Trick: Linear Ultrasound Transducers in Intrauterine Pregnancy Evaluation
The volume of women presenting to the emergency department (ED) with newly diagnosed first-trimester pregnancies and suspected ectopic pregnancies sometimes seems like an infinitely growing number. As ED physicians, proper identification of an intrauterine pregnancy (IUP) in these patients is of paramount importance and the initial imaging test of choice for many has become bedside point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS). [+]
EM Match Advice: The Standardized Video Interview
It is not very often that the ERAS application process for residency positions changes from year to year. In 2018, there is going to be a new component added - the Standardized Video Interview (SVI) launched by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). All EM applicants in the 2018 application season are required to complete this interview during June 6 - July 31, 2017. Because it is such a new process, we invited key various stakeholders to the virtual table. The discussion was hosted by Drs. Michael Gisondi (Stanford) and Michelle Lin (UCSF/ALiEM). Podcast Panelists Mrs. Renee Overton: Senior Director, Residency & Fellowship [+]
MEdIC Series: The Case of the Failure to Fail
Welcome to season 4, episode 8 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 attending emergency physician who struggles with the ingrained “failure to fail” culture amongst his colleagues when faced with a resident who has significantly underperformed throughout his emergency medicine rotation. [+]
IDEA Series: Use of Online Interactive Platform to Incorporate Board Review into Conference
The Problem Every year, emergency medicine (EM) residents take the In-Training Exam (ITE) to test their medical knowledge and predict the likelihood of passing their official written board examination upon completion of residency training. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires all EM residencies to include weekly didactics in order to build the knowledge base of residents and facilitate preparation for the written and oral American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) or American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Medicine (AOBEM) examinations. These didactics, however, often consists of traditional lecture formats. In contrast, according to the testing effect, we know that taking a [+]
Beyond the Abstract | Shared Decision-Making in the ED: 3 Factors That Matter
Shared decision-making seems to be more popular than Snapchat these days. Everyone in emergency medicine is talking about it… but who is actually doing it properly? In our recent concepts piece published in Annals of Emergency Medicine, we describe 3 key factors that must be present for shared decision-making (SDM) to be appropriate in the emergency department (ED). [+]
Traumatic Bleeding in Anticoagulated Patients: 5 Other Sources Beyond the Brain
When a patient is started on anticoagulant therapy, the purpose is to prevent clot formation or propagation. Anticoagulants can improve morbidity and mortality by maintaining cardiac stent patency, reducing the propagation of pulmonary emboli, or preventing formation of intra-cardiac thrombi.1,2 Unfortunately even after minor trauma, these medications can cause major problems. When a patient on clopidogrel is in a motor vehicle collision (MVC) or an elderly patient on warfarin falls out of their bed, the once life-improving therapy becomes potentially life-threatening. It is important for emergency care providers to maintain a high index of suspicion for life-threatening bleeds in all patients on [+]
I am Dr. Daniel Lakoff, Associate Residency Director: How I Promote Wellness in EM
Promoting wellness is a team sport. It takes more than one individual to champion it at any institution. In medicine, when a team is formed to effect change, it is called a committee. Dr. Dan Lakoff was one of the founding leaders of the council of residency wellness committee, and has also helped lead wellness efforts at his own institution. Here he shares his thoughts, his inspiration, and practical ideas that helped improve wellness at his program. [+]
10 Tips on How to Succeed Your First Year Out After Residency Graduation
If you are graduating from an EM residency this year, you may be feeling nervous (or petrified) about your first shift out on your own. You’re wondering how you can gain the trust of the nurses and doctors at your new hospital. Perhaps you are wondering how you will keep learning without the residency leadership forcing articles and lectures on you. In this post we will give you our top 10 tips, each with a practical pearl, for how to succeed your first year out. These keys to success will help keep you from making common mistakes, blowing your chance [+]
60 Second Soapbox: Shared Decision Making, Backboards, and Caring for the Family
Its’ time for another installment of 60 Second Soapbox! Each episode, one lucky individual gets exactly 1 minute to present their rant-of-choice to the world. Any topic is on the table – clinical, academic, economic, or whatever else may interest an EM-centric audience. We carefully remix your audio to add an extra splash of drama and excitement. Even more exciting, participants get to challenge 3 of their peers to stand on a soapbox of their own! [+]
IDEA Series: Interactive Practice Oral Examination Case Construction
The Problem The American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM), American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Medicine (AOBEM), and the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) require successful completion of an oral examination as part of the certification process for the specialty of emergency medicine. Residents are seldom taught explicitly about the process of developing oral board examinations. While deliberate and guided practice can improve performance in such examinations, understanding the design and structure of an oral examination can also ease anxiety about the experience. [+]