The Society of Critical Care Medicine’s (SCCM) origin and productivity is based upon the enthusiasm, commitment and energy of its membership. The members are the reason SCCM exists, and the patients are the primary reason SCCM members practice this particular discipline of healthcare. The combined effort of SCCM’s members, staff and volunteers allows for continuing tangible improvements in the care of the critically ill and injured patient on a national and international scale.

After spending the better part of my career involved with SCCM, I have truly come to appreciate the importance of its members. The membership of this organization is the heart and soul of what is accomplished by SCCM. You should all be extremely proud of your daily work and the profession you have chosen to pursue. I know for a fact that the staff of SCCM also is extremely proud of the work they are involved in, and they have come to appreciate the way the organization achieves the success of its mission and vision. Together, SCCM staff and volunteers are able to routinely harness the power of this partnership to further develop the scope of activity and influence of SCCM within the healthcare industry.It is a powerful partnership!

Volunteer professional organizations face the ongoing challenge of maintaining effective communication with members and relying on volunteers. The Society’s leadership regularly checks its pulse for the success of getting members involved and for the perceptions of how effective and meaningful communication is with its membership. Electronic advancements have made it simpler to communicate, but that does not always translate into effective communication. The Society continues to initiate several new and varied modes of communication. We hope that this will make us even more successful in terms of content, frequency and effectiveness when it comes to communication. The Society also hopes these changes ultimately are reflectedin your practice patterns or educational experiences.

The Society’s members are a community of highly creative and motivated individuals, and SCCM has deemed them a “Creative Community.” Refreshing the overall SCCM membership and then actively seeking new leadership for the organization is a high priority for SCCM. We are continually reviewing and refreshing the committee structure, while also closely following a three-year cycle for the committees in order to provide an opportunity for all members to become involved with the functions of the organization. Becoming involved with a highly productive and professional organization that has the chosen focus of SCCM is incredibly rewarding professionally and personally. We need your involvement and ideas, so please contemplate areas in which you would like to participate – the organization is very approachable.

The annual member participation solicitation is underway. The processes for soliciting, reviewing and refreshing committees has become quite refined by SCCM staff. The Society’s president-elect has the enviable opportunity to review the lists of members who express interest in participating in SCCM functions. This is an annual process which offers experienced and inexperienced members the opportunity to become involved in committees. Solicitation forms are available on the SCCM Web site at www.sccm.org. Complete the forms with the requested information and as best as possible and indicate areas of specific interest. To help determine your interests, review the organization chart on the Web site. The president-elect and SCCM staff will enroll members into their preferred committees as best as possible. While the goal is 100% participation, occasionally there is a need to place members on a waiting list. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience. We keep close track of all the requests and backlogs as we diligently attempt to get anyone interested involved. Remember, if you have been on a committee and are cycling off, you do need to refresh your request for ongoing committee involvement. Seek out the forms, complete them, and please get them back to us before the deadlines.

In order for the Right Care, Right Now ™ campaign to be successful, we need your involvement. Thank you in advance for considering involvement in SCCM - Seeking Creative Community Members.