We at ALiEM are incredibly excited to publicly announce the 2015-16 ALiEM Chief Resident (CR) Incubator. Every single year, I have seen Chief Residents struggle with their new role as a near-peer leader in the residency program. Because Chief Residents are generally high-functioning individuals, they usually figure it out as the year progresses. Why is it that we can’t we do better and prepare them for what is to come?
Traditionally in medical school, it is taught that lower extremity deep tendon reflexes for L4 and S1 nerve root levels can be elicited by tapping on the patella and Achilles tendons. It was just taught that L5 didn’t have a reflex to check. Knowing if an L5 radiculopathy existed would be especially helpful when assessing a patient for a potential lumbar disc herniation where a careful lower extremity neurologic exam is important. It turns out one can actually check for a L5 reflex.
When the topic of pericarditis is mentioned, the classic electrocardiogram (ECG) findings of diffuse ST elevation and PR depression are often the focus of discussion. What about the criteria for diagnosis, the 3-prong approach to treatment, and contraindications to colchicine? These are the great questions answered by Dr. Chris Bond (@socmobem) in this PV card, which summarize 3 key papers by Imazio et al from the New England Journal of Medicine, Archives of Internal Medicine, and Circulation.
Read more ALiEM (PV) Cards.
As this new year begins, we reflect back on a really incredible year of growth, diversification, and continued innovation. Thanks to the leadership and design expertise of Dr. Teresa Chan and Scott Kobner, the entire ALiEM team chipped in to add relevant content. We are proud to present our 2014 Annual Report, which highlights many projects and collaborations, as well as some behind the scenes insights. Here are the table of contents:
Unless you have been living under a rock, you undoubtedly have used a resource or participated in an event led by Chris Nickson. Chris is an emergency physician and intensivist, who has humbly amassed an impressive list of accomplishments in the community of FOAM, including co-creating Life in the Fast Lane, SMACC, iTeachEM, and The RAGE podcast to name a few. In fact, he wins the prize for the person tagged the most number of times by other How I Work Smarter contributors. Everyone certainly wants to know how he is able to get things done so efficiently. Here are Chris’ words of wisdom.
Seasons greetings from the ALiEM. We have been expanding our range of posts in the hopes of sharing new lessons, exploring the concept of digital scholarship, and advancing life skills. Based on our recent survey, we understand that our loyal base of readers are those looking for clinical content. So here are our top 20 most popular ALiEM clinical posts in 2014. Did you read these?
Professor Simon Carley’s (@EMManchester) many roles and titles would not fit in the title of this post, and so I mentioned the St. Emlyn’s blog because this was how I first learned of Simon and his passionate dedication for education. As the co-creator of the St. Emlyn’s blog and podcast, Simon worked with a team of amazing contributors teaching about EM, critical care, and medical education. Fun fact: Simon starred in a Trick of the Trade video on Ring Removal on ALiEM that thus far has >1.8 million views! He has been incredibly successful in two contrasting careers – the worlds of online education and academia. He has published over 100 academic papers and serves as the Associate Editor for the Emergency Medicine Journal. How does he juggle his time? Does he have 25 hours in a day? Simon shared with us his trade secrets.