10 tips for smoothing the transition from resident to academic emergency medicine attending

Physician
September 11, 2022

Congratulations! You made it through residency. On to the next stage of your emergency medicine career – attending-hood (and for some fellowship)!

Here are ten tips we learned during our first year as attendings at an academic emergency medicine department.

1. Efficiency comes with time. Start off making sure you are methodical. Unlike residency, you will no longer have an attending re-ordering hemolyzed labs or ensuring a negative HCG prior to obtaining …

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Antibodies are the future of cancer treatment [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 10, 2022
YouTube video

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“Since President Nixon declared war on cancer in 1971, and despite some great victories and many losses, there continues to be a never-ending battle in this long-fought war that seems never-ending. The convergence of great intellect and …

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Bulletproof backpacks: There’s more we can do

Policy
September 10, 2022

As a parent of elementary school children, every mass shooting, particularly ones killing school children like in Uvalde, jolts my doing-the-mom-thing-just-keep-busy-can’t-stop denial. On the last day of school before summer vacation, when the bus doors squeaked open, and my kids hopped off, I experienced a momentary sense of relief. They were safe for one more day, at least from school shootings. I hugged my kindergartener and patted the head (that’s …

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How you can donate effectively after tragedy [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 9, 2022
YouTube video

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“Gun violence, war, pandemic, natural disasters — listening to the news or doom scrolling on social media during times of tragedy can leave us feeling devastated, discouraged, and angry. Tragedy can also make us feel like helping. …

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We need to get real about chronic pain solutions

Conditions
September 9, 2022

For all the time and attention that’s placed on whether opioids should be prescribed or even removed from the market, we must put equal – if not greater – emphasis on enhancing access to non-opioid pain treatments. Not prescribing opioids doesn’t solve or eliminate the root issue and reason many people are on painkillers to begin with—chronic pain.

Fifty million Americans live in chronic, debilitating pain. For many, their pain …

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How to stay off my operating table

Conditions
September 9, 2022

Health isn’t about luck — it’s about intentionality. But even if you’re doing and saying all the right things, you might not be any closer to your goals.

I know because I was there.

As a heart surgeon, I was very good at following the rules.

But I was still morbidly obese.

I followed the food pyramid to a T.

I exercised for the recommended amount of time each day.

I thought I was doing everything …

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Racism in nursing: a story

Conditions
September 9, 2022

I could give you several examples of racism I have witnessed in my lifetime of nursing. But there is one incident that always comes up: Olisa.

Her name was passed down to her from her great-great-grandmother. Her name meant “God’s promise.”

Olisa came from a long line of nurses. Her great-great-grandmother was a nurse, nanny, and an enslaved person owned by some wealthy folks on their Southern plantation.

But the torch was passed …

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Contractual issues for female physicians [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 8, 2022
YouTube video

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“All physicians need to be concerned about issues such as potential delays in the start date, restrictive covenants, potential ownership in a private practice, malpractice tail coverage, employee benefits, etc. Unfortunately, until discrimination against female physicians ends, …

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Physicians did not go to provider school

Physician
September 8, 2022

“If both of you are the same, then one of you is unnecessary.”

That’s one of my brother-in-law’s favorite quotes, and I think it’s applicable to the ongoing debate for physicians to be called “physicians” instead of “providers.”

When you think about what’s been happening in health care, physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners are advertised as equivalent.

How is this equivalence being promoted? By lumping us all into the same category called …

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My job security relies on another woman taking care of my children

Physician
September 8, 2022

“I’m taking another job,” said our nanny after my husband and I returned home from a rare date night.

My immediate numbness was a sign that my mind, body, and soul knew what was about to change in my life.

I had thrived over the past three years as a mother and a physician, despite the many expected challenges of early parenthood. I had started a new job as I found out …

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Human touch and scientific veracity are missing in health care technology

Tech
September 8, 2022

Working remotely during the coronavirus pandemic has immersed physicians in technology, perhaps accelerating its integration with medical practice – but not necessarily its acceptance or authenticity.

I tend to doubt the veracity of much of what I read in electronic health care records. I also question reports based on data gleaned from large medical databases – for example, summaries about physician compensation and practice trends.

Many reports that profile physicians are generated …

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5 things this allergist-immunologist will never do [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 7, 2022
YouTube video

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“Jumping on the recent TikTok trend of medical professionals sharing the things they would never do given their knowledge and expertise, I am sharing the five things I would never do as a board-certified allergist-immunologist.”

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Turning obstacles into opportunities with diversified health care perspectives

Physician
September 7, 2022

I have experienced a wide spectrum of the health care ecosystem since childhood giving me a deeper insight into its future need. I suffered for 23 years with a wrong diagnosis and frequent long-distance hospital visits before my heart operation. For 14 years, I shifted through multiple doctors and hospitalizations for my father’s mismanaged diabetic complications, including a foot ulcer with cellulitis. My academic mentor said, “Your father himself is …

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Innovation for all: Adapting patient-facing tools to promote digital health equity

Tech
September 7, 2022

More often than not, ground-breaking health care advancements are disproportionately accessible for those who already have favorable social determinants of health.

Improving cost, access, and quality, but for whom?

The boom of telehealth and digital health during the pandemic was a necessary shift to bridge the critical access gap while also supporting the public health measures implemented to slow the spread of COVID-19 – but did this change …

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Top tips for new interns [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 6, 2022
YouTube video

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“New resident physicians who have earned their MD degrees will be heading to hospitals to start their residencies during the last two week in June and the first week in July. What can a beginning doctor do …

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