Article review: Optimal training during fourth year of medical school
U.S. medical students traditionally spend the first 3 years of training in a pre-determined curriculum. In their 4th year, however, students have significant flexibility in how they tailor their time. For this last year before residency, they shift from a learner-centered curriculum to a patient-centered curriculum. There is a shift in mentality from “I am here to learn as much as I can about medicine” to more of a “How do I best prepare myself for working in a hospital in my chosen specialty?” [+]
Hot off the press: Improving medical student presentations in the ED
Website: www.emrapee.com The EM-RAP Educator’s Edition podcast just released its 6th podcast episode. Dr. Rob Rogers et al discuss practical tips and approaches to giving feedback on medical student presentations. Presentations in the ED are very different from those in other specialties, such as internal medicine and surgery. The discussants dissect and comment on parts of the presentation. [+]
What is a journal "impact factor"?
Journals use the numerical "Impact Factor" as an indirect quantitative measure of a journal's importance in the medical field and scientific literature. Thompson Scientific calculates the impact factor scores annually. This score provides journals with bragging rights, especially when it comes to marketing. Be aware that there are ways to manipulate the numbers a little and thus brings the true value of this score into question. How is the impact factor calculated? The impact factor is a calculation of how frequent a journal's articles are cited in a 2-year period. As an example, the 2009 impact factor for a journal [+]
Educator’s portfolio
Are you a medical educator and can’t quite illustrate the importance and impact of your work in your CV? I’ve always had this problem when compiling and updating my CV. The traditional CV format caters especially to academic physicians who are active in public service, traditional research, and leadership positions. What about the great procedural course that you ran with stellar evaluations? What about the lecture you gave at a national conference? [+]
Hot off the press: Podcast on ED crowding and education
Dr. Rob Rogers (Univ Maryland) has come up with yet another podcast edition for the EMRAP Educator’s Edition website. In this recording, Rob interviews EM faculty about education issues. Go to EMRAP Educator’s Edition website to listen to podcast. [+]
Article review: Scholarly management as a medical educator
Are you interested in pursuing a career in medical education in Emergency Medicine? Do you know what that exactly means and entails? It’s not just teaching medical students or residents. It’s now much more than that. [+]
Tricks of the Trade sneak peak: Teaching procedures
Teaching procedural skills in medical school is increasing falling on the shoulders of emergency physicians. Two common problems that arise are the equipment expenses and simulation of realism. Working with my colleague Dr. Jeff Tabas, we came up some creative ideas around the teaching of (1) the Seldinger technique for central line placement and (2) saphenous vein cutdown. [+]
Article review: The ABCs of manuscript writing
I came across a practical and insightful review article written by Dr. Mark Langdorf (editor-in-chief of West JEM) and Dr. Steve Hayden (editor-in-chief of Journal of EM) outlining how to write a manuscript for publication. This is a crucial skill because paper publications are the standard unit of currency in academics, which then translates into promotions and academic credibility. Although this article primarily targets novice manuscript writers, it’s always nice to get the perspectives from Mark and Steve, editors-in chief of two major EM journals. [+]
Three phases of educational technology in the classroom
I recently encountered a thought-provoking video about how technology is transforming education in the classroom setting. We are slowly experiencing a culture shift in how learners are learning. It follows that this should affect how teachers should be teaching. Briefly, the author lays out the progression of educational technology in 3 phases. [+]
Work in Progress: Visual Aid Project
Practicing at an academic ED, such as in San Francisco General, I find that I am constantly surrounded by medical students, interns, and residents. Most are working on shift with me, but occasionally I have medical students shadowing me to learn more about the Emergency Medicine specialty. Have you ever had a person shadow you (excluding your annoying little brother when you were a kid)? It’s actually a little stressful for me, because I want the shift to be a positive learning experience for them. Inevitably, it doesn’t take long before I get immersed in mundane troubleshooting activities (eg. calling [+]
