Last week's column summarized resolutions discussed at the 1998 American
Medical Association (AMA) Annual Meeting on residency training. This week's
column focuses on the resolutions concerning public health, resident membership,
and general medical education issues.
Appropriate Number of US Medical School Graduates
Appropriate Number of US Medical School Graduates
This Resident Physicians Section (RPS) resolution asked the AMA to help
develop recommendations regarding the number of US medical school graduates
needed to fulfill workforce needs. The AMA Council on Medical Education is
currently studying workforce needs and will be reporting on its findings at
the 1998 Interim Meeting.
Bring Back the Extinguisher
Bring Back the Extinguisher
This RPS resolution asks the AMA to restore funding for "The Extinguisher,"
the AMA's antitobacco superhero. This national program had been eliminated
for financial reasons. However, the House of Delegates (HOD) felt that the
program has had great success and has garnered much support from schools and
from the media.
Public Health Care Benefits
Public Health Care Benefits
This RPS resolution instructs the AMA to actively lobby federal and
state governments to restore and maintain funding for public health care benefits
for all legal immigrants. These benefits had been cut by the Congress and
have resulted in the decreased availability of preventive and prenatal care
to legal immigrants.
Empowering Our Patients: Individually Selected, Purchased, and Owned
Health Expense Coverage
Empowering Our Patients: Individually Selected, Purchased, and Owned
Health Expense Coverage
This report from the Council on Medical Service supports a health insurance
system that gives individuals more choice in selecting insurance.
Medical Student Debt
This resolution instructs the AMA to work to restore full tax deductibility
of interest on student loan debt.
Training in Airway Management
Training in Airway Management
This RPS resolution instructs the AMA to study ways to include training
in airway management of an unconscious patient in medical education curriculum
and to report back on its findings.
Eligibility for Membership in the RPS
Eligibility for Membership in the RPS
This report, which originated from the RPS, recommends that the AMA
expand and clarify its language regarding eligibility for resident membership
within the AMA. The changes will allow physicians who are in structured training
programs after residency and those who are on active duty in the military
or public health service before completing residency to join the AMA as resident
members. Because these recommendations would change the bylaws of the AMA,
they will be voted on again at the next HOD meeting.
Section Name Change
This RPS resolution was presented in conjunction with the report mentioned
above. It calls for the AMA to change the name of the Resident Physicians
Section to the Residents and Fellows Section to clearly show that fellows
qualify for resident membership in the AMA.
Section Name Change
A complete summary of all HOD actions is available through the AMA Web
site at http://www.ama-assn.org/meetings/public/annual98/reports/index.htm. You can get more information on any of these issues by calling the
AMA Department of Resident Physician Services at (312) 464-4751.
This is the final delegate's report that Michael Achinger, MD, and I
will present. We want to thank all RPS members for the privilege of serving
and representing them over the past 2 years.
We again want to thank all the residents who helped coordinate and provided
testimony at this meeting. We would also like to thank Jim Rohack, MD, and
the entire AMA Council on Medical Education for their continued work on the
behalf of resident physicians. Their willingness to work closely with us was
critically important to many of our successes. Liana Puscas, MD, and Laura
Meyers, MD, will become delegate and alternate delegate.