What Makes a Great Resident Teacher: JGME-ALiEM Hot Topic in Medical Education
Let’s talk journals, knowledge translation, and building our community of practice around scholarship hot topics specifically in medical education. This week we are piloting a cross-disciplinary discussion week, featuring and co-hosted by the Journal of Graduate Medical Education (JGME). We talk about the hot topic of the Resident As Teacher role in the JGME publication entitled “What Makes a Great Resident Teacher? A Multicenter Survey of Medical Students Attending an Internal Medicine Conference” by Melvin et al. using the Twitter hashtag #JGMEscholar. [+]
I am Dr. Nicholas Genes, pioneer in social media and clinical informatics: How I Work Smarter
There are early adopters of social media, clinical informatics, and educational technologies, and then there’s Dr. Nick Genes – a man wise beyond his years. Nick had one of the very first blogs in Emergency Medicine called Blogborygmi, which he started way back in 2003. Compare this with ALiEM which I started in 2009. So I am not surprised that he is working alongside the giants of EM, such as Professor Tintinalli in his role as a senior editor at Emergency Physicians Monthly, and doing amazing things in clinical informatics. Nick kindly has carved out some free time to share some of his tips [+]
Duarte meets #FOAMed: How I learned that we can give better presentations
What medical educator does not dream of improving their lecturing skills? As a junior faculty member, I aspire to constantly challenge myself to do this better and better. As a part of this quest, I have read ample books that have inspired change in my material – but no one has been more impactful on my lecture skills than Nancy Duarte. [+]
Trick of the Trade: Knee Arthrocentesis
A patient comes into the ED and you suspect septic arthritis to the knee. As you consent the patient for arthrocentesis, you can tell s/he has reservations about a needle being inserted into their knee and left in place while you aspirate. You also think in the back of your mind how tricky it is to sometimes change syringes while keeping the needle in the correct location. Is there another way of tapping the knee without a needle? [+]
PV Card: Skin and Soft Tissue Ultrasound
We know that ultrasonography can be used to identify soft tissue infections. But what exactly are the distinguishing features between cellulitis and abscess? Is that a foreign body? Should I put a scalpel to this soft tissue infection? This PV card, written by Drs. Alissa Genthon, Patricia Henwood, and Mike Stone, serves as a great reference card for you at the bedside. PV Card: Skin and Soft Tissue Ultrasound Go to ALiEM (PV) Cards for more resources.
Diagnose on Sight: Chronic Unilateral Lower Extremity Swelling
Case: A 55 year old female visiting the United States from southern Mexico presents with 6 months of chronic unilateral lower extremity swelling and 2 days of erythema. What is the most common cause of this chronic disease? Click on image for a larger view. [+]
I am Dr. Megan Ranney, Director of Brown’s Emergency Digital Health Innovation program: How I Work Smarter
If you at all are at all involved with public health or digital education, it is hard not to know of and admire Dr. Megan Ranney (@MeganRanney), who is the Director and Founder of Brown University’s Emergency Digital Health Innovation (EDHI) program. She also has written several fantastic ALiEM posts about the importance of public health and safety nets in the field of emergency medicine. In the How I Work Smarter post by Dr. Ryan Radecki (@EMLitOfNote), he tags Megan as someone from whom we should all learn as a role model in efficiency and … just getting things done. Megan [+]
MEdIC Series |The Case of the Late Letter – Expert Review and Curated Commentary
The Case of the Late Letter prompted some great discussion around how to properly ask for a letter of reference and what students and preceptors might do when things get down to the wire. As usual, I was extremely impressed by the rich discussion that evolved over the week. We are now proud to present to you the Curated Community Commentary and our two expert opinions. Thank-you again to all our experts and participants for contributing again this week to the ALiEM MEdIC series. [+]
2014 Annual Report | ALiEM
As this new year begins, we reflect back on a really incredible year of growth, diversification, and continued innovation. Thanks to the leadership and design expertise of Dr. Teresa Chan and Scott Kobner, the entire ALiEM team chipped in to add relevant content. We are proud to present our 2014 Annual Report, which highlights many projects and collaborations, as well as some behind the scenes insights. Here are the table of contents: [+]
PV Card: Focused Biliary Assessment Ultrasound
Have trouble finding the common bile duct? What's the normal thickness of the gallbladder wall? What are common pitfalls in imaging the gallbladder? This is a great Paucis Verbis (PV)/ALiEM card on focused biliary assessment using ultrasound, courtesy of Drs. John Eicken and Mike Stone. PV Card: Focused Biliary Assessment Ultrasound Adapted from [1, 2] Go to ALiEM (PV) Cards for more resources. References Blaivas M, Harwood R, Lambert M. Decreasing length of stay with emergency ultrasound examination of the gallbladder. Acad Emerg Med. 1999;6(10):1020-1023. [PubMed Summers S, Scruggs W, Menchine M, et al. A prospective evaluation of emergency department [+]