“We cannot be silent in medicine”

Dr. Matthew Bombard is an emergency physician at Reston Hospital Center and a VACEP Leadership and Advocacy Fellow for the 2019-2020 year. A more recent med- school graduate, Dr. Bombard graduated from Michigan State University and completed his residency at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital. He is currently licensed in Virginia, Michigan, Washington, D.C. and Maryland. In 2016, Dr. Bombard won the Guardian Angel Award, a testament to his mission of patient satisfaction.

Why did you go into emergency medicine?

To be completely cliché, the variety of patient presentations and not knowing what is going to come through the door at any time is why we all go into emergency medicine. 

Emergency medicine is one of the few specialties where you go to work, work your tail off, then leave it at work. No calls after hours. The hours are great and conducive to a normal life outside of medicine. I wouldn’t want to do anything else.

Why did you choose to be involved in VACEP?

We cannot be silent in medicine. Over the last 10 to 20 years, we have let non-physicians dictate how we practice medicine. Every physician needs to be involved or contribute to bolster our political endeavors. This is the only way we can practice medicine the way we were trained to.

Surprise billing is the hot topic right now that all emergency physicians are concerned about. We obviously do not want our patients to pay a small fortune for a visit to the emergency room. But emergency physicians should also not be penalized and take a cut in pay (some estimates 15 to 20%) to fix this very important problem.

ACEP is the preeminent voice for our profession and how we change things at the national level. VACEP is the only way that you can change the frustrations you have while on shift. Get involved. Make a difference.

What motivates you?

I am motivated to provide the most up-to-date care that I can to help patients. When we figure out a complex diagnosis or save a life during a resuscitation, those wins make this job worthwhile. Finding those little victories is what keeps me motivated and wanting more. I want patients to feel confident they were taken care of well.

On a smaller level, a cup of coffee and the gurus from the emergency medicine podcasts I listen to motivate me to get my day going and start my shifts on the right note.

How has your past influenced your present?

During residency, I had a tough time keeping up with my peers. They were incredibly intelligent and hardworking and felt I wasn't as good as they were. Halfway through residency, my attendings noticed, and challenged me to be better. I worked hard to catch up and became chief of my program durig my final year of residency. Because of that, I am more confident in how I practice medicine. I also pay more attention to patient satisfaction than I did in my residency.

Signing my first contract was also a defining moment in my past that made me realize school is over and I am in the driver seat now.

Looking forward, what’s in store for you, as well as the future of medicine?

I hope I continue to learn more and become more confident in the things that I have already learned.

I hope that emergency medicine will gain some of the same respect as other specialties. I feel like we will be seeing more non-emergent conditions and be the buffer for patients for lack of adequate outpatient care. Patients have significant barriers to obtaining affordable health insurance. As long as those barriers exist, the emergency department will continue to be a source of outpatient care for the underserved.

What don’t we know about you?

I am a sucker for my pets. I dress them up for holidays and take tons of pictures.