EM programs adopt a 4-year structure. 

While EMRA is still reviewing all of the proposed changes to best understand their impact on trainees and patients, EMRA believes we can raise the standards of residency training without mandating a 4-year model.

EMRA stands firm in its support for the continued accreditation of both 3- and 4-year programs, and we recognize the value of choice that exists with our current structure. 

EMRA will be performing an in-depth review of the proposed Program Requirements to provide comprehensive feedback to the ACGME, which we will make available to the public as well. 

We encourage all EMRA members–and the greater emergency medicine community–to provide thoughtful feedback to the ACGME through their official form. We invite you to send your thoughts to us as well, and let us know how we can best represent you throughout this process.

EMRA maintains its stance against Congressman Murphy’s involvement at LAC

April 15, 2024 | Download a PDF version

Following the announcement of the EDUCATE Act, the EMRA Board of Directors has engaged in thorough discussions regarding Congressman Greg Murphy’s scheduled appearance at the ACEP Leadership and Advocacy Conference. In the end, the EMRA Board objected to Congressman Murphy’s presence at LAC, as the beliefs reflected in his proposed bill are antithetical to EMRA and ACEP’s shared core value of supporting a diverse and equitable specialty and are detrimental to many individuals. 

The EMRA Board engaged in discussions with the ACEP Board of Directors to express our concerns and viewpoints. Our colleagues on the ACEP Board shared that they have also given the Congressman’s presence significant consideration in light of his introduction of the EDUCATE Act. They expressed to us first and foremost that they do not in any way support the EDUCATE Act and have made that sentiment clear to Congressman Murphy. They also explained their belief that, given his influential role in federal health legislation and the fight for stability of this specialty and our future careers, engaging him in discussions at LAC offers more benefit to the field of Emergency Medicine as well as DEI efforts through creating an opportunity to challenge his proposed bill and associated viewpoints.  

Although EMRA maintains its stance against Congressman Murphy’s involvement at LAC, we acknowledge ACEP’s rationale and respect their considered decision. ACEP has extended an invitation to EMRA to question the Congressman during the Q&A session, an opportunity we plan to utilize to advocate on behalf of our members.  

EMRA Stands Firm in Support of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Medical Education

March 29, 2024 | Download a PDF version

On March 19, Congressman Greg Murphy, MD, (R-NC) introduced HR 7725 (EDUCATE Act),^1,2 a bill aiming to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in medical education, including graduate medical education (GME), through the targeted restriction of federal funding to medical schools. This action threatens the advancements made toward creating diverse and inclusive health care environments. 

In response to Congressman Murphy’s introduction of the EDUCATE Act, the Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association (EMRA) reaffirms its unwavering support for incorporating DEI efforts into all aspects of medical education and health care delivery.

EMRA maintains a resolute commitment to ensuring that diversity, equity, and inclusion are woven into the fabric of our organizational priorities, as evidenced by the EMRA strategic plan and multiple EMRA policies.^3,4,5 This commitment is reflected in our efforts to integrate DEI principles across all pillars of our work, including education, advocacy, and leadership, which in turn improves trainee experience and education, promotes innovation, advances medical research, and ultimately enhances patient care.

EMRA pledges to continue prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion across all initiatives, guaranteeing that our programs, policies, and advocacy efforts accurately represent the multifaceted needs and experiences of our members, as well as the patients we serve. We are fully prepared to support and lead innovative initiatives that promote DEI within the realm of emergency medicine and beyond, underlining our dedication to these principles that are fundamental to our mission and values.

As an organization dedicated to the advancement of emergency medicine, EMRA remains steadfast in its commitment to creating a more equitable, inclusive, and diverse health care landscape for all. We encourage all EMRA members and the larger EM community to oppose the EDUCATE Act and openly champion DEI initiatives within your education and work environments.

References

1. HR 7725: To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prohibit graduate medical schools from receiving Federal financial assistance if such schools adopt certain policies and requirements relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion. March 19, 2024. 118th Congress. Available at https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7725?s=1&r=2. 
2. Murphy Introduces Bill to Ban DEI in Medicine. 2024. Available at: https://murphy.house.gov/media/press-releases/murphy-introduces-bill-ban-dei-medicine. Accessed March 29, 2024.
3. EMRA Policy Compendium. Section II.IV: Diversity and Inclusion. 2023. Available at: https://www.emra.org/siteassets/emra/about-emra/governing-docs/policycompendium-1-9-2024-october-2023.pdf.
4. EMRA Policy Compendium. Section VI.XIII: Racially Equitable Language and Media in Education. 2023. Available at https://www.emra.org/siteassets/emra/about-emra/governing-docs/policycompendium-1-9-2024-october-2023.pdf.
5. EMRA Strategic Plan 2022-2026. 2022. Available at: https://www.emra.org/be-involved/be-an-advocate/working-for-you/2022-2026-strategic-plan.

Statement on the Emergency Medicine 2024 Match Results

March 18, 2024 | Download a PDF version

In the 2024 Match, we enthusiastically welcomed more than 3,000 new residents to emergency medicine!

Much has been said about the EM Match of the past 2 years. This year's results are a testament to the resilience of our specialty, an acknowledgment of the critical role EM holds in the House of Medicine, and a result of dedicated work from many stakeholders. Our specialty thanks everyone for their hard work and dedication in recruiting our new and talented residents, who meet the mission and vision of our EM programs.

Our EM organizations commit to building a supportive environment for current and future EM physicians. We all celebrate a tremendously successful EM Match and a bright future together in a specialty whose mission is to answer the call of "Anyone, Anything, Anytime."

Statement on New ABEM Certifying Exam

Jan. 10, 2024 | Download a PDF version

The Emergency Medicine Residents' Association (EMRA) is troubled by today's announcement regarding the new in-person American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) Certifying Exam to take place in Raleigh, NC, starting in 2026.

EMRA supports ABEM/ABOEM board certification as the gold standard for the independent practice of emergency medicine,¹ and we have initiated discussions with ABEM, as well as ACEP, to share our concerns. We will be meeting with both groups later this week to learn more about the evidence and information behind this decision. Prior to our meeting, we are seeking our members' feedback, which you can email directly to emra@emra.org. 

EMRA's initial concerns include:

• Undue Burden
  We are distressed by the financial and logistical burden this would place on newly-graduated, debt-ladened emergency medicine physicians. Last year, more than 2,500 physicians took ABEM’s Oral Certification Exam.² With a conservative estimated cost of $1,000 to attend the new in-person exam,^3,4 ABEM would be adding a financial burden of over $2 million annually to the specialty’s new attendings. 

We believe these costs would more heavily impact under-represented in medicine (URiM) physicians and those choosing to work in rural areas farther from travel hubs–two groups that EM has highlighted as needing more support to make our specialty the best it can be.

• Unclear Evidence
  While ABEM shares that their Oral Certification Exam provides unique competency data and has been validated,^5,6 we are unaware of patient outcome-based evidence showing a clear and proven benefit to in-person oral exams. In fact, a 2023 study found “substantial validity evidence and reliability to support ongoing use of the ABEM virtual oral exam.”⁷

• Lack of Stakeholder Input
  While EMRA and other resident organizations were invited to a Summit in Spring 2022, we are unaware of any resident or early-career physician representation on the Becoming Certified Task Force (BCTF) itself. We believe key stakeholders should always have a seat at the table and a voice in decisions that will affect their futures. 

Next Steps: Tell us your thoughts!

Please share your thoughts with us by emailing emra@emra.org.

References

1. Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association. Policy Compendium: The Physician-Led Workforce. October 2023. XVII. The Physician Led Workforce. Adopted March 1992, amended October 2018. Accessed at https://www.emra.org/siteassets/emra/about-emra/governing-docs/policy-compendium-march-2023-final.pdf.
2. American Board of Emergency Medicine. 2022-2023 Annual Report. Accessed at https://www.abem.org/public/docs/default-source/default-document-library/2022-2023-Annual-Report.pdf.
3. United States Department of Transportation. Bureau of Transportation Statistics: Average Domestic Airline Itinerary Fares by Origin City for Q2 2023 Ranked by Total Number of Domesitc Passengers in 2022. Accessed at https://www.transtats.bts.gov/averagefare/. 
4. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Consumer Price Index: Lodging away from home in U.S. city average, all urban consumers, not seasonally adjusted. Accessed at https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CUUR0000SEHB?output_view=data. 
5. American Board of Emergency Medicine. New Certifying Exam Launching in 2026. Accessed at https://www.abem.org/public/become-certified/certifying-exam. 
6. American Board of Emergency Medicine. Becoming Certified Initiative Key Findings. 2023. Accessed at https://www.abem.org/public/docs/default-source/default-document-library/BCI-Key-Findings.pdf.
7. Chudnofsky CR, Reisdorff EJ, Joldersma KB, Ruff KC, Goyal DG, Gorgas DL. Early validity and reliability of evidence for the American Board of Emergency Medicine Virtual Oral Examination. AEM Educ Train. 2023;7(2):e10850. 

EMRA is the voice of emergency medicine physicians-in-training and the future of our specialty. EMRA is the largest and oldest independent resident organization in the world. EMRA was founded in 1974 and today has a membership of more than 17,000 residents, fellows, medical students, and alumni.