MEdIC Series logo

Inspired by the Harvard Business Review Cases, the MEdIC Series puts difficult medical education cases under a microscope. From 2013-2018, on the fourth Friday of the month we will pose a challenging hypothetical dilemma, moderate a discussion on potential approaches, and recruit medical education experts to provide “Gold Standard” responses. Cases and responses will be made available for download as individual PDFs (i.e. one per case). Year 1-4 are also available as e-book compendiums (see below). Feel free to use them locally for your own education or in group activities with others!

Read more about the background of our process in our paper within the leading medical education journal Academic Medicine:
Chan TM, Thoma B, Lin M. Creating, Curating, and Sharing Online Faculty Development Resources. Academic Medicine. 2015;90(6):785-789. doi: 10.1097/acm.0000000000000692

Our Purpose

The purpose of the MEdIC series is to create resources that allow you to engage in ‘guerrilla’ faculty development – enticing and engaging individuals who might not have time to attend faculty development workshops to think about challenging cases in medical education. We hope to support our readership’s development by creating Expert Peer Reviewed content featuring prominent thinkers in emergency medicine (and beyond) on key topics.

Meet Our MEdiC Team

Series Editors

  • Tamara McColl, MD FRCPC MEd(c)
  • Teresa Chan, BEd MD FRCPC MHPE

Assistant Editors

  • S. Luckett-Gatopoulos, MD MSc
  • John Eicken, MD
  • Eve Purdy, BHSc MD
  • Alkarim Velji, MD
  • Brent Thoma, MA MD FRCPC MSc

Season Five Cases (2017-ongoing)

CaseOriginal PostWrap Up PostPDF link
Case 5.1: The Case of the Discriminatory PatientLinkLinkPDF
Case 5.2: The Case of the Difficult Debrief LinkLink

Bonus:
Podcast

PDF
Case 5.3: The Case of the M&M Shame GameLinkLinkPDF
Case 5.4: The Case of the Technologically-Challenged AcademicLinkLinkPDF
Case 5.5: The Case of the Night Shift StimulantsLinkLinkPDF
Case 5.6 The Case of the Post-Paternity bluesLinkLinkPDF
Case 5.7  The Case of the Orphaned PatientLinkLinkPDF
Case 5.8  The Case of the Overwhelmed SeniorLinkLinkPDF
Case 5.9 The Case of the Medication MishapLinkLinkPDF

Season Four Cases (2016-2017)

CaseOriginal PostWrap Up PostPDF link
Case 4.1: The Case of Cognitive OverloadLinkLinkPDF
Case 4.2: The Case of the Overly Attentive AttendingLinkLinkPDF
Case 4.3: The Case of the Fatiguing Fourth Year LinkLinkPDF
Case 4.4: The Case of the Resident-At-RiskLinkLinkPDF
Case 4.5: The Case of Shifting ExpectationsLinkLinkPDF
Case 4.6: The Case of the Lazy LearnersLinkLinkPDF
Case 4.7: The Case of the Solo SeniorLinkLinkPDF
Case 4.8: The Case of the Failure to FailLinkLinkPDF
Case 4.9: The Case of the Competency ConundrumLinkLinkPDF

Season Three Cases (2015-2016)

CaseOriginal PostWrap Up PostPDF link
Case 3.1: The Case of the FOAM promotionLinkLinkPDF
Case 3.2: The Case of the Patient with a No Learner PolicyLinkLinkPDF
Case 3.3: The Case of the Cackling Consulting ResidentLinkLinkPDF
Case 3.4: The Case of the Awkward AssessorsLinkLinkPDF
Case 3.5: The Case of the Catastrophic ClassroomLinkLinkPDF
Case 3.6: The Case of the Pimping PhysicianLinkLinkPDF
Case 3.7 : The Case of the Fibbing First YearLinkLinkPDF
Case 3.8 : The Case of the Terrible CodeLinkLinkPDF
Case 3.9: The Case of the Honorary AuthorshipLinkLinkPDF

Season Two Cases (2014-2015)

CaseOriginal PostWrap Up PostPDF link
Case 2.1: The Case of the Backroom BlunderLinkLinkPDF
Case 2.2: The Case of the Debriefing DebacleLinkLinkPDF
Case 2.3: The Case of the Ebola Outbreak EthicsLinkLinkPDF
Case 2.4: The Case of the Late LetterLinkLinkPDF
Case 2.5: The Case of Breaking Bad News BadlyLinkLinkPDF
Case 2.6: The Case of the Returning TravellerLinkLinkPDF
Case 2.7: The Case of the Financial FiascoLinkLinkPDF
Case 2.8: The Case of the FOAM Faux PasLinkLinkPDF
Case 2.9: The Case of the Flirtatious PatientLinkLinkPDF
Case 2.10: The Case of the Unseasoned SeniorLinkLinkPDF

Season One Cases (2013-2014)

CaseOriginal PostWrap Up PostPDF link
Case 1.1: The Case of the Difficult ConsultLinkLinkPDF
Case 1.2: The Case of the Facebook FaceplantLinkLinkPDF
Case 1.3: The Case of the Woman in WhiteLinkLinkPDF
Case 1.4: The Case of the New Job NegotiationsLinkLinkPDF
Case 1.5: The Case of the Magnificent MentorLinkLinkPDF
Case 1.6: The Case of the Terrible TeammateLinkLinkPDF
Case 1.7: The Case of the Culture ClashLinkLinkPDF
Case 1.8: The Case of the Not-so-Humorous HumerusLinkLinkPDF
Case 1.9: The Case of the Unexpected OutcomeLinkLinkPDF
Case 1.10: The Case of the Exasperated EducatorLinkLinkPDF
Case 1.11: The Case of the Justified JuniorLinkLinkPDF
Case 1.12: The Case of the Absentee AudienceLinkLinkPDF

Free e-Books: MEdIC Season 1-3 Compilations

Click on this direct iTunes link or the picture below to go there. You may also go to our ResearchGate link to get the PDF version if you are unable to access the iTunes e-book.

MEdIC Cover
Chan TM, Thoma B, Lin M (Eds). (2014). Medical Education in Cases: Volume 1 (1st Edition). Digital File. San Francisco, CA; Academic Life in Emergency Medicine. ISBN: 978-0-9907948-0-6.
MEdICYear2BookCover
Chan TM, McColl T, Luckett-Gatopoulos S, Purdy E, Thoma B (Eds).(2016).Medical Education in Cases: Volume 2. San Francisco, CA; Academic Life in Emergency Medicine.  ISBN: 978-0-9907948-0-6.
DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.2555.1522
PDF     |     iTunes
Chan TM, McColl T, Luckett-Gatopoulos S, Purdy E, Eicken J, Thoma B. (2017). Medical Education in Cases: Volume 3 (1st Edition). Digital File. San Francisco, CA; Academic Life in Emergency Medicine. ISBN: 978-0-9907948-9-9.

Newly available (July 20, 2017)

The Volume 4 e-book is out now.  You may go to our ResearchGate link to get the PDF version, and it is also available on iTunes as an e-book.


Did you know…?

ALiEM MEdIC series was selected as a “Top Five What Works” abstract and will be presented from the podium at the International Conference on Residency Education in 2014. Dr. Teresa Chan will represent the ALiEM Team. On October 25, 2014, Dr. Chan also presented the first ALiEM Press production the ALiEM MEdIC E-Book.

MEdIC Series: Case of the M&M Shame Game – Expert Review and Curated Community Commentary

Our third case of season 5, The Case of the M&M Shame Game, presented the scenario of a junior faculty member who had significant reservation about presenting at M&M Rounds after a colleague’s recent “public shaming.”

The MEdIC team (Drs. Tamara McColl, Teresa Chan, Sarah Luckett-Gatopoulos, Eve Purdy, John Eicken, Alkarim Velji, and Brent Thoma), hosted an online discussion around the case over the last 2 weeks with insights from the ALiEM community. We are proud to present to you the curated commentary and our expert opinions. Thank-you to all participants for contributing to the very rich discussions surrounding this case!

Our next case will be posted at the end of January 2018 so the MEdIC team would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our readers a safe and happy holiday season and all the best in the New Year!

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By |2019-03-30T22:02:03-07:00Dec 19, 2017|MEdIC series|

MEdIC Series: The Case of the M&M Shame Game

Welcome to season 5, episode 3 of the ALiEM Medical Education in Cases (MEdIC) series! Our team (Drs. Tamara McColl, Teresa Chan, John Eicken, Sarah Luckett-Gatopoulos, Eve Purdy, Alkarim Velji, and Brent Thoma) is pleased to welcome you to our online community of practice where we discuss the practice of academic medicine!

This month, we present a case of a junior faculty member who is apprehensive about presenting at M&M Rounds after a recent “public shaming” of one of his fellow colleagues.

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By |2019-03-30T21:59:54-07:00Dec 1, 2017|MEdIC series|

MEdIC Series: The Case of the Difficult Debrief – Expert Review and Curated Community Commentary

Our second case of season 5, The Case of the Difficult Debrief, presented the scenario of a budding simulation educator who had a difficult experience debriefing a cohort of learners.

This month’s case was developed in collaboration with the team at Simulcast, an excellent simulation website operated by a team of emergency providers in Australia, whose work includes a online Journal Club based loosely on the MEdIC discussion concept. After reviewing this commentary, we encourage readers to check out their podcast that delves into some of the issues that arose from this month’s MEdIC case.

The MEdIC team (Drs. Tamara McColl, Teresa Chan, Sarah Luckett-Gatopoulos, Eve Purdy, John Eicken, Alkarim Velji, and Brent Thoma), hosted an online discussion around the case over the last 2 weeks with insights from the ALiEM community. We are proud to present to you the curated commentary and our expert opinions. Thank-you to all participants for contributing to the very rich discussions surrounding this case!

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By |2019-03-30T21:57:01-07:00Nov 10, 2017|MEdIC series|

MEdIC Series: The Case of the Difficult Debrief

Welcome to season 5, episode 2 of the ALiEM Medical Education in Cases (MEdIC) series! Our team (Drs. Tamara McColl, Teresa Chan, John Eicken, Sarah Luckett-Gatopoulos, Eve Purdy, Alkarim Velji, and Brent Thoma) is pleased to welcome you to our online community of practice where we discuss the practice of academic medicine!

This month’s case was developed collaboratively with the team at Simulcast. For the unacquainted, Simulcast is an excellent simulation website operated by our Australian colleagues that even includes a Journal Club set-up based loosely on the MEdIC discussion concept. Check it out following the completion of the case for a podcast that will delve into some of the issues that arose from this month’s MEdIC case which presents a simulation educator who is having difficulty connecting with her learners during debriefing sessions.

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By |2017-10-28T10:55:25-07:00Oct 27, 2017|MEdIC series|

MEdIC Series: The Case of the Discriminatory Patient – Expert Review and Curated Community Commentary

Our first case of this season, The Case of the Discriminatory Patient, outlined a scenario of a junior resident faced with blatant discrimination while trying to treat a patient who refuses to be seen by a “non-white” or “non-Canadian” physician.

This month, the MEdIC team (Drs. Tamara McColl, Teresa Chan, Sarah Luckett-Gatopoulos, Eve Purdy, John Eicken, Alkarim Velji, and Brent Thoma), hosted an online discussion around this case with insights from the ALiEM community. We are proud to present to you the curated community commentary and our expert opinions. Thank-you to all participants for contributing to the very rich discussions surrounding this case!

(more…)

By |2019-03-30T21:54:44-07:00Oct 13, 2017|Academic, MEdIC series|

MEdIC Series: The Case of the Discriminatory Patient 

Welcome to season 5, episode 1 of the ALiEM Medical Education in Cases (MEdIC) series! Our team (Drs. Tamara McColl, Teresa Chan, John Eicken, Sarah Luckett-Gatopoulos, Eve Purdy, Alkarim Velji, and Brent Thoma) is pleased to welcome you to our online community of practice where we discuss the practice of academic medicine!

This month, we present a case of a junior resident faced with discrimination while treating a patient who refuses to be seen by a “non-white” or “non-Canadian” physician.

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By |2019-03-30T21:53:04-07:00Sep 29, 2017|MEdIC series|

HOT OFF THE PRESS | ALiEM MEdIC Series Book, Volume 3

MEdIC Series Book, Volume 3It has been 4 years since we launched the ALiEM Medical Education in Cases (MEdIC) Series, and we are very proud to have had 4 years of excellent engagement and participation from the FOAM audience with our interactive monthly discussions. This season has been a whirlwind. Together, we have explored challenging patient, learner, physician wellness, ethical, and assessment conundrums. We want to thank all of those who have written cases, acted as experts, and commented on the cases.

We are thrilled to announce that a compilation of the third MEdIC season (last year’s cases) is available for free download.

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By |2018-12-14T06:53:40-08:00Aug 11, 2017|MEdIC series|
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