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The
UHMS Associates A Historical Perspective by
Stacy
Kruckeberg, ACHRN Associates Historian In 1967, six USN Diving and Submarine medical officers with the goal of promoting diving and undersea medicine founded the Undersea Medical Society. Over time,
this
society realized the validity of clinical hyperbaric medicine. In recognition of
the dual interest by members in both diving and clinical applications, the
society was renamed “The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society” (UHMS) in
September 1986.
In1986
the UHMS first recognized an essential body of personnel in this field, the
Associates. For the first time ever diver medics, research physiologists, EMTs,
paramedics, hyperbaric technicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and students
became eligible for Associate member status.
The UHMS
Executive Committee still maintained absolute control by appointing an
‘Associate Representative’ and limiting the term to one year. The process of
recognition for the Associates was in place but it would still take a few more
years to impress upon the Society the value of the Associates role. Paul Baker
was the first appointed representative in 1987 followed by Jim Persels in 1988.
The
Associate body was slowly growing and their voice was finally being heard. In
1989 the UHMS Executive Committee, under the direction of Dr. Richard Heimbach,
approved the Associates to conduct their own election for a chair position to
sit on the Executive Committee with full voting privileges and hold the position
for two years. The first elected Chair was Dick Clarke in 1989. Associate
membership increased to 565.
Other
past Associate Chairs have included Paul Baker 1991, Delmer Shelton 1993, Sue
Laney 1995, Jim McCarthy1997, Gregory Mann 1999, and Steve Woods 2001. Our
current Chair is Mike Crouch; he assumed the role in June 2003.
Membership
numbers over the years have remained about the same ranging from 533 to
presently 644. Considering the increased awareness and growth in this industry
our membership into the Associates is not representative. There remains much
work to be done in this area to increase the awareness of Associate membership
and the opportunities that exist for such membership. The
Associate’s mission statement was established and today remains unchanged
while paralleling that of the UHMS purpose statement. It is to provide a forum
for communication among individuals involved in basic and applied studies
concerned with life sciences and human factor aspects of the undersea
environment and hyperbaric medicine.
To promote cooperation between the life sciences and other
disciplines concerned with undersea activity and hyperbaric medicine. To develop
and promote educational activities and other programs which improve scientific
knowledge of matters related to undersea and hyperbaric environments and the
accepted applications of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the membership, as well
as physicians and allied health professionals, divers, diver technicians,
hyperbaric technologists and the public at large.
While
simultaneously establishing themselves as the Associate body within the UHMS,
the early leadership was also reassessing the focus of the National Association
of Diver Medical Technicians (NADMT). In 1989, under the presidency of Dick
Clarke, a new name was established and it became the National Board of Diving
and Hyperbaric Medical Technology (NBDHMT), acknowledging the emergence of
clinical hyperbaric medical technicians in to the field of diving medicine.
A body of
five men made up the NBDHMT Executive Committee; Dick Clarke, Paul Baker, Jim
Persels, Keith Van Meter, and Brian Foley. The new committee’s focus was to
develop a testing certification process whereby members would have access to
gain recognition for their specialized skills. Candidates would have to show
documentation of 40 hours of formal hyperbaric medicine training, maintain
continued education, show proof of working in HBO for a minimum amount of time
and have a letter of recommendation from their employer.
These requirements were established to ensure a higher level of safety
and competency of clinicians in hyperbaric medicine settings. By June
1991, the first ever Certified Hyperbaric Technologist (CHT) examination was
conducted at the UHMS annual meeting in San Diego, California with 45 candidates
challenging the exam. To date there have been well over 1850 CHTs complete the
process for certification. In 1995, Paul Baker became the next NBDHMT president
and he still currently holds that position.
In 1997,
the Associates established the Paul C. Baker Award. This
award is presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting to an Associate member for
outstanding contributions to the advancement of safety in hyperbaric medicine
worldwide. The award was based on the many enduring contributions from Paul
Baker. At the August 2004 Annual Meeting in Dallas, the board approved an
increase to $1000 for this life achievement award.
Past
recipients are Paul Baker 1997, Dick Clarke 1998, Jim McCarthy 1999, Brian Foley
2000, Sue Desantis and Ken Rideout 2001, Jay Duchnick 2002, Robert Sheffield
2003, Christy Pirone June 2004 in Sydney and Kevin Corson August 2004 in Dallas.
The Associates
Award for Excellence in Presentation was created in 1999 to recognize
outstanding Associates who participate in the Annual Scientific Meeting.
Each Associate member who presents a paper is evaluated by a team of judges who
rate each presentation on a number of areas, including content, applicability to
the profession, and quality of presentation. At the Annual Meeting in
August 2004 in Dallas, the board approved creating two Excellence Awards for
each Annual Meeting, as well as increasing the monetary value to $750 and $500.
Past
recipients are Dawn Ray 1999, Sara Hasan 2000, Dick Sample 2001, Valerie Larson-Lohr
2002, Karen Swaby 2003, Rich Egan June 2004 in Sydney, Dick Sample August 2004
in Dallas and Doug Oberly August 2004 in Dallas. In 1999, Tom Workman, on behalf on the operations committee,
was asked to draft a proposal to present to the UHMS Executive Committee for
hyperbaric facility accreditation. Tom worked diligently to put to
together a safety program for hyperbaric centers nationwide and made numerous
presentations on the concept to audiences worldwide. This program would consist
of safety compliance standards, which would eventually serve as the accepted
minimum requirements to house hyperbaric centers in the US. This initiative
would help eliminate those centers and/or home based operations that were
producing or at risk for catastrophic fatalities due to a lack of approved
safety devices and measures. Additionally, the accreditation was to capture the
attention of regulatory affairs to stop reimbursement and shut down centers that
do not meet safety standards. Up to that time, safety hazards associated with
hyperbaric medicine were not well understood or enforced by government agencies.
After many
years, his hard work paid off. Tom and his chosen team of surveyors were able to
raise the bar on safety standards. The first Accreditation survey was conducted
September 2002 in Columbia, SC. Since that time 35 HBO centers have been
surveyed and many more centers are waiting their turn for accreditation. The
UHMS accreditation is close to becoming the industry standard for hyperbaric
centers. Tom's efforts have made
a tremendous impact in the lives of the Associates by broadening the awareness
of hyperbaric medicine safety.
In
response to the need for hyperbaric facility design guidelines, during the 2003
Annual Meeting, the Associates’ Executive Board authorized the organization of
a committee to develop a set of facility design recommendations for clinical
hyperbaric facilities. The committee chair is Steve Wood, and committee
membership will represent chamber operators, manufacturers, and clinicians. A
draft of the design has been presented thus far. The Associates look forward to
the final production of the project. The UHMS
Associates have evolved over the nearly 2 decades since our birth to accommodate
to the needs of its members and the settings they exist in. Thanks to the early
pioneers who generated the idea of acceptance of the Associate membership, we
now have a voice in the UHMS. We have succeeded in fulfilling the mission by
providing ongoing collaboration and education through cooperation between the
life sciences. As Associates, we
have much to be grateful for, however, we still have a great deal more yet to
accomplish! Revised
8/2004
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Copyright (c) 2006 Associates of the Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society. Rights Reserved. |
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