THE ON-DECK CIRCLE G. Joseph Beirne, DO, FACOEP-D

Greetings, ACOEP family! As I write my summer article for The Pulse, it is May 29 and I am enjoying a rare, entire Memorial Day weekend off work! I hope all of you had the chance to be with family to celebrate the lives of those for whom Memorial Day is all about—our military veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice so that each of us may enjoy the freedoms of our great country.

Over the past year I wrote about how COVID affected my professional practice, myself, my family and our profession. As I sit here tonight, enjoying a beautiful spring evening, my mind turns to what matters most to me as your incoming ACOEP president–the path to success. Our college has survived turmoil over the last few years, including financial crises and the pandemic. Yet we emerged successful, with our new association management group in place. During those dark times, we never wavered or gave up hope. And we didn’t quit. ACOEP survived because WE believe in it. WE, our members. WE, your Board of Directors. WE, a family of emergency physicians who represent the foundation of osteopathic medicine. WE believed in each other and worked together to keep this wonderful organization alive and thriving!

As we head into summer, warm days await. The sun provides us with life, energy, and a light that guides each of us on our journey as physicians. What is our path to

success? What does it mean to each of us?

The path begins within each of us. As osteopathic physicians we took an oath. Among the most important parts of the oath for me are:

I will be mindful always of my great responsibility to preserve the health and the life of my patients.

I will be ever vigilant in aiding in the general welfare of the community, sustaining its laws and institutions, not engaging in those practices which will in any way bring shame or discredit upon myself or my profession.

I will endeavor to work in accord with my colleagues in a spirit of progressive cooperation.

I will look with respect and esteem upon all those who have taught me my art. To my college I will be loyal and strive always for its best interests and for the interests of the students who will come after me.

What is the great responsibility we all carry? As an EM physician, my purpose every day is returning home at the end of the shift, comforted in the fact that I made a difference for one person that day. Whether that be getting a patient a warm blanket, taking an extra five minutes to let them finish their story, or gently patting their hand and putting them at ease. That is my responsibility and I take it seriously.

What is the vigilance we must demonstrate to benefit our community? Working to improve the lives of not only our patients, but their families, our friends and our neighbors. Even if those choices seem contrary at times, our vigilance to strive for the good of our society is why we became physicians.

Cooperation with our colleagues and peers demonstrates that the art and science of medicine is truly a team effort. Our mission as osteopathic physicians is showing the public that we are vital to the health and welfare of our communities and our nation.

Where did our path begin? On day one of medical school, when we took the first step on this long journey guided by our fellow students, academic and clinical faculty. They introduced us to the rest of our lives by showing us what

being a DO means and why that responsibility is ours to carry forward. Most importantly, we learned that the wisdom they imparted would carry us forward and enable us to share that wisdom with those who follow in our footsteps.

The path we chose is long and arduous, yet each day we utilize that wisdom to mark another step on our path to success. I chose this topic because ACOEP is an important part of my personal path to success. The wisdom from past leaders of the college, from discussions with peers at conferences, and the camaraderie of our college, has brought me much happiness and satisfaction and improved both my professional and personal life. I view ACOEP as a second family. I want our college to grow and expand and hope that others will experience the same joy and happiness I have been fortunate enough to experience as part of this family. All of us, ACOEP members, our Board, our family know the path to success starts with each one of us. We have built a strong foundation for ACOEP and now it’s time to build ACOEP into an icon of the EM community and the best specialty college in the AOA. The first step on the path to success begins and ends with all of us, together. Come along with me and take the journey. I promise you it will be exciting! –•–