Welcome to August! I hope your summer is going well, and that you get a chance for a holiday with your family.

The NCS has been very busy over the past month, focusing on the strategic plan and preparing for the NCS 22^nd Annual Meeting, taking place this October in San Diego. I wanted to share some highlights of our ongoing activities:

NCS Education

Firstly, our new education team, comprising Michelle Taylor, Caitlyn Hicks and Margaret Kraus, along with the ENLS and Educational Products Committee, has been diligently working on the next edition of our educational products. These include the NCS Brain Death Determination Course, NCS Live Hands-On Brain Death Workshops, the new ENLS 6.0, the revised Board Review Question Bank and more. Please see below for details.

2025 Annual Budget Process

August marks the start of the annual budget process for 2025. The Committee and Leadership Section chairs recently met to discuss ongoing projects and to begin submitting budget requests. We look forward to engaging in active discussions about projects that will enhance the quality of patient care in 2025. Our goal is to integrate and fund key aspects of our strategic plan, establishing NCS as the educator of choice in neurocritical care and fostering collaborations with colleagues in neurology, neurosurgery, emergency medicine, critical care and other disciplines and other societies.

Supply Chain Shortages

On a different note, the NCS has been actively following the issue of supply chain shortages for critical devices such as ventriculostomy catheters, brain tissue oxygen probes and certain medications. The NCS leadership has reached out to industry leaders to advocate for the needs of our patients and members. The NCS will remain vigilant and continue to provide support as needed.

NCC Fellowship Matches

Fellowship programs are continually evolving to meet the changing needs of the medical field. In April, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) recently revised its program requirements for NCC, reflecting the growing recognition of the importance of this specialty. The NCS thanks the ACGME in responding to concerns from the NCC community and is excited to learn of the early revisions in the program training requirements. We encourage our members to stay engaged in the discussion and provide feedback to NCS leadership on issues that may arise.

Planning for the NCS 22^nd Annual Meeting

While you move through these next few months, I encourage you to consider using any remaining funds to register for the NCS 22^nd Annual Meeting, taking place October 14-17, 2024, in San Diego, CA. The Annual Meeting promises a dynamic program filled with cutting-edge research, innovative practices and collaborative discussions that will inspire and inform your daily work. We encourage you to not only register for this year’s can’t-miss event but also to invite your colleagues to join you for this enriching experience.

The Annual Meeting is just one example of the NCS's steadfast commitment to being the education provider of choice for neurocritical care professionals. The healthcare landscape is ever evolving, and at the NCS, we continue to innovate and curate education to keep you at the forefront of those changes.

Prepare for Board Exams With NCS Resources

For those preparing to take board exams this year, the NCS offers an array of educational resources designed to help you succeed. The NCS Neurocritical Care Board Review Question Bank is an invaluable online tool for trainees and physicians, featuring over 150 questions that cover the content blueprint provided by the ABPN and UCNS for neurocritical care certification.

Additionally, the 2nd edition of the Practice of Neurocritical Care represents a novel approach to medical textbooks, available in both book and e-book formats. This edition includes learning tools such as clinical cases to begin chapters and 315 multiple-choice questions with answer keys and rationales.

Furthermore, Neurocritical Care ON CALL stands as the only up-to-date, comprehensive resource exclusively dedicated to the practice of neurocritical care. These tools are strategically designed to ensure you are thoroughly prepared for your exams and your future in neurocritical care.

In addition to these resources, we are excited to highlight the NCS Brain Death Determination Course which has recently undergone significant updates. This course is an essential resource for ensuring accurate and consistent brain death determination practices. The latest updates reflect the most current guidelines and best practices, providing you with the tools you need to confidently and competently perform these critical assessments. NCS is excited to offer the NCS Brain Death Determination Workshop at the 2024 Annual Meeting and will be hosting a number of hands-on workshops in 2025.