Have you ever found yourself talking to a learner or younger physician and found yourself saying, “Well, when I was in residency…” ? In this episode, John and Andy are joined by Molly Estes, Geoff Comp, and Brendan Tariza to discuss the things we wouldn’t change about our training, and maybe some things we would do differently now.
What is something you did in residency or medical school that has since changed that you think contributed to your success as a physician?
- Animal skills labs
- Prior to the high-fidelity simulation models we have now, John was using animals for skills labs
- Paper charts
- Prior to electronic medical record, Molly reflects on how paper charts may have helped her remember particular orders and doses of medications because she had to write them so many times instead of clicking a box in an order set.
- Textbook learning
- Geoff talks about how during his residency, FOAMed took off and information became so accessible via podcasts and other online resources. He discusses how there may still be a place for learning foundational knowledge from the textbook and supplementing it with the other resources.
- House officer nights
- Andy reflects on how as an intern he was taking care of very sick patients with very little supervision overnight in the hospital and how being forced to make critical decisions on critical patients was a huge learning experience. Was there a hidden curriculum there that was lost when nights became more supervised?
- Thinking that admitting people to the hospital was always the right answer
- In residency, it can be easy to think that admitting patients to the hospital is the safer option than sending them home, but over the course of his career, Brendan has realized that admitting people to the hospital may not always be the right answer.
Medical education at the residency and medical student level is ever-changing. As it changes for its many reasons whether it be safety, cost, etc, how do we maintain the same level of base knowledge required to be a great EM physician?
Take-Home Points:
- Medical education is always changing
- It is important to pay attention as we change the curriculum not to lose the hidden curriculum that comes with some of these experiences.
- As medical education changes, we have to also be sure to maintain the same level of base knowledge required to be a great EM physician.
Post by Patricia Capone, DO PGY-2
About Our Guests:
Assistant Program Director, Creighton University School of Medicine/Maricopa Medical Center (Phoenix) Emergency Medicine Residency
Brendan Tariza, DO
Emergency Medicine Medical Education Fellow, Cooper University Health Care
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