Articles: emergency-medicine.
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A reliable means of assessing physician competency in performing ultrasound (US) is critical for training and credentialing. Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) have been used successfully to assess clinical competency in other areas of surgical education but have not been applied previously to trauma ultrasound training. The objectives of this study were to assess physician performance in the focused abdominal sonography in trauma (FAST) examination by using a specifically designed OSCE, and to determine whether the OSCE detects differences in two determinants of competency (knowledge acquisition and clinical interpretation skills). ⋯ Knowledge acquisition and US interpretation skills can be assessed reliably with a specifically designed OSCE. Although both skills improved after participation in a FAST course, US interpretation scores were consistently lower than those for factual knowledge. This study supports the use of the objective structured clinical examination in both the design of ultrasound teaching programs and the assessment of physician competency.
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To determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) and near-crashes as reported by emergency medicine (EM) residents following various ED shifts. ⋯ Residents reported being involved in a higher number of MVCs and near-crashes while driving home after a night shift compared with other shifts. Driving home after a night shift appears to be a significant occupational risk for EM residents.
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Pediatric emergency care · Oct 1999
Comparative StudyCurrent income profile for academic pediatric emergency medicine faculty.
To survey academic pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) programs for information on financial compensation and patient care activities of PEM faculty and compare the results to the financial data published by the AAEM, AAAP, and MGMA. ⋯ Direct patient care responsibility of PEM academic faculty has not changed significantly in the past 13 years, despite the availability of clinical appointments within most of the surveyed programs. Our data indicate that the annual income for PEM faculty in academic institutions is significantly less than AEM faculty. No significant difference was observed between programs at the assistant, associate, or full professor level when stratified by size or geographic region. Bonus/incentive plans for exceptional patient care or scholarly activity were available in less than half of the surveyed programs.
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Emergency medicine became the twenty-third specialty by the American Board of Medical Examiners in 1979. Emergency physicians are specialists in the stabilization and resuscitation of medical and surgical emergencies in patients of all ages; they are experts in triage and in prioritization of resources. Emergency physicians provide the "safety net" for the American health care system, and they are the facilitators between the community and health care systems, and between primary care physicians and specialists. ⋯ Emergency physicians possess a unique set of clinical and research skills that have made them valuable members of the medical school academic community. Presented is a historical perspective on the specialty of emergency medicine and its evolving role at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Included are discussions on innovations in teaching developed by the emergency medicine faculty, including applications of computer-assisted instruction and the Internet.