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Join Wendy Lau, an emergency medicine physician, as we delve into the world of health care burnout and the moral challenges faced by medical professionals. Discover valuable insights, practical strategies, and the importance of inner practices to …
Inner practices for navigating health care burnout [PODCAST]
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Join Rida Jawed, an emergency medicine resident in Pakistan. Rida shares her invaluable insights and experiences from her journey in the emergency department. We delve into essential rules for thriving in this demanding field, from self-care to …
Navigating the demands of emergency medicine [PODCAST]
Rural health for children is in trouble. Don’t take my word for it, just ask the CDC.
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has just offered further evidence that American children — and rural children in particular — are in trouble. Previously, the CDC had noted that poor U.S. children 2 to 8 years of age have higher rates of parent-reported mental, behavioral, and developmental disorders (MBDDs) than their …
Why aren’t more pediatricians leaning into rural health?
The mediation was scheduled for noon. When the attorney in charge of the mediation was an hour late, his assistant began earnestly to find him. This was not typical behavior at all. A phone call to the condominium where the attorney lived sent security guards to his residence and then to the parking garage, where they found him slumped behind the wheel, seat belt securely fastened, and his keys in …
Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?
Imagine you are in a bad car accident. You are in and out of consciousness. There are lights and sirens and the smell of gasoline. Everything hurts more than you can bear. Hands pull you from the car and place you on a hard backboard with a rigid cervical collar around your neck. You bump down the road in the back of an ambulance as you start feeling like you …
Emergency care nightmare: the urgent need for experienced nurses
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Join Yang Wang, an emergency physician. Explore the unique challenges and rewards of emergency medicine, the evolving landscape of the field, and the qualities that make someone an ideal fit for this demanding profession. Discover insights into …
Is emergency medicine your calling? [PODCAST]
An excerpt from The Healing Connection: A Partnership for Your Health.
The blood spurt was alarming though because it therefore indicated that the pressure in the venous system had to be sky high in order to shoot a column of blood in such a continuous arc over my right shoulder.
So, I …
Pericardiocentesis saves a life
During my five-year journey as an emergency medicine physician, I have experienced the adrenaline rush and ever-changing dynamics of the emergency department. Each shift offers a chance to make a meaningful impact on those around me. However, the demanding nature of this work can sometimes challenge my motivation, making it difficult to ensure that every shift is a great one.
Throughout the years, I’ve learned some essential rules that help me …
From burnout to brilliance: How one doctor found balance
The applicability of add-on payment/reimbursement qualifiers/modifiers for emergency procedures should not be limited to patients’ emergency conditions alone. They should also be applicable to situations where arrangements are made for procedures outside regular office hours or on weekends. This includes cases where proceduralists choose to schedule procedures during after-hours or patients choose to have procedures during these times. Additionally, these qualifiers/modifiers should apply to proceduralists who work during after-hours or …
Ensuring fair reimbursement for emergency procedures
The old adage of “do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life” may have misled an entire generation.
While researching individuals with high career satisfaction, psychologists Ryan and Deci found that the introspective “follow your passion” approach was rarely a major factor. Instead of relying on some intrinsic passion, people who loved their jobs were found to have work that fulfilled three specific psychological needs: autonomy, …
The 3 things that make people love their work (and why medicine falls short)
Congratulations! Maybe you matched, maybe you scrambled. Either way, you’re here, and after four years of reading and watching, you are about to finally start doing. Get all those practical skills: Intubate! Drop central lines! Insert chest tubes! Sign verbal orders within 24 hours! Write medicolegally bulletproof notes that also capture all the RVUs necessary to maximize billing.
As you embark on your journey to becoming an EM doc, let me …
The rewards and challenges of emergency medicine
I graduated from medical school in 1995. I completed an internal medicine and pediatrics residency in 1999, after which I spent three years in private practice, then moved on to a hospitalist practice for the next four years. From there, I transitioned to an ER job, where I have been for the last seventeen years.
In the ER, my role initially involved expeditiously seeing patients and only performing what was absolutely …
Modern medicine is disappointing to many of us at the later end of our careers
Jason had always cherished the Fourth of July—it was his moment to shine. At 19 years old, he saw himself as a real man, a car mechanic who garnered the attention and admiration of the ladies. With a fit and muscular physique, he relished his workouts and delighted in showcasing his daredevil spirit.
The day was marked by a grand cookout, where Jason reunited with his high school friends. The smoky …
Fourth of July daredevil fireworks mishap: a tragic tale of loss and redemption
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In this thought-provoking podcast episode, we invite guest Casey Grover, an emergency physician, to explore the ethical dilemmas surrounding the treatment of substance use disorders in the criminal justice system. Join us as we examine two compelling …
Treating substance use disorders in the criminal justice system [PODCAST]
As an emergency physician, I’m a strong proponent of living wills, POLST forms, and discussing uncomfortable topics with your loved ones. Even making decisions about your child being an organ donor, if, Heaven forbid, something happened. You never know when the “last time” might be.
A recent case I had served as a reminder of this. The patient and their spouse came to the hospital for what was supposed to be …
Powerful lessons from a tragic hospital incident: the importance of living wills and last goodbyes
I think that from time to time, everyone has had the feeling that they weren’t doing their best. Maybe something we did wasn’t the right thing at the time. Perhaps we should have thought about it longer or acted sooner. We often second-guess the decisions we make, whether they involve matters of love, career, finances, child-rearing, or even where to meet the in-laws for dinner.
While I can do that in …
How an emergency physician’s knowledge and confidence save lives in high-stakes situations
Health care is a dynamic, evolving field that demands a high degree of adaptability and a commitment to lifelong learning from its practitioners. For physicians, improving patient care is often about the challenge of moving from a comfort zone – a place of established practices and familiar routines – to a growth zone, where they are constantly learning, adapting, and expanding their skill sets. This shift is about staying up-to-date …
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Join us for an enlightening podcast episode as we delve into the challenges facing emergency medicine residency programs and applicants. With 555 unfilled first-year residency spots in the Match, we explore the factors that have contributed to …
Unfilled residency spots and the future of emergency medicine [PODCAST]
The interplay between the brain’s fast and deliberative decision-making systems is complex yet fascinating, shedding light on the cognitive underpinnings of different medical professions, such as emergency room (ER) doctors and radiologists.
Let’s illustrate this with an example. Consider an ER doctor faced with a patient exhibiting symptoms of a heart attack—chest pain, shortness of breath, and cold sweat. The physician must rapidly recognize these symptoms, immediately initiate protocols, administer clot-dissolving …
Decoding the brain’s decision-making: insights for medical professions and strategies for success
Doctors come from different backgrounds, and we all start medical school with various life experiences. Few people know that I actually started off life as a journalism major. I wanted to write about other people and their life stories. I wanted to travel and photograph what the world had to offer. Then, having lost my journalism job and getting hired at a nursing home as a receptionist, I ended up …
From journalism to medicine: Unveiling the untold stories of patients’ medical conditions
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