Why to become or stay an ESRA Member?

Dear Regional Anaesthesia Enthusiasts all over the world!

For 40 years the European Society of Regional Anaesthesia and Pain Therapy (ESRA) has been pursuing its goals: to stimulate research, promote education, and train anaesthesiologists in Regional Anaesthesia, Pain Therapy, POCUS and peri-operative care, not only in Europe but also abroad. In 2021, ESRA hand an audience of 23,000 specialists including 6,500 voting members all around the world. We are proud of a membership grow by 10% per year on average and of our 13,000 followers on each social media platform: Facebook and Twitter. Additionally, we share the passion and the enthusiasm of our specialty with our 4 Sister Societies in the remaining continents: ASRA, LASRA, AFSRA and AOSRAPM.

But, why should you become or stay an ESRA Member? What does ESRA offers to you in particular? How can ESRA promote your knowledge, your education and / or your career?  The answer depends very much of what YOU want and what level YOU want to achieve in your Regional Anaesthesia and Pain Therapy knowledge and skills.

Our Annual Congress, in Paris 2023 it will be the World Congress of Regional Anaesthesia & Pain Medicine, offers you an unique platform to learn, present your results, discuss, exchange opinions, explore nerves and procedures on cadaveric models, actively scan models and discuss with the leaders of our specialty and this all surrounded by many social activities allowing active networking. During the congress we offer sessions for Residents and EDRA (European Diploma in Regional Anaesthesia & Acute Pain Management) diplomats giving to the next generation the chance to meet future colleagues and mentors.

The rest of the year ESRA promotes education (https://esraeurope.org/meetings/?meeting_type=esra-events) offering several activities like:

• Regional Anaesthesia and Chronic Pain Cadaver Workshops
• the Winter Week Conference in the Öztaler Alpen (Längenfeld) in Austria
• the European Day of Regional Anaesthesia: in several countries and in different cities in each country the congress program is offered by local speakers sharing podcasts and polls with the other countries
• the e-ESRA: an interactive online congress where all 5 big Regional Anaesthesia Societies participate and where hot topics, discussions, live demonstrations etc. are broadcasted from a TV Studio in Paris through the Web around the globe to reach every Regional Anaethesia and Pain Therapy Enthusiast at home
• the ESRA Sunny Autumn Meeting as monothematic conference where one topic is dissected during one week by experts in the sunny Algarve, Protugal
• The ESRA Residents & Trainees Workshop to hook the next generation of Regional Anaesthesia addicts
• Several Webinars during the year discussing with experts important topics of our specialty
• The ESRA Educational Grant (https://esraeurope.org/grants-awards/) to allow anaesthesiologists coming from countries that lack the financial infrastructures needed to achieve the education in regional anaesthesia to travel to ESRA Approved Training Institutions in Europe and increase their experience

Keep in mind: the fees for all events listed up here are reduced for ESRA Members!

ESRA promotes also research offering an ESRA Research Grant  (https://esraeurope.org/grants-awards/) to help anaesthesiologists, specially those in under-resourced countries, to develop their scientific programmes

To boost your career ESRA offers you two Diplomas to distinguish you as an expert of the corresponding specialty:

• The EDRA (European Diploma in Regional Anaesthesia & Acute Pain Management): A 2-year educational track to start with at earliest after 2 years of an anaesthesiology training programme which ends up a written and oral examination
• The EDPM (European Diploma of Pain Medicine) with the purpose to harmonize and improve quality standards for safe, independent practice of interventional pain medicine in Europe and elsewhere. After a Fellowship or equivalent and after completed a minimum of 6 months training in Pain Medicine a written and a practical examination will lead to the EDPM

Additionally, all European Countries represented in ESRA (ESRA Council of Representatives) have a National Regional Anaesthesia Society. Often, the memberships for ESRA or for the National Society are reduced in case of a membership in both Societies. Moreover, an engagement to spread Regional Anaesthesia knowledge and research inside your Country can lead not only to a career in the National Society but also inside ESRA representing your Country in the Council of Representatives and from there applying for an Executive Board position or for any ESRA sub-committee.

ESRA awards great achievements in Regional Anaesthesia and Chronic Pain Research and Education with prestigious Awards (https://esraeurope.org/grants-awards/) like the Carl Koller Award, the Recognition of Education in Pain Medicine Award, the Recognition of Education in Regional Anaesthesia Award, the Albert Van Steenberge Award and the Best Chronic Pain Paper Award. To be awarded with one or more of these Awards will for sure be a mark of excellence in your CV.

Finally, you get access to all this and to the e-Version of the RAPM (Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine Journal) for ONLY 100€ (30€ for members from lower economies, 45€ for residents and nurses) per year!!!

Now that you know all the good reasons why to become or remain an ESRA Member, you will agree with me that the correct question is: Don’t ask anymore what ESRA can do for you, but what can you do for ESRA?