Tactical Medicine News Blog

Over the years, I have gotten to meet lots of really inspiring and fun EM faculty across the country through random encounters. Recently, I got to hang out with Dr. Rob Rogers (Univ Maryland), sitting at a beachside bar in Barbados during the Carribean EM Congress. The picture above is what he calls his “Corona commercial” shot. We were both speakers at the conference and couldn’t believe the gorgeous weather in January.

I started this blog on life in academic emergency medicine after having read many articles about how a blog (short for “web log”) is the communication and teaching tool of the future. This is an example of Web 2.0 technology. I found a great slide set by Frank Calberg, an innovator and educator from Switzerland. Step through the following slides to read more about how blogs are great for teaching and are here to stay.

This is a list of pearls and pitfalls that I share with the medical students and interns to whom I teach suturing and wound closure techniques. I can’t tell you how many pigs feet I have seen in my lifetime. Feel free to use and add to the list.

I just submitted my quarterly column installment on Tricks of the Trade in ACEP News on ENT dilemmas. Kids (and adults) get the most bizarre things in their ears and noses. I’ve seen a cockroach and Q-tips in the ear, and peas and pebbles in the nose. What have you seen, and what are your tricks for getting these things out?

I wish I had more time in the day. I was just browsing through the February 2009 Academic EM journal and came upon a commentary “Tuesdays to write… A guide to time management in academic emergency medicine” by Dr. Steven Lowenstein (Univ of Colorado at Denver). In the article, he outlines six time management tips to all of us trying to balance the pressures of our life with clinical care, research, teaching, and administrative duties, amidst an avalanche of hourly emails. I hate to admit it, but I am guilty of falling into most of the traps that he mentions. Here’s my summary.