Emergency medicine

2,327 articles · Since 2004

Articles, page 19

Ballad of a sober man: an ER doctor’s journey of recovery [PODCAST]

November 25, 2020Nov 25, 2020

"Now, in her afterlife, she occasionally accompanied Maggie on excursions into my head, usually at night. Make that a double vodka. I thought I had finally learned in sobriety how to put them in the past, encased in a box,…

Listen on Apple Podcasts · Spotify

Listen and followApple Podcasts Spotify YouTubeMore apps · Browse all episodes

“Now, in her afterlife, she occasionally accompanied Maggie on excursions into my head, usually at night. Make that a double vodka.

I thought I had finally learned in sobriety how to put them in the past, encased in a box, and keep them there. Still, sometimes they found a way out to visit me. The program taught me how to at least …

Physician voices

I am an emergency and critical care physician. I had COVID-19 infection twice and I’m tired.

Kara Ward, MD

November 22, 2020Nov 22, 20207

I am a critical care and emergency medicine physician, I have had COVID-19 infection twice, and I’m tired. My first infection was early on in the pandemic. I had to place a Blakemore tube in a young man who was…

I am a critical care and emergency medicine physician, I have had COVID-19 infection twice, and I’m tired.

My first infection was early on in the pandemic. I had to place a Blakemore tube in a young man who was going to die from his massive bleeding from cirrhosis. I didn’t know then that the patient was positive for COVID, as he didn’t have any “typical” symptoms. I placed the tube …

Physician voices

The trauma of a combat doctor in Iraq

Reagan Anderson, DO

November 9, 2020Nov 9, 20202

An excerpt from Universal Death Care. Machine gun fire ripped me open—From Left to Right. There were too many bullets. No way could I feel each wound. They blended together like a single strike of lightning. I was paralyzed by…

An excerpt from Universal Death Care.

Machine gun fire ripped me open—From Left to Right. There were too many bullets. No way could I feel each wound. They blended together like a single strike of lightning. I was paralyzed by pain. It had taken root in me. The sorrow at what I had lost was so pure and consuming that I knew it belonged to everyone—it was …

Read more…

The trauma of a combat doctor in Iraq

Real physician voices, twice a week

Free, and one click to unsubscribe.

Physician voices

Behind every patient is a powerful story

StorytellERdoc, MD

November 4, 2020Nov 4, 2020

A few years back, I took care of a frail elderly gentleman who, accompanied by his wife, had come to the ER with an elbow injury after tripping over a curb in front of a local restaurant. They had been traveling from Buffalo to Cleveland and had stopped for a quick bite and a bathroom break.

Before entering his room to treat him, I had been given a heads-up by Rita, …

Physician voices

Insecurity and shame at work

Rose Zacharias, MD

November 3, 2020Nov 3, 20202

She had me in her terrifying grip, and I was paralyzed. Stuck to my chair, my heart racing, instantly isolated in my desperate confusion. I heard ordinary sounds like two nurses chatting, papers shuffling, and a telephone ring, but they seemed distant, happening in some safe place far away beyond the dark tunnel I was now in. No warning. She had asked me a series of questions, and all seemed …

Read more…

Insecurity and shame at work

The Podcast by KevinMD

How writing can change minds and make you a better physician [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

October 28, 2020Oct 28, 2020

Meet the physician who has written multiple widely-shared articles on KevinMD. How does writing change minds and bring people together? Why is humor such an important part of her pieces? Explore how her articles come together, and why writing has…

Listen on Apple Podcasts · Spotify

Listen and followApple Podcasts Spotify YouTubeMore apps · Browse all episodes

Rada Jones is an emergency physician and can be reached at her self-titled site, RadaJonesMD, …

Medical education

Loved ones: You’re with us, too

Nicole Russell

October 27, 2020Oct 27, 2020

In every single person, there is a furious instinct to guard, preserve, and even trap life. In your final moments, we’re wanting to latch onto your life. I was standing in the elevator when your daughter (presumably), and her husband…

In every single person, there is a furious instinct to guard, preserve, and even trap life. In your final moments, we’re wanting to latch onto your life.

I was standing in the elevator when your daughter (presumably), and her husband walked in. I heard her quietly say that you looked like you were ready to go. She put her head on her husband’s chest and cried. She knew you were ready, …

Read more…

Loved ones: You’re with us, too

Physician voices

The issue of tie-downs in the emergency department

Elizabeth L. Mitchell, MD

October 21, 2020Oct 21, 2020

During a typically busy Saturday evening shift in the emergency department (ED), I am summoned to the trauma room for a “tie-down,” an agitated patient needing restraints. I find the entrance choked with police officers and push my way through to see the patient. Once there, I see a large, young appearing Black man lying on his back, his hands cuffed tightly together on his stomach, a netted hood over …

Physician voices

This physician is tired, and he’s not alone

Edwin Leap, MD

October 18, 2020Oct 18, 20202

I have a lot of energy. I have been going and going and going for so long. And today, it hit me. I’m tired. I began this pursuit of medicine in 1983 when I decided to be a zoology major.…

I have a lot of energy. I have been going and going and going for so long.

And today, it hit me.

I’m tired.

I began this pursuit of medicine in 1983 when I decided to be a zoology major. I worked and went to medical school. And I went to medical school and worked. Then I worked and went to three years of emergency medicine residency and worked hard for those three …

Conditions and diseases

Uninsured and undocumented: a resident perspective

Zachary Wikerd, MD

October 15, 2020Oct 15, 2020

A middle-aged man lies on a gurney. Anxious. Work boots. Blue jeans. Stained white shirt. Rough hands. "Hi! I’m your doctor. What brings you to the emergency room?" The patient looks at me, puzzled. He’s Spanish speaking. It's the middle…

A middle-aged man lies on a gurney. Anxious. Work boots. Blue jeans. Stained white shirt. Rough hands.

“Hi! I’m your doctor. What brings you to the emergency room?”

The patient looks at me, puzzled. He’s Spanish speaking. It’s the middle of the night, and I’d rather not use the translator line. We start in broken English – then I reach for the phone to call the language line.

He collapsed at work, and …

Physician voices

A young doctor’s thoughts on our disaster response system, and why we need to change it

Giselle Malina, MD

October 10, 2020Oct 10, 2020

That first day of mid-March in the call center that was later to become the headquarters of our student lead COVID-19 hotline, the disorganization and confusion were almost palpable. I remember the other fourth-year student at the time, Eda, trying to manage the newly arriving group of student volunteers while simultaneously answering a phone line that was ringing off the hook. I remember the blur of motion as three nurses …

Physician voices

How blessed was I to witness this true love story

StorytellERdoc, MD

October 8, 2020Oct 8, 2020

The little things? The little moments? They aren't little ... I noticed the two of them shortly after I arrived for my shift. I was standing at the counter, immersed in a chart, when out of the corner of my…

The little things?

The little moments?

They aren’t little …

I noticed the two of them shortly after I arrived for my shift. I was standing at the counter, immersed in a chart, when out of the corner of my eye, I saw them walk out of their treatment room. Together.

Slowly, they walked into the hallway, looking first to their left and then to their right, wondering which way to go. One of …

The Podcast by KevinMD

Human trafficking survivors and trauma-informed care [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

October 7, 2020Oct 7, 2020

"As a physician working with human trafficking survivors, I have become accustomed to those with a history of surviving violence. But the patient in question is in my general primary care practice. This should highlight to care providers that there…

Listen on Apple Podcasts · Spotify

Listen and followApple Podcasts Spotify YouTubeMore apps · Browse all episodes

“As a physician working with human trafficking survivors, I have become accustomed to those with a history of surviving violence. But the patient in question is in my general primary care practice. This should highlight to care providers that there may be many more patients out there who have been exposed to trauma in their past, and we need to take …

The Podcast by KevinMD

A message from a pediatric emergency physician: Be kind [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

October 6, 2020Oct 6, 2020

"As I read about Dr. Breen, saddened by the fact that we have been robbed of yet another young, promising, motivated physician, I am reminded that as bad as this pandemic is — and truly believe it is awful —…

Listen on Apple Podcasts · Spotify

Listen and followApple Podcasts Spotify YouTubeMore apps · Browse all episodes

“As I read about Dr. Breen, saddened by the fact that we have been robbed of yet another young, promising, motivated physician, I am reminded that as bad as this pandemic is — and truly believe it is awful — when it gets better (and I have to believe that it will), we can’t forget. Because all the other things that have always …

Physician voices

How to (almost) never have a bad shift

Christina Shenvi, MD, PhD

October 3, 2020Oct 3, 2020

Walking through the sliding glass doors at 10:55 p.m. on a Monday, I found myself wondering if it would be a good shift or a bad shift. In emergency medicine, a “good shift” has to strike many delicate balances. It can’t be too busy, but it also can’t be too Q-Word-That-Must-Not-Be-Named. It should have some high acuity patients, but not so many that care becomes unmanageable. The staff and residents …

Read more…

How to (almost) never have a bad shift

Physician voices

The downsides of going to the ER for primary care

Edwin Leap, MD

September 24, 2020Sep 24, 2020

Despite the fact that many people have difficulty finding a family physician, there remain many options for medical care. From emergency departments to urgent care clinics to clinics based in retail stores and pharmacies, there are several different ways to…

This is can be useful when one has no family physician, or can’t get an appointment. It can be difficult and downright dangerous …

Physician voices

We can’t expect large medical centers to absorb every case

Edwin Leap, MD

September 22, 2020Sep 22, 20203

My small community ED has a fairly high acuity. As such, I was recently trying to transfer a couple of patients, one of whom was an NSTEMI, pain-free but with a rising troponin. In the process of trying to arrange things, I learned that our main regional referral center was holding a staggering 150 patients in their own ED, all waiting for inpatient beds.

I’ve spent the majority of my career …

Physician voices

Why everyone needs a six-word story

Alexie Puran, MD

September 21, 2020Sep 21, 2020

Being humane makes you a hero. It is a privilege to serve. Be the voice, for those without! Six words. One Story. These are examples from the My Six-Word Story Project, an innovative activity that supports the psycho-social well-being and…

Being humane makes you a hero.

It is a privilege to serve.

Be the voice, for those without!

Six words. One Story. These are examples from the My Six-Word Story Project, an innovative activity that supports the psycho-social well-being and emotional resilience of our healthcare professionals. My Six-Word Story has the power to reconnect us to our purpose and connect us as a community.

“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines …

Read more…

Why everyone needs a six-word story

Physician voices

Letting a loved one witness resuscitation

StorytellERdoc, MD

September 20, 2020Sep 20, 2020

The patient arrived in cardiac arrest. He had been brought to our emergency department in the middle of the night. Although he had a significant cardiac history, including bypass surgery, he was only in his late 40s. His transport from his house to our department had been less than 10 minutes, and the pre-hospital team had done an excellent job of intubating this patient and establishing an IV to begin …

Conditions and diseases

Are virtual doctors actually useful?

J. Edward Les, MD

September 9, 2020Sep 9, 2020

“A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” - Steve Jobs I was rusty. I felt rusty, at least. It had been forever, seemingly, since I attended patients as an emergency physician.…

“A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”
– Steve Jobs

I was rusty.

I felt rusty, at least.

It had been forever, seemingly, since I attended patients as an emergency physician.

A couple of years earlier, I’d been sailing along happily in my clinical career when a cancer diagnosis blew in like a hurricane, shredding my sails and dumping me into a sea of medical and …

Read more…

Are virtual doctors actually useful?

Emergency medicine

Articles, page 19

Real physician voices, twice a week

The Podcast

Latest episodes

Most popular

The Podcast

Latest episodes

Most popular