Survey: Share lessons from your mentor

Mentorship is critical to the success of people throughout one’s career with regards to productivity, career satisfaction, and professional development. Often one has several mentors who each serve unique purposes such as doing research, writing grants, balance work-life issues, and navigation departmental politics. Being a mentor is often a thankless job. In this survey, thank your mentor by sharing lessons that you have learned from him/her. Great pearls are worth sharing.

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By Michelle Lin, MD|2016-11-11T19:03:53-08:00Sep 23, 2013|Medical Education|

Simulation Trick of the Trade: Paper Mache

Money doesn’t grow on trees, and neither do simulation manikins, not even on simulated trees. So what to do when you are looking for a cheaper, more easily replicated solution to simulation dilemmas? This is the perfect time to fall back on skills developed in childhood during Arts & Crafts hour. Consider paper mache! So easy to use, and guaranteed to bring back childhood memories!

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By Nikita Joshi, MD|2016-11-11T19:03:49-08:00Sep 20, 2013|Simulation, Tricks of the Trade|

5 Rules To Guide Your Approach to Learning in Social Media

Blogs, podcasts, and other social media platforms in medical education, known collectively as Free Open Access Meducation (FOAM), are becoming increasingly popular and integrated into daily learning habits. Through various push technologies, these resources come to you in the form of RSS feeds, podcast tools, and other apps. Do you have a mental checklist to help you determine whether the content is trustworthy and accurate? How do you process the information from FOAM sites?

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By Michelle Lin, MD|2017-01-20T12:30:38-08:00Sep 18, 2013|Medical Education, Social Media & Tech|

Is FOAM to blame when a medical error occurs?

What if a resident-physician attempted a technique she read on a blog or listened to on a podcast, but the procedure didn’t go as planned and the patient was harmed? Is Free Open Access Meducation (FOAM) to blame for medical errors? What about the blog site? If the site has a disclaimer (like most medical databases), is it enough to limit liability?

These are challenging questions, but ones that deserve discussion, especially in light of the recent post on St. Emlyn’s blog about a theoretical scenario just like this.

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By Bryan D. Hayes, PharmD, DABAT, FAACT, FASHP|2017-03-05T14:18:36-08:00Sep 17, 2013|Medical Education, Social Media & Tech|

ALiEM Bookclub: The House of God

Written as satire when published first, The House of God polarized the medical community. Doctors in training cheered the book as a voice for their generation to describe the grueling nature of medical training. Others were appalled by the crass language and apparent lack of humanity when describing patient care. Reading the book became a rite of passage for young trainees. (more…)

By Nikita Joshi, MD|2016-11-11T19:03:47-08:00Sep 13, 2013|Book Club|

MEdIC: The Case of the Difficult Consult – Expert and Community Response

On August 30th I posted the first case of the MEdIC (Medical Education In Cases) series that will be facilitated by Dr. Teresa Chan (@TChanMD) and I (@BoringEM). The Case of the Difficult Consult involved a junior resident in the emergency department who had a consult go bad. Our readers were thrust into the role of an attending physician wanting to help.

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By Brent Thoma, MD MA|2019-06-16T10:04:58-07:00Sep 6, 2013|Expert Peer Review (Non-Clinical), MEdIC series|

Motivation and Self Determination Theory

Motivation is one of those important elements in our personalities that helps us have a drive for improvement. Motivation can come in two flavors internal and external. Self determination theory (SDT) is a psychological term which explains people’s internal motivation and determination to their behavior. Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan explored SDT further and determined there were three basic needs in every human, which are universal, not learned, and seen across gender and culture.

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By Javier Benitez, MD|2017-03-05T14:18:36-08:00Sep 6, 2013|Education Articles, Medical Education|