Tactical Medicine News Blog

How awesome would it be if there were EM residency programs at the University of Washington and UCSF-SF General Hospital?! This has been the question for decades. In 2006, I had the pleasure of seeing the UCSF-SFGH program become a reality. And now it’s the University of Washington’s turn. It is close to becoming a reality. It is really one of the last powerhouse institutions which does not have an EM residency program. The Univ of Washington EM residency’s Program Director is helmed by my superstar friend, Dr. Fiona Gallahue, and will be a 4-year program. The ACGME (accrediting organization) has already site-visited the program. Short of an unforeseen snafu, I can’t imagine that it won’t be approved for a start year of 2011-12. The program will find out the official answer on February 14, 2011.

Residency interview season is quickly approaching! Unique to the field of EM, letters of recommendations from EM faculty are written on a standardized form. The Standardized Letter of Recommendation (SLOR), downloadable from the CORD website, documents information about the student’s performance in the EM clerkship, qualifications, and global assessment. At the end, the letter writer can provide free-text written comments.

To treat for pertussis or not? In the setting of the current pertussis epidemic in California, each kid with a cough sparks constant debate about whether to treat with azithromycin or not. Finally, thanks to my friends Dr. Andi Marmor and Dr. Shon Agarwal Jain (UCSF Pediatrics faculty), there’s a great algorithm to help you answer the question. I have found this algorithm extremely helpful.

  The Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) holds its annual meeting at various U.S. metropolitan cities. This year, it is going to be at Boston in June 1-5, 2011. It is a terrific conference for medical students and residents interested in EM academia. To help coordinate the huge meeting, the SAEM Program Committee is looking for 15 enthusiastic medical students to serve as volunteers.

  Pediatric patients often receive inadequate pain control in the setting of orthopedic injuries. Because the child experiences fear, anxiety, and pain with needles, practitioners often shy away from ordering IV or IM pain medications. Oral agents, while easier to administer, usually provide inadequate pain control. Trick of the Trade Intranasal (IN) fentanyl Thanks to [+] The post Tricks of the trade: Intranasal fentanyl for pediatric patients appeared first on ALiEM.