History
Society of Emergency Medicine Physician Assistants
During the fall of 1989, the American College of Emergency Physicians were generating “Guidelines on the Utilization of Physician Assistants in the Emergency Department.” In seeking a source of data and input from PAs working in Emergency Medicine, ACEP contacted the Los Angeles County-USC Post Graduate Residency for PAs in Emergency Medicine.
Recognizing that there was no national organization that represented PAs in the specialty of Emergency Medicine, the PA Residency Director initiated efforts to organize a specialty group to give a voice to all Emergency Medicine PAs across the country, regardless of setting, training, utilization, or affiliation.
As a result, SEMPA was created in March 1990 at the AAPA Annual Conference held in Los Angeles. By-laws were written and the Society of Emergency Medicine Physician Assistants, Inc was incorporated in the state of California as a mutual benefit, nonprofit corporation on January 30, 1992.
The original (1990) rationale for establishing SEMPA included the following:
- Guidelines on the Role of the Physician Assistant in Emergency Medicine
- In response to ACEP, for data to assist them in the generation of guidelines on PA Utilization in the emergency department
- Representative Body
- As an organization representing emergency medicine PAs and their interests
- Information and Practice Issues
- To gather and disseminate information related to important issues affecting our practice in emergency medicine (including specialty related CME)
- External Regulation of Emergency Medicine PAs
- To advise PAs of the potential regulatory or advisory agencies or other professional organizations to exert regulatory control over our practice (i.e. specialty certification)
The mid 1990’s was a period of steady growth throughout the country, gaining members from all regions and encompassing Emergency Medicine PAs from all backgrounds and from EDs of all varieties: urban trauma centers, academic medical centers, suburban and rural hospitals. In addition, our student membership grew, and with therefore our future leaders and colleagues. Regional Directors, representing previously defined geographic distributions were elected Board of Directors representatives for their geographic constituents.
SEMPA’s growth was not limited to membership. The recognition of SEMPA as the representative body of the nations Emergency Medicine PAs was demonstrated most clearly with our expanding role with our physician colleagues at the American College of Emergency Physicians and our recognition as a specialty organization by the American Academy of Physician Assistants. SEMPA’s growing recognition coincided well with AAPA's continued efforts to develop its external relations with organized medicine. By this time SEMPA members were invited to sit as ad hoc members of various ACEP committees and workgroups. As a result, AAPA and SEMPA formally agreed to appoint the first joint liaison to ACEP. Today, SEMPA contributes representatives to various ACEP Committees, including: Professional Practice Committee, EMS Committee, Legislative Committee, Academic Affairs Committee and the sections on Rural Emergency Medicine and Pediatric Emergency Medicine.
With expansion and growth came the complexities of time demands and organizational skills that could no longer be sufficiently administered solely by a group of dedicated, but busy, working PA volunteers. SEMPA leaders determined that in order to accomplish its long term goals and best serve its membership, the services of a management group would be in order. This decision catapulted SEMPA into a fully responsive, member-driven, professional organization of men and women dedicated to our mission and our specialty.
As we near our 2nd decade of existence, SEMPA continues to remain true to the original rationale of our beginnings:
- We continue to provide ACEP guidance, data, and the PA perspective through our formal liaison, our representation on various committees, survey and publication of reports, our annual on-site presentation to the ACEP Board of Directors and our continued input into several revisions of the Guidelines on Utilization of Physician Assistants in Emergency Department.
- SEMPA continues to be the only representative organization for the specialty of emergency medicine. Our joint liaison has proven effective as a model for representation for other PA specialty organizations
- We continuously gather and disseminate information to our membership on all matters affecting our practice as PAs. Our annual SEMPA CME conference, once only a dream, has become a world class reality and an opportunity for all PAs in emergency medicine to share in perhaps the finest, specialty-specific conference in the country.
- SEMPA is well represented as our profession, and our specialty continues to discuss issues related to specialty recognition, post graduate training, and all related variations of external determinants of regulation. Our members are capably represented by SEMPA leadership at various committees and workgroups of AAPA, NCCPA and ACEP.
From a small group of former post-graduate residents trying to find the pulse of the nation’s PAs in emergency medicine, we are proud to have become a highly respected and dedicated group of emergency medicine PAs whose sole purpose is to represent those who, along with our emergency department team, provide the highest quality emergency care to our patients.
