2019-20 Wellness Think Tank: Open call for 30 passionate EM residents focused on physician wellness

We are thrilled to announce the open call for the fourth class of the ALiEM Wellness Think Tank. Every year has a different ambitious focus and this upcoming year is no different. We are lead by a 4-person powerhouse team (Dr. Simiao Li-Sauerwine, Dr. Sarah Mott, Dr. Katie Rebillot, and Dr. Sneha Shah). Want to learn more about it? Think you have what it takes to make the 30-member cut? Membership is free, if invited. Applications are due June 14, 2019. Read all about it and apply on the Wellness Think Tank home page.

UPDATE: Deadline extended to July 15, 2019 to allow for incoming EM interns to also apply!

By Michelle Lin, MD|2019-06-16T12:39:00-07:00May 18, 2019|Wellness, Wellness Think Tank|

Study: Thematic analysis of our “How I Work Smarter” series

In 2014-15, we hosted a “How I Work Smarter” (HIWS) series, led by Dr. Ben Azan, focusing on the individual strategies of high-performing, successful emergency physicians. After the conclusion of the series, Ben went one step further and recruited a team which included Drs. Marilyn Innes, Brent Thoma, myself, Alex Van Duyvendyk, Zafrina Poonja, and Teresa Chan to conduct a thematic analysis, which was just published in Cureus [open access full text].¹ Although the content is from 2014-15 and many of the featured contributors have moved institutions with different roles, the themes and tips remain salient and informative in today’s era of digital and cognitive overload in the clinical and non-clinical environments.

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By Michelle Lin, MD|2019-06-03T12:25:28-07:00Apr 22, 2019|How I Work Smarter, Research|

Health Insurance 101 for the Emergency Physician

A 28 year-old single man with type I diabetes mellitus presents to your busy Texas emergency department in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). This is his third hospitalization for DKA in 5 months. When you ask the patient about his current medication regimen, he admits that he frequently skips doses as a cost-savings measure. He shares that he works 45 hours a week at a small local grocery store, makes minimum wage ($15,660 pretax), and has no health insurance. His prescribed insulin regimen, consisting of Lantus at bedtime and Humalog with meals, costs approximately $600 a month. This cost estimate is based on 25 units of nightly Lantus and 25 total units of Humalog daily from GoodRx advertised list prices for the San Antonio area.

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By Sarah Goldman, MD MPM|2019-04-10T23:14:19-07:00Apr 10, 2019|Public Health, Public Policy|

ALiEM is Growing

You’ve probably noticed by now, but ALiEM is going through some pretty significant changes–especially in the way that the site looks and feels. We’ve shifted the platform that was used to create ALiEM and taking a few minutes to explain why.

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By Shuhan He, MD|2019-04-04T20:39:19-07:00Mar 30, 2019|Social Media & Tech|

Beyond the Abstract: A Return to Work Policy for New Resident Parents

More women than men entered medical school in the United States for the first time in 2017. Will this generation also set new trends in parenting during their training? One study suggests that 40% of female residents plan to have a child while in residency.¹

Can our graduate medical education system withstand even a modest increase in the number of resident parents? Can your hospital?

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By Michael Gisondi, MD|2019-04-18T15:05:11-07:00Mar 19, 2019|Beyond the Abstract, Wellness|

Study: High Prevalence of Physician Burnout Among Emergency Medicine Residents Across the U.S.

In March 2017, our ALiEM Wellness Think Tank launched an ambitious initiative to try to identify the prevalence rate of U.S. emergency medicine (EM) resident burnout across the country. No study to date had been done to assess this. Amazingly we got a response from over 1,500 confirmed U.S. EM residents from 193 residency programs purely through our social media, email listservs, and Wellness Think Tank outreach efforts. We measured burnout using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS). This 22-item MBI-HSS is the most common, validated tool used to measure burnout in healthcare professionals. It assesses 3 subscale domains:

Emotional exhaustion (EE), which means being emotionally depleted at work
Depersonalization (DP), which means a lack of feelings or negative, cynical feelings towards others
Personal accomplishment (PA), which is a positive sense of self-evaluation and success at work.

A combination of high EE, high DP, and/or low PA scores are correlated with burnout.^1,2 This post reviews some of the highlights from our study, High Prevalence of Burnout among Emergency Medicine Residents across the US, which was recently accepted by Annals of Emergency Medicine and published online.³

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By Michelle Lin, MD|2019-06-14T18:27:10-07:00Mar 16, 2019|Research, Wellness, Wellness Think Tank|

Top 5 Reasons to Join the 2019-20 Chief Resident Incubator

The ALiEM Chief Resident Incubator (“CRincubator”) launches its fifth class today. Every year’s class has a unique personality with wide-reaching projects. But all the chief residents share consistent characteristics – a deep dedication to resident education and wellness, a growth-minded approach to learning, and a desire for ongoing professional development. Are you an incoming chief resident in emergency medicine with a similar outlook, looking for a year-long community of your peers to share ideas with and bounce ideas off of? Want access to CRincubator alumni and respected educators in our field? Sign up early enough to attend our in-person launch event in Seattle on March 31, 2019 at the Council of EM Residency Director’s Academic Assembly.

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By Layla Abubshait, MD|2019-04-04T19:50:29-07:00Mar 10, 2019|Incubators, Social Media & Tech|