Author Insight: Ultrasonography versus CT for suspected nephrolithiasis | NEJM

Are you getting a CT or bedside ultrasound as your first-line diagnostic approach to patients with undifferentiated abdominal or flank pain in whom you suspect kidney stones? In a landmark 15-center, multidisciplinary study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in September 2014, Dr. Rebecca Smith-Bindman (UCSF Department of Radiology) and her research team looked at exactly this question for emergency department patients. In the paper, “Ultrasonography versus CT for suspected nephrolithiasis,” Dr. Smith-Bindman and Dr. Ralph Wang (UCSF Department of Emergency Medicine) kindly joined us on a quick discussion about her paper.

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By Michelle Lin, MD|2018-10-28T21:23:26-07:00Mar 24, 2015|Genitourinary, Radiology, Ultrasound|

ALiEM Chief Resident Incubator: Mentoring the Future Leaders in EM

We at ALiEM are incredibly excited to publicly announce the 2015-16 ALiEM Chief Resident (CR) Incubator. Every single year, I have seen Chief Residents struggle with their new role as a near-peer leader in the residency program. Because Chief Residents are generally high-functioning individuals, they usually figure it out as the year progresses. Why is it that we can’t we do better and prepare them for what is to come?

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By Michelle Lin, MD|2019-01-28T21:44:28-08:00Feb 18, 2015|Medical Education, Social Media & Tech|

What is Open Access? Video chat with Dr. Martin Eve

Open Access is not just an issue that plagues scientists and clinical practitioners. Allowing access to scholarly publications and academic work is also widely debated in the humanities as well. We found this out as we sat down and discussed Open Access with Dr. Martin Eve (@martin_eve).

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By Nikita Joshi, MD|2018-01-30T01:52:45-08:00Jan 31, 2015|Academic, Social Media & Tech|

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.

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By Jonathan Sherbino, MD, MEd|2018-01-30T01:57:07-08:00Jan 12, 2015|Medical Education|

EM Match Advice: Post Interview Communications

With interview season now in full swing this winter season, we gathered a few more of our favorite program directors to discuss the hot topic of making the post-interview communication etiquette. We feature Dr. Jim Colletti (Mayo Clinic), Dr. Jessica Smith (Brown University), and Dr. Jeff Schneider (Boston Medical Center). Thanks again to Dr. Mike Gisondi (Northwestern) for spearheading this innovative and helpful EM Match Advice series for medical students.

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By Michelle Lin, MD|2021-07-01T10:46:55-07:00Nov 15, 2014|EM Match Advice, Podcasts|

ADJUST-PE Study: ALiEM-Annals of EM Journal Club

We are very excited this month to bring you our fourth ALiEM-Annals of EM Global Journal Club on the use of age-adjusted D-dimer levels to help exclude the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE). We hope you will participate in an online discussion of the four posted questions below from now until August 29th. Respond by commenting below or tweeting (#ALiEMJC). Mark your calendars: On Thursday, August 28th at 16:30 CST (17:30 EST), we will be hosting a 30-minute live Google Hangout with Drs. Jeff Kline and Jonathan Kirschner, the authors of the Annals of Emergency Medicine Journal Club for the ADJUST-PE Trial, that is informed by the discussion. Later this year, a summary of this journal club will hopefully be published in Annals of EM.

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By Salim Rezaie, MD|2017-03-05T14:18:40-08:00Aug 25, 2014|Cardiovascular, Journal Club, Pulmonary|

ALiEM Bookclub: How We Die

518buQWOFZL DNR/DNI, Code Blue, Cardiac Arrest, Traumatic Brain Injury, Exsanguination, Septic Shock, Respiratory Arrest… and the list goes on. As healthcare providers, we are well versed in the medical and emergency resuscitations that can spiral into these dangerous arenas. Even if we don’t always know the exact cause, we know the mantra of ABCs and we stick to it until the end. The very last end… But the end of what? Where is the dignity in resuscitating a body that has already died? Ultimately the question becomes, are we as practitioners as well versed in letting go, in letting the body die, and then ultimately explaining that process to the family?

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By Nikita Joshi, MD|2016-11-07T09:37:40-08:00May 16, 2014|Book Club|