News for Young Physicians

View Interim Meeting policy positions by the AMA-YPS

Young physicians from across the country met with colleagues to discuss priority issues and help shape AMA policy during this year's AMA Young Physicians Section Interim Assembly Meeting.

The AMA-YPS Assembly adopted one resolution, "Conforming Birth Certificate Policies to Current Medical Standards for Transgender Patients," that will be considered at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates. This resolution asks the AMA to support policies that allow for a change of sex designation on birth certificates for transgender individuals based on verification by a health care provider that the individual has undergone gender transition according to applicable medical standards of care. 

After careful review of the House of Delegates handbook, the AMA-YPS Assembly identified items of particular relevance to the section and developed testimony for reference committee hearings and on the House floor. View details of all AMA-YPS positions on proposed policy resolutions.

Learn eight reliable principles to safe opioid prescribing

Find out how to identify patients who are appropriate candidates for opioid therapy and how to monitor and evaluate their response by viewing a free webinar by the AMA.

The webinar features Lynn R. Webster, MD, president-elect of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, discussing eight tested principles for managing pain while avoiding misuse of prescription opioids. The webinar is the first in a new series that will offer state-of-the-art education to help physicians develop skills to manage patients with persistent pain while prescribing opioid drugs safely and effectively.

Part of the Prescribers' Clinical Support System for Opioid Therapies collaborative led by the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry, the series will cover a range of important topics related to the intersection of pain management, opioid prescribing and substance abuse, including addiction. Each webinar will be archived for on-demand viewing.

Pain is one of the most common reasons patients seek medical attention in the United States, as more than 100 million Americans are burdened by chronic pain, according to a 2011 report by the Institute of Medicine. In recent years, the use of prescription opioids for managing persistent pain has increased substantially. At the same time, the country has seen a deeply concerning increase in prescription drug abuse, unintentional overdoses and deaths linked to prescription drugs.

The AMA continues to work with state and national legislators and other groups to combat prescription drug abuse while ensuring patients get the medications they need. Visit the AMA's Web page on prescription drug abuse and diversion to learn more.