What’s On Deck for 2022
THE ON-DECK CIRCLE Tim Cheslock, DO, FACOEP It has been a while since I have posted an article for The Pulse. I am humbled and honored to be writing to you all in this column. This would not have been possible without you. I thank you for your support in my re-election to the Board of Directors and I thank the Board for their vote of confidence in voting me to be President Elect of our College. This is a full circle moment for me. I have been a member for many years since my days in medical school. My involvement with the college started like many of yours, at a Scientific Assembly. I can still clearly remember the student chapter events and talks from the then Board Leadership about becoming involved and taking part in all the ACOEP has to offer. As I sat and looked around, it was clear that this college was special. There were so [...]
Women’s Committee Update
By Nicole Vigh DO, MPH Although we were hoping for an in-person conference, with such a quick transition to a virtual platform, the Women’s Committee was thrilled to have such a great turnout for the virtual ACOEP Scientific Assembly this year! As always, our women’s track lectures were exceptional! Dr. Erica Howe, a board-certified Hospitalist and a nationally known educator, wife and mother, gave her talk entitled “Gaining Clarity in Your Clinical Career and Beyond”. Dr. Howe is an advocate for wellness in medicine, and she has given many talks on topics like conflict management and boundary setting. In 2018, she founded the Women Physicians Wellness Conference as a way of bringing female physicians together to share their struggles and their strategies for success. She discussed an issue which many of us are guilty of, that is, saying yes to every opportunity that comes our way in order to improve our CV. However, in doing this many of us [...]
The Journey Begins
By G. Joseph Beirne, DO, FACOEP-D ACOEP President Hello to the ACOEP family! This will be my first official article for The Pulse as president of ACOEP. In my summer article titled “The Path to Success,” I addressed how ACOEP is a family that has made my personal life and career more rewarding. The last line of that article was “The first step on the path to success begins and ends with all of us together. Come along with me and take the journey. I promise you it will be exciting!” As incoming president, my journey begins with you, our ACOEP family. After much deliberation and discussion, the ACOEP Board of Directors made the difficult decision to move the 2021 Scientific Assembly to an all-virtual format. It was our hope in the spring and early summer that the pandemic numbers would improve. But as we all are aware, the Delta variant has made an in-person conference impossible. The safety [...]
The Joy of Showing Up
By Christina Hornack, DO Immediate Past President of ACOEP-RSO AOA TIPS Fellow In a popular musical there is a reference made to “the room where it happens,” but where is this room and how do you get there? It turns out, as an adult, this is usually every room you’ve been avoiding, and you get there by just showing up. Most everyone you know is usually “too busy” to participate in another activity, and so engagement is generally low. But what if we could find time to attend that committee, or go to a class, or volunteer to help? The first time I showed up for one of these extra activities, it was a membership meeting for the honors society I had just been inducted into. At the time, I thought I would pursue the law, and my aunt told me that I would need to not only show up, but to be an officer in that group if [...]
What Would You Do? Ethics in Emergency Medicine
What Would You Do? Ethics in Emergency Medicine By Bernard Heilicser, DO, MS, FACEP, FACOEP-D The following dilemma was presented to us by an emergency department physician. An 81-year-old female was transported to the emergency department by EMS after an attempted strangling. It appeared that her husband attempted to euthanize her by strangulation with a belt. The family discovered the situation and called EMS. In the ED, the patient indicated that she had terminal breast cancer and was prepared to die. She refused all labs, IVs or treatment. The ED physician was unsure what his obligations were and what to do. If clinically stable, should the patient be discharged? Is there a need for psychiatric intervention or consultation? What would you do?
Surviving & Thriving on Night Shift
Surviving & Thriving on Night Shift By Christina Hornack, DO PGY-3 Adena Emergency Medicine Resident ACOEP-RSO Immediate Past President AOA TIPS Fellow 2020-2021 Whether you are a full-time nocturnist or just doing your share, night shift is a reality most of us face. This article represents the collected wisdom of those brave warriors who willingly face the dark side as their permanent shift. Learn to not just survive, but thrive, and maybe even enjoy yourself. Why Why anyone would choose full-time night shift work is often a mystery to those who can’t conceive of a more terrible fate. But there are many benefits to being a full time nocturnist – chief amongst them is that your schedule is regular and always the same. You know you will be able to make a 6:00 p.m. meeting no matter what day it is because your shift doesn’t start until 9:00 p.m. Further, doctors willing to work primarily nights are a [...]
The Disaster Within
The Disaster Within By William L. Bograkos, MA, DO, FACOEP, FACOFP Adapted from a piece originally published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine War is a man-made disaster. Many people who have been deployed on military or humanitarian missions experience disaster within – trauma that doesn’t bleed. But you don’t have to be a soldier or peacekeeper to experience disaster within. All those working in healthcare during our current pandemic are susceptible to this form of trauma. The word “disaster” derives from Greek and Latin, meaning, “stars out of alignment.” An initial disaster stressor, an associated trigger and an individual’s coping skill can certainly knock one’s personal celestial sphere out of orbit. Acute or chronic disaster is often followed by substance abuse. The abuse can be impossible to ignore with explosive binging, or present as a steadily slow-burning fire, which can be just as destructive. Trauma associated with substance abuse could stem from violence, but in the current pandemic [...]
What Would You Do? Ethics in Emergency Medicine
What Would You Do? Ethics in Emergency Medicine By Bernard Heilicser, DO, MS, FACEP, FACOEP-D I would like to present a situation which occurred in a nursing home that created an interesting ethical dilemma. A nursing home called 911 for an unconscious resident. On arrival, EMS found the patient pulseless and apneic, with staff performing CPR. The downtime was about eight minutes. The crew hooked up the patient, and he was in asystole. At that moment, a nurse’s aid arrived with a Do Not Resuscitate order on the chart, and appropriately, executed. One of the responding EMS individuals noticed the patient was lying next to a feeding chair with a diced hot dog on the tray. A paramedic was gathering equipment for intubation and was instructed to insert his laryngoscope. Exclaiming a profanity, he observed a piece of hot dog in the airway and removed it with a McGill’s forceps. CPR continued for a few more moments, and the [...]
Frank Gabrin, DO, Passes Away Due to COVID-19
"We made a choice long ago to put ourselves into a position, as a physician, to be able to care and make a difference. We chose emergency medicine and the chaotic environment of the emergency department as a place for us to give that care. We chose to find our fulfillment here. It serves us well to remember that what we want from our work is the good feeling that comes from truly caring for others." Frank Gabrin, DO It is with deep sadness that the ACOEP family learned of the death of Frank Gabrin, DO on March 31st. An employee of East Orange General Hospital in New Jersey, Dr. Gabrin stayed home from work beginning March 26th after exhibiting symptoms associated with COVID-19. News outlets are reporting that on March 31st, he began experiencing chest pains and passed shortly after. “Dr. Gabrin was a valuable member of our ACOEP community and we are honored to call him one [...]
Use of Personal Supplies of PPE Rises Amid Ongoing Crisis
Healthcare workers battling the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic are on the front lines in an unprecedented event in human history. As physicians race to save lives they should not be fearful of losing their jobs for speaking out about access to personal protective equipment, or for supplementing what their employers give them with personal supplies. Due to the current national shortage of PPE, some of our members have resorted to using personal equipment (N-95 masks, respirator masks, CAPRs, PAPRs, etc.) in place of hospital-supplied PPE for various reasons (e.g.: conserving PPE for other staff or feeling the minimum PPE is not adequate). As trained medical professionals, the individual physician has the ability and responsibility to determine what level of PPE is necessary to safely perform their job and care for patients. The presentation of SARS-CoV-2 varies by patient, and guidelines for best practices in utilizing PPE is changing daily. The crisis, and the difficult position physicians are placed in, is sparking national outcry. [...]