It is amazing to me how far emergency medicine has come as a specialty. Until the 1970s, emergency rooms were staffed by low-level resident interns who moonlighted for extra money or physicians who couldn’t find work elsewhere. After finally getting recognized as a specialty, the specialty still spent a few decades finding its way: developing training programs, improving quality, and generally trying to raise the bar on emergency care in …
In my near-decade of practicing emergency medicine I have yet to receive a letter from a hospital congratulating me on how few CT scans I’ve ordered. Nor have I ever received a special award for diverting a potential admission to an outpatient referral instead. Rather, the push has always been the opposite. Fee-for-service models encourage the opposite behavior, and trying to do the most evidenced-based or cost-effective thing is not …
When I graduated residency and started my first job, I walked around the ED confidently, chest slightly pumped up at all times. I knew I was well-trained. If there was a sick patient, I was going to resuscitate them. If there was an impossible central line that was needed – I was going to get it. Difficult intubation? No problem. There was no procedure that was too difficult for me.
Many …
After eating at my favorite restaurant last week, I started to think why I enjoyed it so much. I have been eating at the same place regularly for years, but never stopped to think about what makes it special. After thinking about it for a bit, I came up with one word: consistency. I know that every time I eat there I can expect the same dish prepared the exact …
Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.
