About Andrew Grock, MD

Lead Editor/Co-Founder of ALiEM Approved Instructional Resources (AIR)
Faculty Physician, Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System
Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine
UCLA Emergency Medicine Department

Beyond the Abstract: Systemic Online Academic Resources Review: Renal and Genitourinary

Production and use of free open access medical education resources (FOAM) has had a meteoric rise over the last decade.^1–4 ALiEM works hard to produce content, disseminate knowledge, and consolidate resources in a democratic and accessible way. However, we recognize that FOAM comes with its own limitations:

Blogs are distinct, individual, and decentralized. How can we search for topic-specific content?
FOAM doesn’t often have peer review. How can we assess quality and accuracy?
FOAM is produced on an as-needed basis. How do we achieve curricular comprehensiveness?

(more…)

By Andrew Grock, MD|2020-05-28T12:37:11-07:00May 20, 2020|Genitourinary, Renal|

Teaching in the age of COVID-19: Teaching with tech while socially distancing

With the arrival of SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) in North America, programs are facing the need to reconsider how they deliver didactic education to their learners. The ACGME only allows for 20% of the curriculum to be delivered in an asynchronous fashion. The remainder is delivered through traditional didactic means, including “small-group sessions, such as break-out groups, serially repeated conference sessions, practicum sessions, or large-group planned educational activities.” With mandatory social distancing likely to become standard practice, we present multiple solutions to bridge the gap between live, in-person conferences and asynchronous materials.

(more…)

By Andrew Grock, MD|2020-04-02T13:57:06-07:00Mar 17, 2020|Academic, Administrative, COVID19, Medical Education|

A 66-year-old otherwise healthy man presents by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) after being found unconscious on the ground. On arrival to your emergency department, he is back to his baseline normal mental status and without complaints. His vital signs are within normal limits and his physical exam is unremarkable. Is it a syncope? What are the key features of his history and physical exam that should affect your medical decision making? What should this patient’s work-up entail?

(more…)

By Andrew Grock, MD|2019-12-02T08:48:04-08:00Dec 9, 2019|Cardiovascular|

2018 ACEP Clinical Policy for Patients with Suspected Non-ST Elevation ACS

A patient presents to your ED with an all too common complaint – chest pain. After a focused history and physical exam, you have an extremely low clinical suspicion for thoracic aortic dissection, pulmonary embolism, pneumonia, pneumothorax, pericarditis/myocarditis, and Boerhaave’s syndrome. When the labs (including a troponin), an ECG, and chest x-ray yield normal results, questions often arise. Can you discharge her with a single troponin if she is low risk? How do you define low risk? And lastly, does she need urgent provocative testing after discharge?

(more…)

By Andrew Grock, MD|2019-09-05T20:31:46-07:00Dec 17, 2018|Cardiovascular, Guideline Review|

ALiEM AIR Series: Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Module

Welcome to the Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Module! After carefully reviewing all relevant posts from the top 50 sites of the Social Media Index, the ALiEM AIR Team is proud to present the highest quality online content related to ENT emergencies. 8 blog posts within the past 12 months (as of December 2017) met our standard of online excellence and were curated and approved for residency training by the AIR Series Board. We identified 1 AIR and 7 Honorable Mentions. We recommend programs give 3 hours (about 20 minutes per article) of III credit for this module.
(more…)

By Andrew Grock, MD|2019-11-10T21:52:42-08:00Apr 12, 2018|ALiEMU, Approved Instructional Resources (AIR series), ENT|

ALiEM AIR Series: Environmental Module

Welcome to the Environmental Module! After carefully reviewing all relevant posts from the top 50 sites of the Social Media Index, the ALiEM AIR Team is proud to present the highest quality online content related to environmental emergencies. 3 blog posts within the past 12 months (as of December 2017) met our standard of online excellence and were curated and approved for residency training by the AIR Series Board. We identified 0 AIR and 3 Honorable Mentions. We recommend programs give 1 hour (about 20 minutes per article) of III credit for this module.
(more…)

By Andrew Grock, MD|2019-11-10T21:52:50-08:00Feb 26, 2018|ALiEMU, Approved Instructional Resources (AIR series), Environmental|

AIR Series: Gastrointestinal 2017

Welcome to the Gastrointestinal Module! After carefully reviewing all relevant posts from the top 50 sites of the Social Media Index, the ALiEM AIR Team is proud to present the highest quality online gastrointestinal content. 8 blog posts related to gastrointestinal emergencies within the past 12 months (as of September 2017) met our standard of online excellence and were curated and approved for residency training by the AIR Series Board. We identified 1 AIR and 7 Honorable Mentions. We recommend programs give 3 hours (about 22.5 minutes per article) of III credit for this module.
(more…)