Navigating Life After Residency: 10 Lessons I Learned in EMS Fellowship
The transition from residency to your first job or fellowship is an exciting time in any career. New opportunities for professional growth appear, but with them come a new and unique set of challenges. Transitioning from a structured clinical environment to more independent work and self-driven projects can be a difficult transition. For this reason, we wanted to share a few lessons we’ve learned. Although this advice is derived from our experience in EMS fellowship, we expect that it will apply and be helpful to other upcoming fellows and all people stepping away from residency to enter the workforce.
Two patients present to your emergency department: Patient 1 is a 17 year-old soccer player who fell during a game onto their right side and is now complaining of mild right shoulder pain. You obtain x-rays (Figure 1). Patient 2 is a 21 year-old motorist who lost control and went over the handlebars. They heard a pop and are complaining of left shoulder pain. You obtain shoulder x-rays (Figure 2). For these cases, what are your diagnoses, expected physical examination findings, and emergency department management?
Patients who are tracheostomy and ventilator dependent are at increased risk for complications the longer they remain in this condition. One common complication is tracheomalacia. Progressive tracheomalacia can lead to air leaks around the tracheostomy cannula balloon. Initially, this can be managed by placing a longer tracheostomy cannula deeper into the trachea, however, these are often unavailable in the emergency department [1]. A second line strategy is to temporarily over-inflate the balloon, however, with chronic overinflation, eventually both the trachea and the neck stoma become too large, leading to an inability to maintain appropriate positive pressure (PEEP) and tidal volume necessary to ventilate the patient [2]. 
