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Allied Health NetWorkReasons to JoinIn many ways, my career has been a succession of happy accidents. One of the most notable of these serendipitous occurrences happened 28 years ago, when I found myself working for Richard S. Irwin, MD, FCCP. He was, at that time, the Director of Pulmonary Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. One of the perks associated with my position as an Intensive Care Specialist there, was being able to accompany him on rounds, and being at his elbow as numerous “pearls” were dispensed, at almost daily intervals, by that consummately skilled clinician. Today, I practice at Stanford University Medical Center in California, while he continues to practice in Massachusetts. Nevertheless, I (and all of us!) do have the opportunity to benefit from Dr. Irwin’s medical wisdom. He now serves as the Editor in Chief of CHEST, the unexcelled clinical and scientific journal of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP). In a recent survey of pulmonologists who were randomly selected from the membership roster of the American Medical Association (AMA), 88% of respondents rated CHEST as an “essential” journal. This is very impressive, especially when one considers that the journal that came in second was rated as “essential” by only 55% of those surveyed! CHEST has the largest circulation of any respiratory, critical care, or sleep medicine journal in the world. Some respiratory therapists, nurses, and physician assistants are unaware that they are now able to join the ACCP as allied health members. This entitles them to receive online access to the journal CHEST and could subscribe to the print version of CHEST at the allied health member rate. Allied health members can choose to inspect each monthly issue of the supremely authoritative journal electronically, at no additional cost, as part of their annual membership dues. What might those dues be, you are wondering. Brace yourself…. A mere $60 per year! As if this weren’t enough of a bargain, add to this the realization that allied health members can attend CHEST, the annual meeting of the ACCP, for a paltry $125! For those of us who attend the annual meetings of other professional organizations, this sum is almost too good to be true! I routinely attend the annual meeting of the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC), the American Thoracic Society (ATS), and the Society of Critical Care (SCCM). Those are all excellent meetings, but they certainly can’t compare with the ACCP’s annual sessions in terms of the breadth of topics discussed, the caliber of speakers, and the sheer quality of material offered to attendees. Furthermore, the member registration fee for those other meetings ranges between $350 and $440! We respectively suggest that you, as an allied health professional, consider joining the ranks of the ACCP as an allied health member. Membership in a prestigious professional organization, access to the finest clinical journal on the planet, and the ability to attend CHEST, a surpassingly excellent annual meeting--how can you afford not to become an ACCP member? Bob Demers, RRT |
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