Originally published by Brent Thoma on August 31, 2013. Expert reviewed and re-published on September 23, 2014. How time flies. About 4 years ago at this time I was in Edmonton on an Emergency Medicine elective when the CaRMS website opened to applicants. The next few months were a blur of an empty word document in need of a personal letter, many frantic e-mails to my references (that I tried to make sound …
Stay or Pay: Saskatchewan physician retention
You show up for your job interview and things are going great. You really hit it off with the interviewers and could definitely see yourself working here. You know that after they give you some on-the-job training you will be qualified for your dream job. The training will be hard, occasionally requiring 24h shifts and >80h work weeks, but at least the pay is fair. You’re ecstatic. You give some firm handshakes and …
Tweeting and Medicine: Counterpoint from a new Twitterer
By Teresa Chan, MD | Peer-reviewed by Brent Thoma, MD Dr. Christopher Labos (@drlabos) has confessed his hate for Twitter. I would like to confess that I have fallen in love with it. Once again I find myself with a contrary opinion – I think tweeting and medicine go hand in hand – and thus, I have published my second BoringEM.org Counterpoint (see the first one here). Twitter is the Message The great Canadian Media …
AnkiEM Evolution – Flashcard Exchange & Flashcards Deluxe
For the background on this project check out my post The AnkiEM Project. Basically, when I started making cards to review for my board exams I knew that I wanted to use a spaced-repetition flashcard tool (thanks to Chris Nickson‘s from Life in the Fast Lane for exposing me to this concept) and Anki seemed like the best bet. However, as I collected feedback from Eve Purdy, Andrew Tagg, Joshua Power and Reuben Strayer I began to consider other alternatives. Specifically, I agreed with Joshua Power that it would …
Point of care ultrasound: a hyperechoic future in Med Ed?
A little over a year ago, I was working a shift in the emergency department when I noticed an enthusiastic consultant briskly wheeling a portable ultrasound machine to a patient’s bedside. I introduced myself and asked if I could observe the scan. Until this point, ultrasound had retained a certain mystique. However, that was quickly erased by a deep, yet efficient, bedside lesson in anatomy, physiology and clinical medicine that left a lasting …
The Agitated Patient in the ED: Moderate & Severe Agitation
In my first post of a trilogy on the agitated patient in the ED I outlined BARS sedation score for defining levels of agitation, discussed how to risk stratify a potentially agitated patient and offered some tips on how to deal with the mildly agitated patient. This post will discuss what to do with moderately and severely agitated patients while the final chapter will delve into the work-up of these challenging patients. If you’ve been …