There is nothing quite as daunting as dialing up a consultant service for the first time. As a clerk, I hated paging anyone because I worried that I would be interrupting them in the midst of something important or would get stumped by their questions. As a resident, I feel more relaxed because I’ve developed a smidge of consult-related finesse and been on the other side of the phone as an off-service junior. …
CaRMS Mentorship Series | Life after CaRMS
Editor’s note: Another version of this piece previously appeared on Luckett’s own blog (“This Liminal Space“). We asked her to revise and add to it so that it might become a permanent part of the BoringEM CaRMS advice section. It was initially published on BoringEM on April 15, 2015 and is republished on the ‘Throwback Thursday’ following the release of the CaRMS results yesterday – TC I remember submitting my CaRMS rank …
SMACC | A Learner’s Perspective
A few weeks ago, I had the great privilege of attending SMACC (Social Media and Critical Care) Chicago. The SMACC conference is essentially a playground for anyone interested in #FOAMed (free open access medical education), particularly as it pertains to emergency medicine, intensive care, and pre-hospital care. When Teresa Chan asked me early in my PGY-1 year if I would like to attend and represent the ALiEM.com MEdiC (Medical Education in Cases) series, …
Life Beyond Medicine | Why I Write
I recently wrote a piece for our Life Beyond Medicine series explaining why running specifically, and physical activity more generally, is such a central part of my mental well-being as a resident. On writing it, however, I realised that something big was missing: Running is an important process for me, but I hadn’t spoken at all about writing, which is another essential part of how I make sense of the world and stay …
Life Beyond Medicine: Why I Run. And Run. And Run.
When I was applying to medical school, I got the sense that the more non-academic activities I participated in, the more well-rounded I was, the greater the chances of my success. It wasn’t a stretch for me. Among other activities, I was heavily involved in synchronised swimming and had been for many years; I was training for an international competition and varsity nationals the year I applied. If I wasn’t in the pool, …
Tiny Tip: PREeclampsia
Preeclampsia is a common complication in pregnancy, affecting 3-5% of pregnant women in the general population, and up to 25% of pregnant patients with pre-existing chronic hypertension [1].