Emergency medicine definitions, CAEP, and the journey to excellence

Abstract

Dr. Douglas Sinclair, St. Michael’s Hospital, Department of Emergency Medicine, 30 Bond Street, Toronto, ON M5B 1W8; Email: [email protected] In this issue of CJEM, after much consultation and debate, the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP) has published its position statement on Emergency Medicine Definitions. 1 As a “senior” emergency physician and one of the few who is proudly certified in emergency medicine (EM) by both the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) and the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), I think this is an important document to set the direction for ongoing improvements in emergency care across Canada.CAEP was one of four national societies in EM that founded the International Federation for Emergency Medicine in 1991, which has now grown to over 65 national organizations on all continents. 2 As the specialty developed in the 1980s, both certifying colleges saw a need to support training in this new discipline, and thus the two training programs began to train and certify both practicing physicians and new graduates interested in a career in EM.In Canada’s urban and suburban regions (which continue to see marked population growth), high volumes and increased expectations in the delivery of timely, skilled emergency care have resulted in a gradual increase in the number of emergency physicians trained or certified in either the Certification in the College of Family Physicians in Emergency Medicine (CCFP-EM) or RCPSC program.