Since John Wiegenstein, MD, and colleagues founded ACEP 50 years ago, a lot has happened in the world and in emergency medicine.
The one constant then, now, and forever is that the nations’ emergency physicians will always do the very best for our patients at their time of greatest need. It is this service to humanity that makes emergency medicine special. It is a privilege and a calling to be an emergency physician.
Emergency medicine is personal. We built this specialty from scratch against repeated, often hostile, opposition. We kept up the fight because we are talented, hard-working, dedicated problem-solvers. Mostly, we did it for our patients. We know we are valued by the American public, but we are often unrecognized heroes.
At ACEP18, take a moment to enjoy our history through the stories, book, videos, and museum created for you by ACEP’s 50th Anniversary Task Force. Celebrate what it means to be an emergency physician. Enjoy this tribute emergency medicine, to our journey, and to you.
EM history, much like the practice of emergency medicine, is constantly shifting, changing. Let’s preserve today so that the next generation of emergency physicians can stand taller by learning from our experiences as we stand on the shoulders of those who fought for and founded the specialty. We are emergency physicians. We are golden.