New JeffreyMD Post: How Do You Like Loma Linda?

How do you like Loma Linda?

Over the course of this interview season, this is a question that I have been asked numerous times. The person asking me really doesn’t care whether or not I like the city of Loma Linda. The implied question is whether or not I like Loma Linda University School of Medicine. The question is one that has been asked by fellow interviewees. It’s not unusual. While waiting in a room full of interviewees, conversation usually starts out with asking each other what school one is from. This question is usually followed by a “how do you like it there?” question. Invariably, the answer is positive — or at least neutral.

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New Post: Why I Can’t Do Emergency Medicine

I can’t do Emergency Medicine. I do not like the environment of the ED. I don’t feel comfortable there. It has nothing to do with the people who work there. It has everything to do with the system. Allow me to explain.

There are many great things about Emergency Medicine. For one, I love the shift work. It must be awesome to leave the office and never have to carry a pager or be on call. When you’re on, you’re on. And when you’re off, you’re off. The salary is also an overall plus for those considering it. I mention just a few of the positives of EM to make the point that there are things I do like about it…

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Overheard In The ED

Another new post at my other blog:

I remember one time when my team was on-call. It was late at night and the ED was packed. There were beds and chairs lined up in the hallway with makeshift dividers separating patients…..

Whoops, It Was A Good Day

Today was the first day of my 3 weeks of outpatient internal medicine. Some people refer to it as Ambulatory Medicine. Maybe that’s because the patients, for the most part, walk in.

I was putting on my shoes on the way to the 7:30 AM orientation session when I noticed a text message on my phone. It was from a classmate. It read, “Where are you?”

It was 7:15. Plenty of time for me to get to the hospital for the orientation. But with the text, I realized my mea culpa. It was a 7:00 AM orientation…….