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Background
The Section on Critical Care (SOCC) was founded in 1984 and enables members whose primary area of focus is pediatric critical care to meet for the purpose of discussing and developing ideas and generating programs and projects which will improve the care of critically ill and injured infants, children and adolescents. The Section currently has 777 members.
Mission
The mission of the AAP SOCC is to optimize the care of critically ill infants, children, and adolescents through the educational and professional support of its members.
Membership
You must be a Fellow, Post-Residency Training Fellow, Candidate Fellow, Honorary Fellow, Emeritus Fellow, Life Fellow, Dual Fellow, or Resident Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and you should be actively involved in some aspect of the practice or study of life-threatening disease or injury.
Advocacy & Networking
The AAP serves as the nation’s primary advocate for the health needs of children, and the SOCC is the primary voice within the AAP for critically ill infants and children. The Section provides input to the Academy on issues related to the practice of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. The SOCC collaborates with many other committees and sections of the AAP as well as outside organizations including the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM). The SOCC also advocates for pediatric intensivists within the AAP and works closely on related issues with others. For example, the SOCC was instrumental in working with the AAP to gain AMA approval for establish-ment of two new global CPT codes for pediatric critical care.
Membership in the SOCC provides opportunities to share your ideas and form long-lasting relationship with others who share your passion for our specialty. Members can benefit from collaborating with others in the Section as well as members of other sections via electronic venues (e-mail, SOCC web site, and LISTSERV®), written communications, or face-to-face meetings at various AAP conferences. Members can influence policy and clinical practice by becoming active participants on SOCC subcommittees and, if elected, by serving on the Executive Committee of the Section.
Policy
The SOCC serves as an expert resource to the AAP by providing review of official AAP policy and by develop-ing policy guidelines on pediatric critical care. The SOCC has collaborated with the Pediatric Section of SCCM where possible. Current SOCC policy statements (*joint with SCCM) include: “Guidelines & Levels of Care for PICUs” (10/04)*; “Admission & Discharge Guidelines for Pediatric Patients Requiring Intermediate Care” (5/04); and “Guidelines for Developing Admission & Discharge Policies for the PICU” (5/99; reaffirmed )*.
Education & Leadership
The SOCC sponsors scientific abstract presentations, a business meeting, and educational programming each year at the AAP National Conference & Exhibition. The Section also sponsors an annual call for abstracts, presented at this meeting and published in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. In addition, SOCC has sponsored two Pediatric Critical Care Coding CME courses - October 2002 during the Colloquium and June 2003 with the World Congress – as well as a course on Preparing for Life in Academics in October 2003 and 2005, to be offered again in October 2007, and a course on PICU Practice Management in 2005. Leadership training and lobbying workshops are available to SOCC members through the AAP. This year the SOCC began work with the AAP to develop an online subspecialty self-assessment program to help intensivists meet ABP requirements for lifelong learning and recertification.
Awards
The SOCC sponsors an annual $1000 Distinguished Career Award, a $7500-10,000 New Investigator Research Award (if funding is available), and several annual abstract awards.
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