Audrey is a 2nd year EM resident who is on her 3rd shift with Dr. Stewart, an EM staff physician. In the middle of the shift, Dr. Stewart tells Audrey that he would like to observe her as she assesses her next patient. Audrey is concerned that his decision to observe her is due to mistakes made in her previous assessment where she did not consider PE as an alternative diagnosis. As a …
CAEP FEI | Hand Motion Analysis to Learn Ultrasound Guided Central Line
Omar is a second year resident asked to place an ultrasound guided central line on a patient. He has always wanted to perform this procedure but struggles with finding the right hand positioning and can’t thread the wire, forcing his senior resident to take over. Omar feels that he is performing the procedure awkwardly but is unsure of what corrections he needs to make. He wonders if there is a better way to learn …
CAEP GeMES | Selection of an Appropriate Tool for Direct Observation of Trainees by Supervisors
Catherine is a 3rd year medical student who is finishing the last shift of her core emergency medicine rotation. She is interested in matching to neurology. During the shift, she asks her staff, Dr. Stewart, if he would be willing to observe her while she performs a neurological exam and provide feedback on her performance. Dr. Stewart agrees, but is unsure of what aspects of the assessment he should focus on during the …
Hidden stories: What happened to this woman?
“Hidden stories” is a new series for Arts PRN challenging your observation skills. How many details can you notice? Can you weave together a story from this one still image? Don’t forget to check out more series featured on Arts PRN here. Is the woman asleep, unconscious or dead? The woman is lying on the grass in a right lateral decubitus position with her eyes closed. The open outdoor location, her abnormal posturing, …
CAEP GeMES | Impact of Rudeness on Overall Medical Team Performance
Eric is a first year Emergency Medicine resident who just started his shift. The emergency department gets notified of an incoming patient with a history of liver cirrhosis who started to vomit frank blood. As the team is preparing the resuscitation room, the respiratory therapist asks Eric what intubation equipment he would like to use. Before he has a chance to answer, one of the nurses tells the respiratory therapist, “He’s just a …
FRCPC or CCFP-EM: What is best for you?
FRCPC or CCFP-EM? (FRCPC = Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada; CCFP = Canadian College of Family Physicians – Emergency Medicine certificate.) This is a question that EM mentors spend a lot of time discussing with their mentees. Why are there two EM designations in Canada? What’s the difference? Which route is right for you? These are great questions. Unfortunately, as with many important decisions, you’ll probably get as …