Holding Hands in the Current

Connecting, advancing, and supporting women in the ER and beyond.

“Building Your Raft of B*tches” by Dr. Dara Kass was the opening lecture for FemInEM FIX 2018. Everyone giggled, chuckled, and laughed as we appreciated the pun in the metaphor of groups of otters. But as the guffaws settled down, we acknowledged our need for exactly what was being talked about: a support group, others to help carry the burden, someone or someones to encourage, mentor, guide, and commiserate. Even before the times of a global pandemic, we felt the stress and strain that came from working in a job expected to do more with too few resources, meeting the demands of administrators that too often had little true knowledge of the inner workings of our departments. So, I sat there, in an auditorium in New York, listening to a lecture about rafts and otters and how we can, how we NEED, to draw together with and for each other.

Fast forward 7 years, and FemInEM as an entity looks a little different than it did then. But one of our key missions is still the same: to connect individuals within this healthcare world of ours to find support, encouragement, and mentorship. Enter our RAFTs. A RAFT is a Resource, Advancement, and Fellowship Team. We by no means own this idea; there exist in many places various women in medicine, women in emergency medicine, and many other versions of these groups. And we support every single one! Even as we share, for those who are looking for new ideas, growing ideas, or even a starting place for ideas, how to develop their own group. A RAFT is built on three pillars:

• Resource: to survive in this world of medicine or to enact change within your professional community is not based on your personal efforts alone. This pillar recognizes the need for practical support along the way. Not every person or every workplace has information or materials you need to succeed. If that happens to be you, we have provided them for you.

• Advancement: whether you are looking to get to the next stage of your career or to move into or refine your leadership skills, this pillar is focused on ensuring equitable access to whatever your dreams for your future might be.

• Fellowship: no person is an island. We all need human connection. With this connection comes mentorship, friendship, sponsorship, and people to create your RAFT with. If you are looking to build a RAFT at your workplace, in your region, or seeking out connections to others across the nation, we are poised to be able to help facilitate it all.

As the FemInEM Director of Community Engagement, I am pleased to announce that over the next several posts we will be exploring each of these pillars more, as well as discussing how to set up your RAFT, suggested ways to use your RAFT to meet these pillars and the needs of your members, as well as how to potentially expand your RAFT into other departments in the hospital, local emergency departments, or communities. We will also hear from members of RAFTs that already exist in a variety of forms, to get their practical take on how to create these teams and keep them running.

Never forget, YOU are a part of OUR RAFT. You are a vital member of our FemInEM community. First, foremost, and above all other things, we exist to support the members of our community and to reach those who need connection. We look forward to drawing closer together as we build connection, commitment, and dream a future where we all succeed in our goals and even exceed our wildest expectations.