Resident Rules of the Road: Chapter 6 & 7 Summary: "Fair Business Practices" and "Unfair Business Practices"

Originally Published: AAEM's Rules of the Road for Emergency Medicine Residents, 7th Ed. Chief Editors: Tom Scaletta, MD FAAEM; Michael Ybarra, MD FAAEM; Leana Wen, MD MSc. AAEM and AAEM/RSA. Milwaukee, WI. 2010. http://www.aaem.org/publications/aaem-book-store.

Chapter Summary by: Muhammad Alghanem, MSIV, MSIV Medical Student, Midwestern University - Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine

Summary Series Editors: Muhammad Alghanem, BS, and Andrew W Phillips, MD MEd

Ingrained in the Mission Statement (http://www.aaem.org/about-aaem/mission-statement) and Vision Statement (http://www.aaem.org/about-aaem/vision-statement) of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) are the values of fair business practices in the field of emergency medicine.

AAEM stands so strongly for these values that it has created Certificates of Workplace and Employer Fairness. Information about these can be found here:

Why Will This Baby Not Stop Crying?

Image Credit: Flickr, Photo by Tatiana Vdb

Author: Josh Bowers, DO
Emergency Medicine Resident
Adena Regional Medical Center

This post was peer reviewed.
Click to learn more.

It is 3:00 am and a mother brings in her crying infant. The mother seems to be at a loss and states:

“Nothing I do will make him stop crying.”

The crying infant is a common complaint of parents [1,2,3] and a difficult diagnostic problem for emergency physicians. The etiology of an infant’s crying can range from normal patterns of infant crying to life threatening conditions. As emergency physicians, it is our job to differentiate between the benign and not-so-benign reasons for persistent crying and treat accordingly. Not only is it tough to take care of a patient that cannot verbalize their complaint, but it is even more challenging when you have had no previous interaction with the patient. [2]

Resident Rules of the Road: Chapter 5 Summary: "Contract Issues"

Originally Published: AAEM's Rules of the Road for Emergency Medicine Residents, 7th Ed. Chief Editors: Tom Scaletta, MD FAAEM; Michael Ybarra, MD FAAEM; Leana Wen, MD MSc. AAEM and AAEM/RSA. Milwaukee, WI. 2010. http://www.aaem.org/publications/aaem-book-store.  

Chapter Summary Edited By: Muhammad Alghanem, MSIV Medical Student, Midwestern University - Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine

Summary Series Editors: Muhammad Alghanem, BS, and Andrew W Phillips, MD, MEd

Employee Versus Independent Contractor

As an emergency medicine physician, your work arrangement may be either as an employee or an independent contractor, hired by a hospital or group. Each arrangement comes with pros and cons which should be considered and reviewed with an experienced attorney.

Stingray Injuries in the Emergency Department

Image Credit: Photo by Hohum on Wikimedia Commons

Author: Jeff Chen, MSIII
UCSF School of Medicine

This post was peer reviewed.
Click to learn more.

 My first encounter with marine envenomations was in 9th grade. Wading out into the ocean to catch a wave, I felt a sharp pain in my left foot that shot up my leg. Thinking I’d stepped on some broken glass, I hobbled out of the ocean – arm slung around a friend’s shoulder. After I sat down, we saw that it wasn’t glass I’d stepped on, but rather the raised, sharp barb of an unsuspecting stingray.

My friends gathered around me. “I think you can get poisoned to death like the crocodile guy! Let’s call 911!” one exclaimed. “Can I pee on your foot?” another “friend” suggested.

Resident Rules of the Road: Chapter 4 Summary: "Senior Timeline"

Originally Published: AAEM's Rules of the Road for Emergency Medicine Residents, 7th Ed. Chief Editors: Tom Scaletta, MD FAAEM; Michael Ybarra, MD FAAEM; Leana Wen, MD MSc. AAEM and AAEM/RSA. Milwaukee, WI. 2010. http://www.aaem.org/publications/aaem-book-store.

Chapter Summary By: Muhammad Alghanem, MSIV Medical Student, Midwestern University - Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine

Summary Series Editors: Muhammad Alghanem, BS, and Andrew W Phillips, MD, MEd

Ready to graduate from residency? Here is short summary of the timeline in AAEM's Rules of the Road for Emergency Medicine Residents to help you in preparing to find your first position!

Improving Your Survey Response Rates

Photo: Hanna Fass
www.flickr.com/photos/hannahbonanza/4409843324

Author:
Andrew W. Phillips, MD, MEd
Emergency Medicine Resident
Stanford/Kaiser Emergency Medicine Residency
Editor-in-chief, AAEM-RSA Blog

This post was peer reviewed.
Click to learn more.

You’re trying to improve your medical school classes, so what do you do? A survey!

You disliked an off-service rotation and wonder if your classmates had similar experiences. What do you do? A survey!

Surveys are ubiquitous now, and response rates to surveys of all types have been steadily decreasing across the US.[1] Why? Consider the last time you received a survey and immediately threw it away or deleted it, and you have your answer. 

Resident Rules of the Road: Chapter 3 Summary: "Organizations"

Originally Published: AAEM's Rules of the Road for Emergency Medicine Residents, 7th Ed. Chief Editors: Tom Scaletta, MD FAAEM; Michael Ybarra, MD FAAEM; Leana Wen, MD MSc. AAEM and AAEM/RSA. Milwaukee, WI. 2010. http://www.aaem.org/publications/aaem-book-store.

Chapter Summary By: Andrew W Phillips, MD, MEd, Stanford/Kaiser Emergency Medicine Residency Program

Summary Series Editors: Muhammad Alghanem, BS, and Andrew W Phillips, MD MEd

There are several organizations available to emergency medicine students, residents and attendings. Since benefits change often, and we cannot be complete here with so many benefits, we offer links to the organizations with a few focus points on our sponsoring bodies, the AAEM and AAEM/RSA.

Heat Stroke

Author: Teng Lu, MD

Emergency Medicine Resident

Stanford-Kaiser Emergency Medicine Residency

This post was peer reviewed.
Click to learn more.

Case: It’s summer in the South Bay, California area, with temperatures averaging more than 80 °F. An elderly gentleman was brought in by emergency medical services (EMS) for altered mental status and hyperthermia. He was found sitting in the car in a parking lot where he had been for 2 hours, according to his family. Initial vital signs: temperature 107 °F, heart rate in the 140’s, respiratory rate >20, normotensive. His eyes opened to painful stimulation; he did not speak; and he localized to painful stimuli. Here are some pearls from that encounter.

Resident Rules of the Road: Chapter 2 Summary: "Certifying Bodies"

AAEM/RSA is proud to present weekly summaries of our popular publication Rules of the Road for Emergency Medicine Residents. As a multi-part series, these posts address many important topics ranging from the history of emergency medicine to resident wellness and job search suggestions.

Originally Published: AAEM's Rules of the Road for Emergency Medicine Residents, 7th Ed. Chief Editors: Tom Scaletta, MD FAAEM; Michael Ybarra, MD FAAEM; Leana Wen, MD MSc. AAEM and AAEM/RSA. Milwaukee, WI. 2010. http://www.aaem.org/publications/aaem-book-store.

Chapter Summary By: Andrew W Phillips, MD, MEd, Stanford/Kaiser Emergency Medicine Residency Program

Summary Series Editors: Muhammad Alghanem, BS, and Andrew W Phillips, MD, MEd

http://www.aaem.org/publications/aaem-book-store.

There are only two certifying bodies in emergency medicine for the United States: the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) and the American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Medicine (AOBEM). The former certifies MD’s, and the later certifies DO’s.