The most commonly asked question that I receive as Chair is “What is your vision for the program?”   I usually reply that “my” vision is not just mine – it is that common vision shared by all of my faculty, residents, administrative support staff, nurses, students, technicians, hospital support personnel, paramedics, and the many others working beside us at this institution. I also like to emphasize that we not only all share the same Vision, but also the same philosophy of Mission as well.

So What is our Vision and Mission?

Our Vision 

Our common vision is that the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center–Parkland EM program will become universally accepted as one of the best -- if not the best -- of its kind in the world. It has all the resources, raw materials and internal promise to do so – and it is through our common mission that we will realize this vision:

The Mission

We believe that our mission is at the heart of the art and science of medicine -- because it is a mission of public service. From the clerical staff to the faculty; from nurses to technicians; and from administrative staff to residents; we all believe:

Regardless of background, time of day, demeanor or severity, every single patient seeking our help will receive the same uncompromising and compassionate care that we would want for our own loved ones.

This is the philosophy for which we strive and it is the philosophy that we plan to disseminate.

We would always want our own loved ones cared for with the most up-to-date, cutting-edge and cost-effective care. Therefore, it is our academic mission to continually research best practices and innovations, and then properly teach and disseminate them responsibly. We like to say that we provide the best “care” – not treatment or management --- because “caring” is what we do.

We also like to say that this is not just a teaching hospital -- it is a “learning hospital”. So we strive to focus on resident and faculty development and innovative educational techniques to maximize learning.

We also like to continually stress that we are “public servants”. Quite literally, we are. We are employed by the citizens of the State of Texas and our clinical and academic responsibilities revolve around their tax dollar support. Regardless, our mission implies that we are here to serve those in need.

We also recognize that the emergency department is not our only focus of attention. Emergencies begin outside the hospital and the “care” we provide will need to begin there. Whether the eventual critical emergency occurs within the confines of our homes or on a rain-slicked, dusky roadside, we need to ensure and strengthen each link in our communities’ chains of survival and recovery.

Specifically, we need to be public spokespersons and public educators for disease, violence and injury prevention. We need to be public advocates and ensure that everyone in our community knows how to perform immediate bystander CPR (including automated defibrillator use) and first aid. We need to promote the best performance, judgment and skills from the thousands of paramedics and EMTs whom we support. We need to make certain that our poison control and toxicological services are the best and that we and all of our public safety officials are properly trained, equipped and  prepared for the threats of weapons of mass effect (WME), terrorists, public health emergencies, disasters and other public safety issues concerning governmental emergency medical security services (GEMSS). These all fall within our mission and our scope of services and they all affect the care of our own family members and friends, let alone the community at large. We are dedicated to promulgating this mission, not only because we are medical educators and caregivers, but also because, above all, we are public servants.

Paul E. Pepe, MD, MPH