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How to Study Effectively: Powering Up Your Study Habits

In TipsForEMExams by Devika SinghLeave a Comment

Kuldeep is a 29 yo medical student who has been studying daily but can’t seem to keep up with the content. His friends seem to be scoring higher than him on tests. How can Kuldeep add some new habits and learn how to study more effectively? When it comes to studying, we are often poor judges of when we are learning well and when we are not. Evidence shows that information sticks better …

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Lessons from NASA – How to Become an Expert Clinician

In Editorial, Featured, Opinion by Shahbaz SyedLeave a Comment

In medicine, we often draw some of our lessons on safety from the aviation industry (i.e.: preoperative checklists), here we will explore a host of pearls that medicine can learn from the brilliant minds at NASA to help augment one’s practice as an expert clinician.  Commander Chris Hadfield has previously discussed a riveting tale regarding his first ever space walk1. During his mission, he was tasked with helping to assemble the Canada 2 …

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Tiny Tips: Canadian CT Head Rule

In Medical Concepts, Tiny Tips by Omar Anjum1 Comment

“But Doc, I didn’t hit my head THAT hard” Computed tomography (CT) scans are frequently performed after a head injury to rule out acute intracranial findings. However, most Emergency Department patients with a head injury have no acute CT findings. The Canadian CT Head Rule (CCHR) was developed to help clinicians determine when to order a CT image for patients with minor head injury.1 In 2010, a multi-centre prospective trial implemented the CCHR and …

Medical Concepts: Acute Angle Closure Glaucoma

In Medical Concepts by Stephanie Cargnelli3 Comments

A 62 year old woman presents to your Emergency Department with a chief complaint of severe right eye pain. Upon further questioning, she reveals reduced vision in the affected eye and colored halos around lights. She reports a diffuse headache and two episodes of vomiting. A quick physical exam reveals significant conjunctival injection and a fixed, mid-dilated pupil. Does your differential contain acute angle closure glaucoma? What is Acute Angle Closure Glaucoma? Acute angle …

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Competency Based Medical Education (CBME): What is it?

In Editorial, Opinion by Shahbaz Syed3 Comments

If I had a dollar for every time somebody mentioned Competency Based Medical Education (CBME), I could forget about the Royal College exam next year, and find a nice island to settle down on. Since nobody seems willing to contribute to my retirement fund, I am instead left wondering what CBME really is. It seemingly has become a buzz word amongst the medical education community, but many outside of this bubble (including myself) …