Weekly Update

November 30, 2020

From Dr. Cameron Callipari: Residency Recruitment
 
EM Fam,
 
ERAS is OPEN and interview season is upon us! The schedule will be Sundays to Tuesday every week until January 19th, and we all need to step up to help make things run smoothly this year.
 
1.) On Sundays from 6p-8p, we need (at least 5) residents who would like to join a residency-covered dinner/social event where we will zoom in the prospective applicants for the Monday/Tuesday interviews.  It’s a chance for us to spend time together and share insights with the applicants in a less formal way.  It’s not perfect, but this will be our best chance to show the culture of the program and our interpersonal relationships. We are also looking for people to volunteer to host these little weekly social gatherings or suggest a unique place to do them.
 
2.) Monday and Tuesday will be interview days in the morning, hosting 8 applicants per day.  We need at least 2 residents for 9am-11am to give the “virtual tour” and “Question and Answers”. These will be over zoom so no need to get together in person, unless of course you want to because brunching is the best.
 
Interview season can be incredibly fun if we all step up and help make it that way! No amount of zooms or flyers can show how awesome our program is like we personally can.  The applicants want to share time with us and get a vibe of what our tribe is like, and this is a great opportunity to create a lasting legacy by bringing another outstanding group into our EM community.
 
The interview sign-up schedule is attached below, and the expectation is for everyone to sign up for at least one slot, but please sign up for as many as you can possibly make! 
 

 

Here’s a sign-up sheet with all the dates and social events laid out.  Let me know what you think!
 

 

 
Thank you and let’s add some awesome new members to our EM family!
-Cam
 

From Dr. Adria Simon: DEI Committee Residency Interviews

Hi everyone
 
As we approach interview season, I wanted to share our plan for outreach.  We’ve created a centralized email account for the committee (nypemdei@gmail.com) and plan to have a resident “on call” for that week to handle outreach. Interview invitations and subsequent communication will include this contact info and an open invitation to meet with a committee member.  Ideally, we could offer an opportunity to chat with both residents and faculty. The residents will be handling the inbox and will reach out to faculty to coordinate. 
 
We will be interviewing Monday and Tuesday mornings starting 11/9 through 1/17.  Each interview day has a built in “break” with some loose structure for reviewing videos and informal Q&A with the residents from 9-10 AM. This is a great opportunity for faculty drop in and interface with the applicants.  Once we have the schedule, I can also identify the days or weeks when we have URiM applicants interviewing so we can focus our efforts more on those days. 
 
We created a sign-up sheet linked below to have a point person week by week and will be extending this invite to faculty from Cornell as well.  I think the involvement can range from a quick email, a zoom hangout and interview day drop ins.
 
If interested, please indicate your availability on the sign-up sheet so the residents can coordinate with you during that time. 
 
Thanks to everyone for your time and we are so excited to collaborate this interview season!
 
Adria

From Dr. Oz Sayan: ITE Review

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to re-introduce you all to our Wednesday Evening In-Training Exam (ITE) Reviews.

Retired a few years ago, we are returning them as an alternate form of review for the ITE.   Please try to attend.  Our faculty will be presenting high yield medical knowledge and questions to help you all do well on the ITE this February.

For all residents (PGY2-4) who scored under 30th percentile on the 2020 ITE, we will ask that you attend a mandatory 50% (or 12) ITE Wednesday Evening Sessions and view the remaining 12 ITE session asynchronously via ZOOM recordings.   All other residents can use the ITE Review Session as another tool to study – no mandatory attendance.  I will send individual emails to those of you under 30th percentile.

We begin the sessions on December 2 at 8:30PM-10:30PM via ZOOM.  They will be every Wednesday Evening until February 17, 2021.  I have attached the schedule.  We launch with Jonathan St. George’s Visual Diagnoses.

Sincerely,

Oz

From NYP: MANDANTORY MASK FITTINGS

In response to COVID-19, we have worked to safeguard staff and patients, and help ensure we have the necessary supplies of N-95 respiratory masks. We have purchased two types of NIOSH-approved N-95 masks, which will be the new hospital standard: Halyard duckbill and BYD.
 
Criteria for Fit Testing on the New Masks:
All clinical and non-clinical staff who have direct patient contact during aerosol-generating procedures and when caring for patients on airborne isolation must be fit tested. View examples of when to wear the N-95 mask. This must be completed by no later than December 11, 2020 regardless of whether you have been fit tested in the past.
 
Schedule for Fit Testing at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center:
 
Dates:
Times:
Location:
November 16 – December 11
Monday – Friday, 6 a.m. – 4 p.m. (NOTE: No fit testing Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26)
Greenburg Pavilion,
7th Floor
(formerly family waiting area)
 
For more information, please email fittesting@nyp.org.
                                                                                                                                                         
If there are any questions regarding the N95 mask supply on your unit, please contact your local supply chain team.
 
Thank you for your time and shared safety commitment.

From Dr. Jenny Castillo & St. Barnabas Dept of Emergency Medicine: Wellness during COVID

Dear Emergency Medicine Residents and Attendings,

The Saint Barnabas Department of Emergency Medicine is pleased to invite you to an interactive and participatory discussion on “Strengthening ourselves through the unknown” on Wednesday, December 2nd at 8 pm with Joel Warden, PhD., and Joshua Schwarzbaum, MD.

To register click – https://illinois.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMkf-mhqzIqHdM7RmjfojTBwNbyiMa5GA5l

As we see the covid cases rising again there is a lot we have been preparing for. We don’t know exactly what will happen over the next few months and the anticipation can lead to worry and stress. We can look back at our experience from the first wave however this time may be different.

As part of our discussion we will explore topics including

1. How to prepare ourselves for the unknown

2. Techniques to gain inner control when events around us are out of our control

3. Countering negative thoughts and emotions

4. Building resiliency when we don’t know what the future holds

Advance registration is required and will be closed once capacity is reached.

https://illinois.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMkf-mhqzIqHdM7RmjfojTBwNbyiMa5GA5l

We look forward to seeing you there and please reach out if you have any questions!

Josh and Joel

From Dr. Marc Probst (Mt. Sinai): Clinical Scientist Fellowship

This Clinician Scientist Training Program T32 award in Emergency Medicine is the first of its kind for the Mount Sinai Health System and the first of its kind in the history of NIH/NHLBI. The National Institutes of Health funds these T32 Institutional Training Programs to ensure that a diverse and highly trained workforce is available to assume leadership roles related to biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research agendas and are issued to eligible institutions to support research training for groups of pre-and/or postdoctoral fellows.

For more information, check out: https://icahn.mssm.edu/education/residencies-fellowships/list/clinician-scientist-training

From ALL NYC EM: the ALL NYC EM Resident Education Fellowship

We are excited to offer this fellowship to rising senior residents. The program is designed to provide experience in conference development, networking, and mentorship by the educational leaders within this group. This is a 1-year fellowship and will include costs to attend the 2021 virtual CORD academic assembly.  If interested, please check out the attached flyer.  

Deadline for applications is December 1st.

From Dr. Mark Curato: Post-Residency Career Plans

Thanks to those who have completed the career survey; we’re at about 50% completion, so good start!
 
We are part of a group studying factors influencing EM resident career choices. We’re working with some other big programs (UCLA, Davis, UW, Iowa, Rush, Michigan, and Pitt). Some programs have already made it to 100% completion, so let’s be sure to keep pace!
 
I ask that you please take the survey at your earliest convenience. Your answers are confidential. Participation is voluntary, but I do hope that we can have 100% participation.
 
It should only take a few minutes. The survey link is here.
 
We do really appreciate your participation, THANKS!

2020 Annual Hospital Training (AHT 2020)

Get ready to complete your mandatory annual hospital training!

Access the 2020 Annual Hospital Training (AHT20) in the NYP Learning Center. This year’s launch is earlier than in prior years to allow more time for completing the training and learning the critical competencies. Completion of AHT20 is required by all graduate staff. Compliance is mandatory for you to work and for NYP to meet regulatory requirements. Failure to complete this in a timely manner will lead to your CWID account being disabled.

The deadline for completing AHT20 is Friday, December 4, 2020.

Instructions for completion can be found here. 

From the Munira Persad: BLS/ACLS Recertifications

Please see the attached documents regarding BLS/ACLS (Re)Certification. 

Residency Leadership guidance will be coming shortly to answer questions residents have about certifying or recertifying.

AHA COVID Interim Guidance

BLS/ACLS NYP Sign-Up Information

Campus Announcements

From Dr. Lauren Curato: Procedure Lab Teaching Opportunity

We are currently seeking Residents to help assist with teaching some basic procedures (IV’s, ABG’s, NG Tube & Foleys) to Medical Students who are about to enter their Major Clinical Year (MCY i.e. 3rd year).

Help is needed for the sessions next week on:

Monday, 12/7
and
Thursday, 12/10

There are 2 sessions per day:
1:00-3:15p and
3:45-6:00p

You could join just 1 session or both for the afternoon.

The students are eager to learn these skills and very appreciative of your time, it’s a truly enjoyable teaching experience with virtually no advance preparation required (and not to mention a great extracurricular for your CV!)

Please email me back if interested and I can provide you with more details.

Thank you for considering!

Lauren

FYI: Please know that the structure of this day has changed since a prior email you may have received from Dr. Adria Simon and you are NOT responsible for running a session on your own but now just helping to supervise the students and show them the skills on a more 1-on-1 basis.

From Drs. Lily Abrukin and James Kenny: Palliative Care Training
 
Hi all,
 
I hope you are all doing well. Lily and I have been working with Palliative Care to develop a program for all ED providers (attendings, PAs and residents) to receive additional education and training in Palliative Care core topics pertinent to us in the ED. The initial focus will be on communication skills training, emphasizing how to best facilitate goals of care discussions and deliver serious news. Our hope is that this will lead to additional collaborative projects with Palliative Care in the future. 
 
The first phase of developing this program involves gathering a small group of interested participants to undergo a one-day training course called EMTalk, which will be facilitated by our palliative care colleagues. See attached pdf for additional details about the course. This group would then work together to develop a curriculum that can then be brought back to our department so that the rest of the staff can receive training. If you are interested in becoming part of this initial group, please email Lily and I for further information. We have room for 10 participants. The training will likely occur in January or February.
 
Do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. 

From Dr. Sachin Argawal: Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest

PGY3s and 4s – Please remember to call the Neurocritical care fellow at 8-COOL to let them know of all out-of-hospital cardiac arrests that have neurological deficits at time of ROSC. Targeted temperature management is an important part of post-arrest care and the NICU would appreciate early involvement!

From Dr. Bernard Chang: the IMPROVE Study

Dear Team

We are excited to finally launch our study on long-term clinician physical and psychological health (called IMPROVE) led by our team here in Columbia Emergency Medicine. This study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, will be one of the largest longitudinal studies on emergency provider mental and physical health and could lead to significant changes in how EDs operate, while providing evidence for staffing/scheduling and patient-flow innovations to improve both clinician well-being and patient outcomes. 

We designed our study to be respectful of your time, minimally disruptive given your busy schedules, while also recognizing you with a bunch of goodies 🙂 Please read below for details and how to sign up if interested.  (Of note, this is a different study from Dr. Laurel Mayer’s study on mental health. There is no problem in participating in both studies.)

We are looking for full time emergency department nurses, physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants to participate in this study.  The study baseline visit will involve: 

  • answering questions (electronically) about your demographics, health history, thoughts, behaviors, and sleep (about 15 minutes)  
  • wearing an activity monitor on your wrist to assess physical activity and sleep during a 2-week period  (Fitbit watch)
  • taking Home Blood Pressure (HBP) readings daily (in the morning and at night) during a 2-week period 
  • sharing your work schedule during the 2-week assessment period (while at Columbia)
 

Study participation and annual follow-up will continue over 3 years and the two-week burst assessments described above will be repeated at years 1, 2 and 3.  Compensation for participation is available:

1) up to $600 ($150 at baseline and annually for 3 years)

2) A Fitbit Inspire HR to keep 

3) A bluetooth enabled blood pressure device (the Omron 5 Series BP7250) to keep. 

Please note that participation or decision not to participate in this study has no bearing or influence on your evaluation or status as an employee at New York Presbyterian or CUIMC. The data will be collected in a confidential manner and no identifiable information will be shared with non-study personnel.  

If you wish to view the electronic consent and information sheet to learn more about the study, please click on the following link:  

 

https://tinyurl.com/ImproveStudyEligibility

Thank you so much for considering and look forward to sharing the results of this study with you all. Sending you all my best and thank you again for all your hard work at our ED!  

From the Columbia EPIC team: Documentation Workflow
 
A reminder to all residents that when completing your primary provider note in Epic, you must click the box requiring a co-signature. 
 
Once the note has been assigned to the attending, sign your note (unless specifically asked not to by the attending. This workflow ensures that notes can be signed in a timely manner by attending. 
 
If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to the chiefs!
 
 
From Cornell Leadership: Morning Report
 

When working weekdays at Cornell, it is very important that you are back in the ED after morning report NO LATER than 9:05am.  Residents must be present for morning huddle back in the bays.

This is especially important when coming from the SIM center on the 10th floor; please account for transit time and don’t dally.  Just get back to the department, huddle, get caught up on patients, then go grab a coffee/breakfast after that.  Faculty have also been reminded to make sure sessions end on time.  
 
Thanks for your attention to this!    

From Dr. Alex Fortenko: Remote Patient Monitoring Study

I’m looking for a resident that is interested in research on new and innovative technology platforms to help with a Remote Patient Monitoring study for COVID-19 positive patients. We’ll need assistance with finalizing IRB, in-servicing staff, enrolling patients and doing data analysis. Please email Alex Fortenko at alf9065@med.cornell.edu if you are interested.

From Dr. Tony Dajer: Bounceback Review

Bouncebacks (or patients who return to the emergency department with the same complaint) are some of the best teaching resources. We are looking to use Epic to review bouncebacks who are admitted on second visit. We’re looking for resident volunteers who can vet 6-8 cases a month. Please contact Dr Dajer (and9136@med.cornell.edu) if interested!

From Dr. Manish Garg: EM/IM Signout in Cornell Epic

Dear EM family,
 
As part of the admission process for Cornell EM/IM sign out, please make sure to read the following workflow.  The Qualtrics attestation is present once you have completed the review.  
 
 
We graciously ask for 100% compliance.  If it happens that you miss this clinically, we will try to reach out individually to remind you.
 
We appreciate your hard work and care.
 
Thank you sincerely,
 
Manish

From Dr. Phil Perera: CT-RAP

I am starting up an abdominal pain research study at Cornell in the next months named CT-RAP, or CT imaging in the regional assessment of acute abdominal pain. Doing the IRB now. This would be the second phase prospective study. A first phase retrospective study was completed at Stanford with 800 patients with data being analyzed now.

Would love to have some interested (and faculty) residents on this study.

My research question is which patients (not peds, not pregnant woman) with acute abdominal pain presenting to the ED need an imaging study (CT or ultrasound).

If interested, please email pererap@med.cornell.edu to learn more!

MCB Message of the Month

December 2, 2020 - Environmental

Time

Topic

Speaker

  • 08:00 - 09:00
  • Countertransference
Drs. Bernadine Han & Jonathan Avery

Attendings, WCMC Department of Psychiatry

  • 09:15 - 10:00
  • Altitude Sickness
Dr. Dana Levin

CUIMC Emergency Attending

  • 10:00 - 10:45
  • Drowning/Immersion Injuries
Dr. Chris Tedeschi

CUIMC Emergency Attending

  • 10:45 - 11:00
  • Cornell QIPS Introduction
Dr. Daniel Golden

NYPEM Resident

  • 11:00 - 12:00
  • Columbia MM&I
Dr. Ahmed Shaikh

NYPEM Resident

COUNTERTRANSFERENCE
Please see attached article – Taking Care of the Hateful Patient (NEJM 1978)
 
ASYNCHRONOUS LEARNING
ALiEM Air Series: Environmental 2018
Tintinalli’s Emergency Medicine 9th Ed – Chapters 211-213 (WCM Library for residents)
 
 
CONFERENCE ATTENDANCE AND EVALUATION LINK
 
 
ZOOM

Dr. Manish Garg

Shout out to Manish, who spent hours of his (and his familly's) Thanksgiving driving all over New York and New Jersey to make sure his residents had dinner on Thanksgiving. Thank you, Manish, for your incredible generosity and willingness to lead by example.

Chief on Call

Liza Hartofilis, M.D. 
EM Chiefs’ Cell:  917-410-1056
  • Please call and do not text/ email so we can address issues promptly.
  • If you do not hear back within 10 minutes, then call any of the other chiefs.