Archive for January, 2011
Consent and Sensitive Physical Examinations Under Anesthesia
AUSTRALIAN medical students are performing intimate examinations on unconscious and anaesthetised patients without their consent. Unauthorised intimate procedures carried out by students included genital, rectal and breast exams. Almost half of patients were under the influence of medication or unconscious, while the remainder were conscious Study author Professor Charlotte Rees – former associate professor in [...]
Commentary: Regulation of Energy Drinks
Amelia M. Arria, PhD & Mary Claire O’Brien, MD offer their opinion on energy drink regulation in JAMA In this Commentary, we outline why regular (nonalcoholic) energy drinks might pose just as great a threat to individual and public health and safety. Energy drinks are beverages that contain modest to relatively high levels and concentrations [...]
How to Begin a Successful Day
1. Get Up On Time - I won’t say “get up early” – because we’re not all morning people. Getting up on time means setting your alarm early enough that you don’t feel rushed right at the start of your day. Often, just getting out of bed ten or fifteen minutes earlier transforms a stressed, harried morning [...]
Advice for Match List Creation
1. Don’t panic if the interview invites come late. Both times I received interview invitations from great programs after the dean’s letter came out. Some programs send invitations later than others. 5. Look beyond intern year. On a related note, probe deeper into what the program will offer you in the long run. Ask residents [...]
Forum Filter: Travel Tips for Residency Interview Season
If you’re tall or otherwise picky about airplane seats, use seatguru.com to understand the seat layout of your flight. Seatguru will warn you about equipment boxes under the seat in front of you, cold seats, or seats with a lot of bathroom traffic. For overnight flights, don’t take the sleeping pill until the airplane is [...]
Cunningham Technique for Anterior Shoulder Dislocation
Static obstruction is overcome by asking the patient to shrug the shoulders superiorly (up) and posteriorly (back) which “squares off” the angle of the shoulder (reducing scapular anteversion). The dynamic obstruction of the spasming biceps is actively reduced by massaging the muscle at the mid-humeral level. The starting point for this is with the arm [...]
Coping with Failure as a Medical Student
It is part of our profession that we will never stop trying to be perfect and – just as true – that we will always fall short. As a student, it tends to be about the tests you are taking and the feeling that you will never study enough. As a resident, it’s the feeling [...]
Advice for the Interview Day
Take your seat promptly and place your items next to or below you. Sit up straight but don’t lean forward too much. Make sure both feet are on the ground and your arms are relaxed by your side. Basically, your posture should convey quiet confidence. And keep smiling! The key here is to be clear [...]
Expanded use of Tdap – ACIP Recommendations
In October 2010, ACIP recommended expanded use of Tdap. This report provides the updated recommendations, summarizes the safety and effectiveness data considered by ACIP, and provides guidance for implementing the recommendations. Updated Recommendations for Use of Tetanus Toxoid, Reduced Diphtheria Toxoid and Acellular Pertussis (Tdap) Vaccine from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, 2010 [CDC] [...]
WHO Fracture Risk Assessment Tool for iPhone
Supported by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), Doctot FRAX affords the medical practitioner an easy-to-use tool to calculate the 10 year probability of fracture of an individual patient. Once completed, the tool generates the following results: the 10 year probability of a major osteoporotic event the 10 year probability of a hip fracture Body Mass [...]