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Ryan Fitzgerald, DPM
PRESENT RI Associate Editor
Hess Orthopedics &
Sports Medicine
Harrisonburg, Virginia
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Attention Young Members
(psst�that�s you!)
I recently had the great opportunity to participate in the APMA Young Member�s Leadership Conference, which was held this past weekend in Washington DC. I wanted to bring some you some highlights from that meeting, so that you may get a better idea of what the APMA is doing on your behalf. I have to admit, I had a very poor understanding of the role of the APMA during my residency training life, and perhaps you have a similarly vague idea of what is happening on the state and national level to grow the profession. As I have entered the [real] world of private practice, I am starting to grasp the many ways in which the APMA and state components are involved to develop programs and processes by which we can move forward together as a profession.
The goal of the leadership conference this weekend was to attempt to develop greater avenues of communication between APMA members and APMA leadership, to identify young member needs and determine how APMA can better serve its younger members. To facilitate this discussion, there were nearly thirty APMA young members on hand to interact with the senior leadership from the AMPA and the APMA board of trustees. In addition to the APMA Young Member liaisons, there were young member representatives from several state components, and thanks to a generous grant from Pfizer to help fund travel and lodging, student representatives from each of the nine schools were able to attend to provide students� perspective on issues that exist for those of us new to the profession.
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Among the new programs which will provide benefit for young members, the APMA has recently released a new website – www.todayspodiatrist.com – which will serve as an interface between patients, healthcare providers, and potential students to better educate them regarding our profession. In addition to unveiling the new website, the APMA technocrati educated all of us present on the numerous inroads into social media sites, such as Twitter, Facebook, and blogging sites, which the APMA is utilizing to spread a positive message about our profession, our training, and our skill-sets. (show screen shot of APMA facebook page for image here) I am extremely enthusiastic that these modalities will help the APMA reach a larger target audience, and will provide new venues to share our message. Each of us recognizes the power of the Internet –that you are reading this Residency Insight eZine is a testament to your active participation in technology, and I applaud the APMA for recognizing the value of this type of media and investing in content which will help better educate potential patients, students, and other healthcare providers.
During my residency training, I had a very poor understanding of the APMA, its goals and objectives, and over the last several years, while serving as a young member liaison, I have come to a much better understanding of what the APMA truly does for the profession. Most of all, it has become increasingly clear to me that the APMA enthusiastically encourages young member involvement. We are the future of the profession, and it is necessary that each of us pursue those opportunities that arise to play a role in the growth of our profession. Certainly, residency training is difficult and time consuming, but I am equally certain that you have opinions regarding the growth of our profession and the direction in which we are moving, and I would encourage you to make those opinions known. The APMA leadership is easily accessible by both email and phone, and the eTalk section of the PRESENT Podiatry website provides an excellent resource for dialogue on these topics. MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD! We are the future of our profession, and it will be up to you and I to make it the future that we desire.
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