MEdIC Series: The Case of the Solo Senior

Welcome to season 4, episode 7 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 an emergency attending who questions the common consultant call-etiquette of not contacting attending physicians to provide back-up on a busy call shift.

(more…)

By Tamara McColl, MD FRCPC|2019-03-30T21:37:28-07:00Apr 28, 2017|MEdIC series|

ALiEM Book Club: The Tennis Partner

“Gripping… The Tennis Partner is a sincere and self-effacing book by a physician who well knows that there are things in the human heart that no electrocardiogram can detect.” – Times Literary Supplement

Abraham Verghese, a board-certified physician and a professor at Stanford University is a critically acclaimed, best-selling author. The Tennis Partner is an autobiographical memoir written by Verghese during a time of great turmoil in his life – an unraveling marriage while balancing a brand new attending position in El Paso, TX. He writes about his friendship with David Smith, a young Australian medical student that he meets. The book illuminates the intertwined worlds of of medicine and relationships, but above all else the capacity humans have towards each other in both a healing and hurtful manner.

(more…)

By Fareen Zaver, MD|2017-04-20T16:00:14-07:00Apr 21, 2017|Book Club|

MEdIC Series: The Case of the Lazy Learners – Expert Review and Curated Community Commentary

The Case of the Lazy Learners outlined a scenario of an emergency attending, Chris, who questions the work-ethic, dedication, and professionalism of his residents after an on-shift teaching interaction. This month, the MEdIC team (Tamara McColl, Teresa Chan, Sarah Luckett-Gatopoulos, Eve Purdy, John Eicken, Alkarim Velji, and Brent Thoma), hosted a 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 Tamara McColl, MD FRCPC|2026-06-16T16:11:31-07:00Apr 14, 2017|MEdIC series|

EM Match Advice Series: Advice for the Non-EM Resident Applying To EM

Match season came to a close last month – and with that, some 17,000 U.S. medical school seniors earned a PGY-1 position. Most will go on to complete these programs and have happy, successful careers in their chosen specialty. But for a small number, second thoughts will creep in during residency. Maybe a life event changes the way a resident looks at his or her role in providing care; or perhaps exposure to another specialty – EM for example – occurred late in the fourth year of medical school. For these atypical applicants, there is a dearth of resources to help guide a re-match, if you will, and no guide for navigating the policies and politics associated with changing one’s mind.

(more…)

By Derek Monette, MD|2026-06-16T16:11:25-07:00Apr 5, 2017|EM Match Advice, Podcasts|

MEdIC Series: The Case of the Lazy Learners

Welcome to season 4, episode 6 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 an emergency attending who questions the work-ethic, dedication and professionalism of his residents after an on-shift teaching interaction.

(more…)

By Tamara McColl, MD FRCPC|2017-04-19T06:16:30-07:00Mar 31, 2017|MEdIC series|

Top 5 Reasons to Join the 2017-18 Chief Resident Incubator

“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”
– John F. Kennedy

Every year without exception, a new set of Chief Residents are chosen at each Emergency Medicine program. They are always excited for the position, but hardly prepared for what’s to come. We have now had 2 successful ALiEM Chief Resident Incubators and are extremely excited and thrilled to launch the third 2017-18 ALiEM Chief Resident Incubator.

If you are a Chief Resident, here are the top 5 reasons why you should join the Incubator.

(more…)

By Fareen Zaver, MD|2017-03-26T16:33:49-07:00Mar 27, 2017|Incubators|

MEdIC Series: The Case of Shifting Expectations – Expert Review and Curated Commentary

The Case of Shifting Expectations outlined a scenario of a junior emergency attending who feels like she has lost control of her department while working with an overconfident senior resident. This month, the MEdIC team (Tamara McColl, Teresa Chan, Sarah Luckett-Gatopoulos, Eve Purdy, John Eicken, Alkarim Velji, and Brent Thoma), hosted a 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 Tamara McColl, MD FRCPC|2019-03-30T21:35:56-07:00Mar 10, 2017|MEdIC series|