Medical Student Council President's Message: Simple Solutions: Medication Reconciliation

Originally Published: Common Sense, November/December 2008
Original Author: Greg Casey, AAEM/RSA Medical Student Council President

An elderly man sat on the edge of his stretcher, attempting to describe his abdominal pain. He did not even need to speak. Vomiting after a few minutes, I realized that this stoic individual was truly sick. As I thought through a differential, I continued to ask questions. His answers were short, but his wife helped him. When I asked about medications, he was unable to recall any of the therapies his physicians had prescribed. His wife dug through her super-sized pocketbook but was unable to help. When we decided to admit the patient with the working diagnosis of intussusception, I talked to the patient and his wife about the importance of maintaining a list of their medications.

Medical Student Council President's Message: Teachable Moments

Originally Published: Common Sense, March/April 2008
Original Author: Michael Ybarra, AAEM/RSA Medical Student Council President

As medical students, we spend four years of our lives being the lowest people on the totem pole, constantly trying to improve our level of knowledge, impress our supervisors and jump over what seems like an endless array of hurdles. What sometimes gets lost in the mix of medical education is the power that we, as students, can have in affecting our patients’ lives. We may not know exactly the best way to treat and manage their condition, but we have the ability to intervene in their lives in other ways that are equally important.