Wellness and Resiliency Summit

2017 Wellness and Resiliency Summit

Authors: Ashely Alker, MD, AAEM/RSA President 2017-18 and Robert Lam, MD FAAEM, AAEM Wellness Committee Chair
Originally published: Common Sense May/June 2017

Emergency medicine has historically had the highest rate of reported burnout among all specialties. In the 2017 Medscape Lifestyle Survey, 59% of emergency physicians self-identified as “burned out.” A survey conducted by the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill showed that approximately 70% of residents met criteria for burnout. In one survey residents were asked about their quality of life, and 15% reported “life is as bad as it could be.”

In January, for the first time ever, all national emergency medicine organizations convened in Dallas for an Emergency Medicine Wellness and Resiliency Summit. In a spirit of collaboration, wellness champions and emergency medicine leaders came together to find solutions for the ongoing crisis in physician wellness and resilience. In attendance were representatives from the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors (CORD), American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM), Society for Academy of Emergency Medicine (SAEM), Association of Academic Chairs of Emergency Medicine (AACEM), American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians (ACOEP), Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), AAEM Resident Student Association (AAEM/RSA), Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association (EMRA), American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM), and the American Hospital Association (AHA).

Update on Mechanical Ventilation in the ED

Authors: Robert Brown, MD; Adeolu Ogunbodede, MD; Megan Donohue, MD; Hannah Goldberg, MD; Erica Bates, MD
Editors: Michael C. Bond, MD FAAEM; Kelly Maurelus, MD FAAEM
Originally Published: Common Sense November/December 2017

An increasing number of ED patients require critical care time and ICU admission.1 The ED length of stay for these patients has increased by 60 minutes and the median boarding time is now over five hours with nearly a third of patients waiting more than 6 hours.[1,2] Mortality of critically ill patients, including mechanically ventilated patients, in the ED correlates with increased ED length of stay.[3] Instead of just making the decision to intubate, ED physicians must now manage ventilators for critical hours. This review discusses some of the risks, best practices, and future directions of ED ventilator management.

Young, Black & A Doctor: The Job Search

Image Credit: Common Sense

Author: Joshua A. Sherman, MD
Clinical Faculty, Department of Emergency Medicine, Advocate Christ Medical Center
Originally published: Common Sense November/December 2017

My story isn’t unique, but that in and of itself makes it worth writing. My name is Joshua Sherman; a New Orleans native, Chicago transplant and newly-minted Attending Emergency Physician in a busy Level 1 Trauma Center on Chicago’s south side. I, like most everyone reading this, spent seemingly endless years, days and hours in pursuit of this career and have yet to stop replaying in my mind the feeling that I felt as I walked across the stage on June 8th, 2017, to receive my final ‘diploma’ (aka residency completion certificate). It was the uncertainty of the months immediately before and after this date, however, that have continually been at the forefront of my thoughts and that, ultimately, contributed to my desire to write this.

Dying to Save Lives

Image Credit: Pixabay

Author: Ashely Alker, MD MSc, PGY-3
2017-18 AAEM/RSA President
Originally Published: Common Sense November/December 2017

I remember the day I was accepted to medical school. It was one of the happiest days of my life. The first six months of medical school I fought against the imposter syndrome that plagued my incredible reality: I was going to be a doctor. To this day I feel privileged to do my job.

The only match to the privilege of being a physician is the challenge. The immense responsibility for human life, sleep deprivation, and loss of balance are challenges that plague all physicians. I have questioned my career choice and even considered quitting. And just as studies have shown that diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia are risk factors for coronary artery disease, the stress, isolation, and sleep deprivation of the physician lifestyle are a perfect storm of precursors to depression.

Updates in Geriatric Emergency Medicine

Authors: Phillip Magidson, MD MPH; David Bostick, MD MPH; Erica Bates, MD; Robert Brown, MD
Edited by: Jay Khapde, MD FAAEM and Michael C. Bond, MD FAAEM

Between the 2000 and 2010 U.S. Census, the population over age 65 increased at a higher rate that the overall U.S. population. For the purposes of this article, we will use age greater than 65 as the definition of a geriatric patient. By 2050, there will be over 83 million geriatric Americans, double the number from 2012.1 Currently, over 15% of emergency department (ED) visits, equaling 20 million total visits, are from geriatric patients.2 These numbers are certain to increase and will represent a unique challenge to the U.S. health care system, specifically to the ED. In this month’s “Resident Journal Review,” we focus on the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of geriatric patients presenting to the ED.