AAHPM Progress Report 2011 : Page 4

Membership and Communities A s hospice and palliative care clinicians grow in number and expertise, increased opportunities through social media, special interest groups, and scholarships have been made available to foster collaboration and communities. Membership AAHPM experienced another year of con-sistent membership growth, paralleling the ﬁeld’s rapid growth. By year end, mem-bership reached an all-time high of 4,271 hospice and palliative medicine profession-als. Of this population, 80% are physicians. Nurses, social workers, physician assistants, and chaplains comprise 12% of the member-ship; while fellows, students, and residents make up the remaining 8%. The Academy’s membership is incredibly diverse, providing care in a variety of ru-ral, suburban, and urban areas; represent-ing more than a dozen primary specialty boards; and practicing in a myriad of settings—from private practice to govern-ment to university medical centers. The most recent membership survey showed that more than 50% of AAHPM’s members have been in the hospice and palliative care ﬁeld for less than 5 years, yet the vast majority (82%) have practiced medicine for 6 or more years. Hospice and palliative care may still be a burgeoning ﬁeld, but members bring a wealth of knowledge from extensive careers working with patients and their families. Communication From traditional printed pieces such as the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management and the quarterly newsletter to Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, to the website, blog, and broadcast e-mails, AAHPM com-municates important and timely information to members in the formats that they prefer to read. t AAHPM Blog has hosted blog posts from more than 40 members and has been viewed in more than 80 countries. t The Academy’s Twitter and Facebook pages combined have more than 2,500 followers. t During the 2011 Annual Assembly, the total number of tweets using the #hpm hashtag exceeded 2,500. Community Outreach When an organization has more than 4,000 members spread throughout the United States, fostering regular communication among members can present a challenge. For 2011, AAHPM introduced listservs, or online message boards, to engage special interest group (SIG) members and provide a forum to share best practices and new ideas. Through listserv participation, mem-bers have gained a greater voice in SIG symposia submissions and an outlet to develop that content. The 2011 Annual Assembly also marked the launch of three new communities—Education, Geriatrics, and Physician Assistants—bringing the total to 16 active SIGs. Members gather at a SIG meeting during the 2011 Annual Assembly. 4 | 2011 Progress Report

Membership and Communities

Bishnu Dutta Paudel, MD

As hospice and palliative care clinicians grow in number and expertise, increased opportunities through social media, special interest groups, and scholarships have been made available to foster collaboration and communities. Membership AAHPM experienced another year of consistent membership growth, paralleling the field’s rapid growth. By year end, membership reached an all-time high of 4,271 hospice and palliative medicine professionals. Of this population, 80% are physicians. Nurses, social workers, physician assistants, and chaplains comprise 12% of the membership; while fellows, students, and residents make up the remaining 8%. The Academy’s membership is incredibly diverse, providing care in a variety of rural, suburban, and urban areas; representing more than a dozen primary specialty boards; and practicing in a myriad of settings—from private practice to government to university medical centers. The most recent membership survey showed that more than 50% of AAHPM’s members have been in the hospice and palliative care field for less than 5 years, yet the vast majority (82%) have practiced medicine their families. for 6 or more years. Hospice and palliative care may still be a burgeoning field, but members bring a wealth of knowledge from extensive careers working with patients and their families. Communication From traditional printed pieces such as the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management and the quarterly newsletter to Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, to the website, blog, and broadcast e-mails, AAHPM communicates important and timely information to members in the formats that they prefer to read. AAHPM Blog has hosted blog posts from more than 40 members and has been viewed in more than 80 countries. The Academy’s Twitter and Facebook pages combined have more than 2,500 followers. During the 2011 Annual Assembly, the total number of tweets using the #hpm hashtag exceeded 2,500. Community Outreach When an organization has more than 4,000 members spread throughout the United States, fostering regular communication among members can present a challenge. For 2011, AAHPM introduced listservs, or online message boards, to engage special interest group (SIG) members and provide a forum to share best practices and new ideas. Through listserv participation, members have gained a greater voice in SIG symposia submissions and an outlet to develop that content. The 2011 Annual Assembly also marked the launch of three new communities—Education, Geriatrics, and Physician Assistants—bringing the total to 16 active SIGs. Scholarship Support The Academy created the Developing Countries Scholarship to give physicians who practice in third-world countries the opportunity to network with other hospice and palliative medicine clinicians. Recipients attend the Annual Assembly, participating in educational sessions featuring the latest research in the field. From more than 30 applicants, three physicians—from Nepal, Vietnam, and Uganda—were awarded full scholarships to attend the 2011 Assembly. While at the meeting, Drs. Quach, Mwebesa, and Paudel were paired with host physicians who assisted them with introductions and addressed onsite questions. Members also continued to generously support the Access Fund, which provided scholarships covering 2011 Annual Assembly expenses for 13 members, including residents, fellows, and physicians. I will recommend this program to other physicians. Programs like this provide the opportunity to learn palliative care and to develop relationships and networking with colleagues from around the world.

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