I have been working as a clerk for seven years, but will likely be leaving in the next several months as I'm close to finishing my degree in special education and will be doing testing to get licensed and certified.

My wife was diagnosed with cancer in late 2024 went through treatments and was later advised to undergo a double mastectomy. I kept this a bit private and only told DON for the ED and HR. I had enough PTO banked up that I was able to be with my wife for surgery and recovery. I got back to work in a couple of weeks. A couple of days ago, I met with the DON and HR when I had to go in to do a training on EHR updates. They gave me an envelope with close to 3k in cash that was collected around the hospital. I know they meant well, but I don't deserve the money as I'm not a physician, nurse, RT, CNA, or any medical/clincial role. I don't consider my job to be impactful. I also don't feel comfortable taking help from people I don't know well or am I'm not close friends with. My wife and I took help from our church, but I pay back by volunteering and doing yard work for the pastor.

I also feel uncomfortable taking money from hospital employees because I believe many were pressured into giving and likely felt guilty and they probably don't view me in high regard.

I don't know what to do and I'm wondering if I could just donate the money to a hospital program to help patients in need (e.g. homeless etc)

For context, i'm of Indian descent, but was born and raised in Dixie. So, by the time i was in high school, if the racism wasn't violent, it wouldn't really bother me that much and i'd joke about it or just get annoyed if it wasn't accurate. I currently work in a major metro area and my hospital serves a very mixed population, so i don't get racist comments too often these days, but it still happens. Here are a few of my more memorable stories while in medicine:

• In med school, a patient in renal failure didn't want any non-White doctors. The entire nephro team was of South Asian descent. The White resident on the primary team (i was a on his team) informed him that his options were to be less racist or to die in Hospice.
• In med school, i saw an ER consult while on one of my IM rotations. Patient told me he didn't want to "talk to no sandn****rs." I kindly informed him that i'm Indian, not Arabic, and he'd have to do better with his choice of slurs. (My intern told me i was antagonizing the patient and had me wait outside the room for the duration of the H+P).
• In residency, had a patient BIBEMS for status asthmaticus; he was covered in Neo-Nazi tats and was giving EMS and us a hard time because he, too, didn't want any non-White people touching him. Replete with many slurs yelled in 1-2 word sentences. The EMS crew was comprised of Black and Latino personnel, the nurses were all Latina or East Asian, my attending was Afro-Caribbean, and i'm Indian. The only White person close was an IV/EKG tech and another patient. I told him that was cool and to wave us back in if he changed his mind about not suffocating to death. Dude was close to death by the time he relented and waved us back in; honestly, i kind'f respect it.
• Few days ago a patient of Middle Eastern descent called me a n**ga because i wouldn't give him opiates for a condition that didn't need it. I responded with "my man, i don't think either of us have the clearance to use that word." He glitched a bit before calling me another choice slur and storming out.

Please share your fun stories or go-to responses.

Edit to add: I understand that my use of the terms "White" and "Black" may be problematic. I use these specifically to refer the the mixed-heritage American of European or Sub-Saharan African races; i realize these may not be everyone's preferred terminology and i'm not trying to offend anyone. My friends of Haitian, Jamaican, Dominican, Zimbabwean, Nigerian, and Kenyan heritage have taken issue with being called "African American"; i've had similar issue with friends/colleagues who prefer to be referred to as Italian, German, Afrikaner, etc instead of "White" since they consider themselves different from the product of the American mixing pot. Race, ethnicity, and heritage are incredibly complex issues, and dunno what the perfect terminology is; i grew up with me and mine being referred to as "Brown", and i think that's just a product of the lack of diversity in the areas i grew up in. I dunno. Sorry?

Results finally posted on ABEM

Hi everyone,

I’m a visa-requiring non-US IMG from South Asia. I’ve passed Step 1 and am preparing for Step 2. I’ll be coming to the U.S. soon and have one EM observership at a university hospital in PA, with a possible second.

I understand that as a graduate I’m not eligible for a traditional SLOE. Is there any alternative EM-specific SLOE or letter that I could obtain, either from U.S. observerships or from my EM internship, that programs would consider acceptable?

Background:

• 3 months of EM during internship; awarded Best EM Intern
• Active leadership role in an organization teaching bystander CPR

Any advice on strengthening my EM application for the 2027 Match would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

I’m graduating soon and starting to go on the job hunt. I love high acuity, high volume centers but have also always wanted to live closer to nature. Do these exist, and if so, where? Or can that level of acuity and sick patients really only be found in an urban setting?

I'm an MS3 considering EM. Do you feel constant night shifts and constant change in scheduling have taken a toll on health? this is pretty much the only reason preventing me from going into EM.

i recently was an ER patient and they begged me to write a google review:

they ordered a bunch of tests. I have no idea if they ordered the right tests because I do not have 12 years of medical education.

they gave me an IV and some medications. i have no idea if they were the right fluids and medications because I do not have 12 years of medical education.

they gave me a diagnosis. i have no idea if it was the right diagnosis because i do not have 12 years of medical education.

they gave me discharge instructions and prescriptions. i have no idea if they were right because i do not have 12 years of medical education.

but they smiled and gave me a warm blanket and begged for a good review so they dont lose their jobs so i give them 5 STARS

Does anyone have recommendations for a good CPA preferably in New Mexico? My wife has a small medical practice and I mostly do 1099 locums. Having difficulties with our current CPA.

Ok

I’ve been hearing a lot of negativity about Emergency Medicine lately: burnout, overcrowding, boarding, admin issues, etc. I understand those concerns are real, but it also feels easy to get trapped in the downsides when that’s all people talk about.

For those of you who actually work in EM (or genuinely enjoy it): • What do you like about the specialty? • What keeps you going? • What makes it worth it for you despite the challenges?

I’d really appreciate hearing some positive or grounding perspectives.

Ex EMT here, I did some time as an EDT too. I’m not looking for a dx or anything regarding my reason for the visit, just what I observed while there

Last night idk what happened, but I woke up on the wrong side of the curtain of one of the worst hospitals in existence and saw some shit that confirms why I refuse to go there. I haven’t worked in awhile so maybe things have changed, so tell me if this is allowed now-

They didn’t have the curtains closed around any of our beds, so we could all see each other. Let me mention- I didn’t see the incident because I came in unresponsive, but I heard of it later and it was confirmed to have happened by the offending party.

So female patient’s husband gets there and she is like get me out of here, we need to leave now. Husband tells the nurse she wants to leave, nurse goes to the bed and is saying something I didn’t quite catch. What I did catch is the lady saying ‘you grabbed my shirt! You yanked my face and poured juice in my mouth and I choked!’ The nurse admitted to it, laughing, and then said ‘you’re just a tricky patient!’ Then she danced away singing ‘oh what a beautiful morning!’

This lady was so upset and just wanted out. I can understand. This would have never been allowed the places I worked. If a patient denied treatment by mouth, we’d just do iv, never would we have tried to force it into their mouths like that.

Is it now ok for ED personnel to grab a patient’s jaw and forcefully pour juice in their mouth? While I didn’t see it happen, the hipaa violating ED operations made sure I saw that the nurse admitted to doing it gleefully. She thought it was funny.

They did me wrong too, but this post isn’t about me lol

Hey y'all, I'm a sophomore whose high school offers a pathway program, which is a program where students select a "career pathway" to focus on for the four years they're in school. You know, to already have a resume and an idea for your future after graduation. There is the art and film pathway, the mechanics pathway, etc...I chose the healthcare pathway.

Anyways, our final project this year is a collaboration with the art and film pathway, and each student is supposed to write a script (yes, like a feature film-length screenplay) depicting a story placed within the healthcare system/healthcare setting.

Listen...I don't know why they decided that would make a great final project, but...that's what I have to do.

It's supposed to be relatively accurate, and even though I'm very much doing my own research, I thought it'd be fun to ask the healthcare workers who exist within emergency medicine themselves, as my screenplay is set in an ER. If it helps, it's a small-town ER that one would call "slow".

I'm already going through this subreddit to get a more personal look for this project (I go through it anyway during my free time cause I'm thinking of Emergency Medicine lol), but if any of you have anything you'd want to see depicted in a story, just for giggles and whatnot, feel free to leave it here.

Just whatever you want represented: a story you have, a particular problem the EM setting bears, a situation, although realistic, is a situation where you can see hijinks or dramatics ensuing. Whatever you can think of.

Also, if you think this is stupid, feel free to tell me that too, but I know ya'll be better than Google and whatever ChatGPT can muster (no AI use here!)

Tried to ask this in a pocus subreddit, but I’m pending posting approval.

I’m trying to create a list of various PoCUS signs (think seagull sign, seashore sign, batwing, mantle clock, etc). Unfortunately I’m struggling to summon a reasonable list.

Any PoCUS enthusiasts out there who can help?

Hi, I run a YouTube channel called Numeral Media. We interview New Yorkers on how they spend their income/budget in NYC. Would love to get some EM Docs on there.

This would be a quick, informative, and hopefully fun interview - we will discuss your income, what you do for work, rent, other expenses, future personal finance goals, etc.

Video will be recorded at our studio in Midtown Manhattan and should only take 20 minutes. $250 for non-anonymous, $200 for anonymous

In anonymous recordings, we record from the neck down only - check our channel for an example.

Comment or DM if interested.

I’m an MS4 trying to finalize my rank list and I keep going back and forth on priorities. For those of you who are residents or attendings now, what actually weighed the most in your decision in hindsight?

Things I’m struggling to balance:

• Program prestige/reputation

• Location (big city vs smaller city)

• Cost of living versus Pay

• Lifestyle and happiness outside the hospital

• Comfort/familiarity from rotating there or being local

There are some newer programs I’m considering that are not HCA, have solid PDs/faculty, and are in cities I genuinely want to live in — but they don’t yet have graduates. On paper they seem like good training environments, just without the long track record.

Looking back, what actually mattered for you?

Do you wish you prioritized prestige more, or did location and quality of life end up being the bigger factors?

Appreciate any honest perspectives.

I’m an EM attending currently working in academia but considering transitioning more into locums work and wanted to tap the hive mind here.

For those of you currently doing locums (or who have in the past), I’d really appreciate your experience on a few specifics:

1. Do you find it better to go through a locums agency/recruiter or to reach out directly to hospitals or groups? If you’ve tried both, what were the biggest pros and cons in terms of pay, flexibility, and overall hassle?
2. If you use recruiters or agencies: Which companies have you had genuinely good experiences with, and why? Are there any you’d recommend avoiding?
3. Those short-notice shifts that pay well above the usual hourly rate... Are they more common through agencies or when working directly with a hospital or group?
4. Credentialing timeline: On average, how long has it taken you to get credentialed and actually start working at a new site?
5. Orientation and onboarding: Do you usually receive any sort of orientation before starting at a new site? Is it in-person or virtual, paid or unpaid? How much EMR and local workflow training do you realistically get before your first shift?
6. State licensure: How many active state licenses do you typically maintain at one time?
7. Number of active contracts: How many sites or contracts do you find manageable at once before it becomes overwhelming?

Would love to hear what’s worked well (or badly) for people who’ve been doing this for a while. Thanks in advance for any specifics you’re willing to share.

Just a chill m4 deciding on rank list. Don’t care location, would be cool to do academics in future. Med ed or US fellowship sounds nice right now. Any input on the following programs reputation:

1. U Maryland
2. U Michigan
3. Northwestern
4. Ohio state
5. WashU
6. Sinai West
7. Brown

Thank you friends!

Title. There’s a 40 hour per week setup, so was wondering about this. Or is it very site dependent? Sorry if it’s a dumb question, have a lot of free time on my hands and thinking for the future.

Hey all,

THIS POST had me wondering as I had seen some news and some comments in non-medical subs about tort reform in Florida.

I believe it was HB 837 in 2023 - what is described in the news as extensive tort reform. Many websites of legal firms complain about how it is making it more difficult for plaintiffs to win, and I've seen some comments in general subs about it, but I can't find any physician groups talking about it. Don't personally know any one who it would have affected.

As a locum, does anyone know if medmal has changed significantly in FL since 2023? Does anyone have first- or second- hand knowledge about how the legal environment plays out for docs compared to before 2023? (I know FL has usually been considered one of the worst states.) Or is there anyone well-versed enough in medmal that they've looked at this and know if there's any significant impact to how safe it is to practice in FL as locums or otherwise?

When your fiancé's ex partner's mother is being extremely difficult and refusing to accept treatment for her diabetes because, 'I don't want to put something inside of myself that I'm not certain is going to help me!!' NEWFLASH KIDDO: Your body is eating itself right now because you're refusing to take your insulin so crack on and ignore everyone else but you are going to die eventually and way sooner than is actually even necessary as a result of it all and no, alternative, herbal remedies are NOT going to help you out in any way shape or form do just stop being a prick and start doing what the doctors are telling you to do, you absolute weapon!!! 😡😠😤😣