Proposed Amendments to the Bylaws of the American College of Emergency Physicians

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B Y L A W S A M E N D M E N T S

Prepared for the ACEP CouncilMeeting, October 21-22, 2000,Philadelphia, PA

Bold text denotes proposed new lan-guage.

Strikeout text denotes proposed lan-guage to be decided.

Address for reprints: AmericanCollege of Emergency Physicians, POBox 619911, Dallas, TX 75261-9911;800-978-1822, touch 6; ACEP on Fax800-406-2237; Internetwww.acep.org.

Copyright © 2000 by the AmericanCollege of Emergency Physicians.

0196-0644/2000/$12.00 + 047/1/110246doi:10.1067/mem.2000.110246

RESOLUTION: 1(00)SUBMITTED BY: Arizona ChapterSUBJECT: Membership Requirement for

FellowshipRESOLUTION:

WHEREAS, Now, one must have completed an emer-gency medicine residency to become an active memberof the College and the process to become board certifiedin emergency medicine is a 16 to 17 month process; and

WHEREAS, To become a Fellow of the American Col-lege of Emergency Physicians, one must be board certifiedby a recognized certifying body AND “shall be active, life,honorary, or international members for three continuousyears immediately prior to election; and

WHEREAS, This “three year active membership” re-quirement does not account for candidate members whohave significantly contributed to the College and the Emer-gency Medicine Resident’s Association (EMRA) during medi-cal school and residency; and

WHEREAS, We should encourage emergency medicineresidents to maintain membership and be actively in-volved in the College and EMRA during training; and

WHEREAS, Due to the timing of the end of typicalresidency programs and the Scientific Assembly FellowsConvocation, a newly board certified emergency physiciantypically misses the three year active membership require-ment for Fellowship by only a few months; and

WHEREAS, It would be more logical for new emergencymedicine graduates to sit for Part One of the Boards inthe Fall after they finish residency, Part Two the next Falland then be eligible to become a Fellow the followingFall (instead of waiting an additional year as it is now);therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the College Bylaws of the AmericanCollege of Emergency Physicians be amended as follows:

ARTICLE V—FELLOWSHIPSection 1—Fellow Status

Proposed Amendments to the Bylaws of the

American College of Emergency Physicians


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“Fellows of the College shall be candidate, active, life,honorary, or international members for three continuousyears immediately prior to election and shall both be cur-rently certified in emergency medicine by the AmericanBoard of Emergency Medicine, the American OsteopathicBoard of Emergency Medicine, or in pediatric emergencymedicine by the American Board of Pediatrics, and be andremain current members of the College. In addition, thefollowing requirements demonstrating evidence of highprofessional standing must be met by candidates some-time during their professional career prior to applicationor re-application.

1. At least three years of active involvement in emer-gency medicine as the physician’s chief professional activ-ity, exclusive of training, and;

2. Satisfaction of at least three of the following individ-ual criteria during their professional career:

A. active involvement, beyond holding membership, involuntary health organizations, organized medical societies,or voluntary community health planning activities or ser-vice as an elected or appointed public official;

B. active involvement in hospital affairs, such as medi-cal staff committees, as attested by the emergency depart-ment director or chief of staff;

C. active involvement in the formal teaching of emer-gency medicine to physicians, nurses, medical students,out-of-hospital care personnel, or the public;

D. active involvement in emergency medicine adminis-tration or departmental affairs;

E. active involvement in an emergency medical servicessystem;

F. research in emergency medicine; G. active involvement in ACEP chapter activities as

attested by the chapter president or chapter executivedirector;

H. member of a national ACEP committee, the ACEPCouncil, or national Board of Directors;

I. examiner for, director of, or involvement in test devel-opment and/or administration for the American Board ofEmergency Medicine or the American Osteopathic Boardof Emergency Medicine;

J. reviewer for or editor or listed author of a publishedscientific article or reference material in the field of emer-gency medicine in a recognized journal or book.

K. During training active involvement, beyond hold-ing membership, in the emergency medicine resident’sassociation.

Provision of documentation of the satisfaction of theabove criteria is the responsibility of the candidate, anddetermination of the satisfaction of these criteria shall beby the Board of Directors of ACEP or its designee.

All current Fellows will retain their title until suchtime as they are required to be recertified in emergencymedicine by the American Board of Emergency Medicine(ABEM) or the American Osteopathic Board of EmergencyMedicine (AOBEM) or in pediatric emergency medicineby the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP). Once mem-bers are recertified they must provide evidence of theirrecertification and reapply for Fellow status providingevidence they meet the current criteria or have attainedeligibility for Life Fellow status.

Fellows shall be authorized to use the letters FACEP inconjunction with professional activities. Fees, proceduresfor election, and reasons for termination of Fellows shallbe determined by the Board of Directors.”

RESOLUTION: 2(00)SUBMITTED BY: California Chapter

Larry Bedard, MD, FACEPJim Holliman, MD, FACEP

SUBJECT: Honorary International MemberRESOLUTION:

WHEREAS, ACEP plays a significant leadership role inthe promotion and development of the specialty of emer-gency medicine around the world; and

WHEREAS, In the future ACEP may obtain significantincome from the sale of cost effective, high quality prod-ucts and services to our international members; and

WHEREAS, ACEP currently has an international mem-ber category; and

WHEREAS, The British Causality and Emergency Medi-cine Society grant a one year honorary membership inBCEM to the President of ACEP; and

WHEREAS, The creation and bestowing of HonoraryInternational Membership on select International mem-bers would create goodwill, friendship, and collegialityamong ACEP members and international members; there-fore be it

RESOLVED, That the ACEP Bylaws be amended to cre-ate an Honorary International Member; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a benefit of Honorary InternationalMembership include a waiver of tuition for the ACEPScientific Assembly and Winter Symposium; and be itfurther



to conduct committee business on conference calls or toallow sufficient participation of all members; and

WHEREAS, The secretary-treasurer serves a valuablecommittee role as board liaison, and the president-electserves a valuable role by articulating his/her vision for thebudget cycle under consideration; and

WHEREAS, The Council is well-represented by thevaluable input of either its speaker or vice-speaker; there-fore be it

RESOLVED, That the ACEP Bylaws, Article XI—Com-mittees, Section 5—Finance Committee be amended asfollows:

Section 5—Finance Committee“The Finance Committee shall be appointed by the

president. The Committee shall be composed of the pres-ident-elect, vice president, secretary-treasurer, speaker ofthe Council or his/her designee, vice speaker of theCouncil and at least eight members at large. The chairshall be one of the members at large. The Finance Com-mittee is charged with an audit oversight function and apolicy advisory function and may be assigned additionalobjectives by the President. As audit overseers, the Com-mittee performs detailed analysis of the College budgetand other financial reports ensuring due diligence andproper accounting principles are followed. In addition,expenses incurred in attending official meetings of theBoard, shall be reimbursed consistent with amounts fixedby the Finance Committee and with the policiesapproved by the Board.“

RESOLUTION: 5(00)SUBMITTED BY: Membership Committee

Board of DirectorsSUBJECT: Retired MembershipRESOLUTION:

WHEREAS, Members are retiring from active medi-cal practice prior to reaching the age and longevityrequirements for the current life membership category;and

WHEREAS, These members wish to retain their mem-bership in ACEP but cannot afford the active membershipdues rate when retired; and

WHEREAS, These members are canceling their mem-berships because the College has no alternative categoryof membership for which they qualify and that meets theirneeds; and

WHEREAS, Retired members ultimately have moretime to volunteer than their employed counterparts, theCollege and its chapters stand to reap the benefits of in-

RESOLVED, That ACEP automatically confer HonoraryInternational Membership for the term of office of thePresident of any International Federation of EmergencyMedicine (IFEM) full or affiliate member organization.

RESOLUTION: 3(00)SUBMITTED BY: California Chapter

Larry Bedard, MD, FACEPSUBJECT: Public Member of the Board of

DirectorsRESOLUTION:

WHEREAS, Emergency physicians are held in highesteem by the public; and

WHEREAS, Because emergency physicians see, evalu-ate, and treat all people who request our services; we arecommonly perceived as the “Public’s Doctor”; and

WHEREAS, Many other professional medical societies(ACOG, Opthamology, AMA, etc.) have found it to bebeneficial to appoint a non-physician public member totheir board of directors; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the ACEP Bylaws be amended to cre-ate a “public member” position on the Board of Directors;and be it further

RESOLVED, That the ACEP Board of Directors, uponrecommendation by state chapters and ACEP membersand with the concurrence of the Council appoint a non-physician public member to the Board of Directors, effec-tive 2001; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the public member serve a three-yearterm with the possibility of being appointed to a secondthree-year term; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the public member vote on all issueswith the exception of the election of officers of the Boardof Directors of ACEP.

RESOLUTION: 4(00)SUBMITTED BY: Finance Committee

Board of DirectorsSUBJECT: Finance Committee RESOLUTION:

WHEREAS, As it is important that the Finance Com-mittee represent and reflect the general membership ofthe College, the committee has attempted to maintain agreater number of general members; and

WHEREAS, The College has recently also added com-mittee members representing EMRA and chapter staffExecutives, who certainly serve valuable roles; and

WHEREAS, These changes have caused the size of thecommittee to grow considerably, making it more difficult


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creased volunteer time from these members, and theirinvolvement would help to preserve the heritage of theCollege; and

WHEREAS, Many medical associations provide a simi-lar category of membership for their retired members;therefore be it

RESOLVED, That Article IV—Membership, Section 2—Classes of Membership be amended to read: “All membersshall be assigned to one of the following classes of mem-bership: (1) active; (2) inactive; (3) honorary; (4) life; (5)candidate; or (6) international; or (7) retired. Addition-ally, a member may concurrently belong to the councillorclass. The qualifications required of the respective classes,their rights and obligations, and the methods of theirelection shall be set forth in these Bylaws.”; and be it further

RESOLVED, That Article IV—Membership, be amendedby the addition of a category for retired membership asfollows and that all sections following the addition of thisarticle be renumbered accordingly:

Section 2.7—Retired Members“Any member who has retired from medical prac-

tice and whose age added to length of membershipin active, inactive, international or candidate mem-bership is equal to or greater than 75, or is perma-nently disabled, may upon application to the Boardof Directors, be elected to retired membership. A re-tired member may not be gainfully employed in anymedical practice. Retired members shall not be eligi-ble to vote or hold office. Retired fellow membersmay retain their fellow status as long as their emer-gency medicine certification is valid. Retired member-ship does not qualify toward tenure requirements forlife membership. The Board of Directors may makeexceptions under unusual circumstances.”; and be itfurther

RESOLVED, That the College Manual, Section I—Applications for Membership, be amended to include thefollowing entry detailing specifications for retired mem-bership and the related processes:

“A physician may be considered for retired categoryof membership if an application for retired member-ship is submitted on an application approved by theACEP Board of Directors. If a retired member returnsto active practice, the member no longer qualifies as aretired member and must also return to active mem-bership.”; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Board of Directors establishreduced dues and adjustment of benefits for this categoryof membership accordingly.

RESOLUTION: 6(00)SUBMITTED BY: Council Steering CommitteeSUBJECT: Emergency Resolution

ProcedureRESOLUTION:

WHEREAS, Parliamentary procedure and Councilstanding rules are intended to ensure that the will of themajority is enacted after careful consideration of proposedresolutions while the rights of the dissenting minority areprotected; and

WHEREAS, Strict resolution submission deadlines areestablished to allow adequate time for distribution of res-olutions and relevant background material to councillorsfor thoughtful consideration; and

WHEREAS, Emergency resolutions circumvent thesafeguards provided by the established resolution submis-sion process and thereby deny councillors adequate back-ground material and time for careful consideration of theresolution and its potential ramifications; and

WHEREAS, Emergency resolutions, while valuable forselected and highly time-sensitive issues, do in effect com-pel the Council to make important decisions with limitedinformation and greatly restricted time for consideration;and

WHEREAS, Hurried decision-making with limited datasignificantly increases the possibility of passage of poorlyconsidered College policies which may result in unantici-pated and undesired consequences; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the Council Standing Rules, Resolu-tions—Emergency Resolutions section be amended to read:“Emergency resolutions are limited to substantive issuesthat could not have been considered by the SteeringCommittee prior to the Council meeting because of theiracute nature, or resolutions of commendation that be-come appropriate during the course of the Council meet-ing. Emergency resolutions must be submitted in writingto the speaker who will then present the resolution to theCouncil for its consideration. The originator of the reso-lution, when recognized by the chair, may give a one-minute summary of the emergency resolution to enablethe councillors to determine the importance of the resolu-tion. Without debate, a simple majority two-thirds voteof the councillors present and voting is required to acceptthe emergency resolution for floor debate and action. Ifan emergency resolution is introduced prior to the begin-ning of the Reference Committee hearings, it shall uponacceptance by the Council be referred to the appropriateReference Committee. If an emergency resolution is intro-duced and accepted after the Reference Committee hear-



ings, the resolution shall be debated on the floor of theCouncil at a time chosen by the speaker.”

RESOLUTION: 7(00)SUBMITTED BY: Council Steering CommitteeSUBJECT: Housekeeping ChangesRESOLUTION:

WHEREAS, In 1999 the College adopted a streamlinedBylaws which deleted sections of the Bylaws that detailedprocedures and processes more appropriate for inclusionin the Council Standing Rules and recommended thatthose sections be moved to the Council Standing Rules;and

WHEREAS, In 1999 the College adopted the revisedCouncil Standing Rules; and

WHEREAS, “Housekeeping” revisions are determinedto be language additions or deletions, and phrase or clausetranspositions that more succinctly state and clarify theintent and effect of the Council Standing Rules; and

WHEREAS, The following changes would further clar-ify and make the Council Standing Rules more consistentwith College practices and procedures; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Council Standing Rules, “Alter-nate Councillors” section be amended to read: “A prop-erly credentialed alternate councillor may take the placeof a designated councillor if the designated councillor isnot present in the assembly hall seated on the Councilmeeting floor. A seated alternate councillor may remainseated until the councillor he/she replaced wishes to re-turn to that seat, as soon as the debate and vote on the itemcurrently under discussion has been completed.

If a certified councillor or alternate of a chapter, EMRA,or section is not present at a meeting of the Council, amember of that sponsoring body who is present may beseated as a councillor pro-tem by a two-thirds vote of theCouncil.”; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Council Standing Rules, “Com-puter Use” section be amended to read: “Use of laptopcomputers is allowed providing battery power is usedand silent mode is employed at all times.”; and be it fur-ther

RESOLVED, That the Council Standing Rules, “Cre-dentialing” section be amended to read: “For admissionto the assembly hall Council meeting floor, and to facili-tate identification and seating, councillors are required towear the ribbon issued by the Tellers, Credentials andElections Committee upon registration.

The Tellers, Credentials and Elections Committee willreport the number of credentialed councillors prior to thebeginning of each session of the Council.”

Documents

Proposed Amendments to the Bylaws of the American College of Emergency Physicians