Common Sense
Common Sense is a bi-monthly member magazine that reports on all AAEM activities and news from the world of emergency medicine. It is delivered to the AAEM membership* six times a year, which currently stands at over 8,000 emergency physicians, residents, and others with an interest in emergency medicine. * International members receive an online subscription only.
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Current Issue: March/April 2021
President's Message
March/April 2021
What Does Leadership Look Like?
Author:
Leadership Academy is a tradition at AAEM, and this year, we kicked it up a notch. Instead of the usual approximately 25 potential leaders identified by the board, we invited the Chairs and Vice Chairs of all the sections, committees, interest groups and chapter divisions, the boards of YPS and AAEM/RSA, and sought nominations from other AAEM leaders outside the board of directors.
January/February 2021
An Emergency Physician is NOT a Provider
Author:
I have had a real issue with this word almost since its introduction into medical vernacular. I often plagiarize a physician’s response I read sometime ago on social media, “Sorry, I never went to provider school. I went to medical school.” When I was a child, we used to respond to hurtful comments about our racial and ethnic backgrounds with a pithy jingle, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” How untrue this was then, and still is now.
From the Editor's Desk
March/April 2021
Could Things Be Any Worse?
Author:
I recently had a discussion with a group of emergency physicians from various parts of the country and from all sorts of practice types. I respect the opinions and the wealth of experience of this group and of course was also interested in their COVID-19 experiences both good and bad and how their practices had been impacted by the virus.
January/February 2021
A Test, a Shot, and a Prescription
Author:
Each emergency physician needs to develop a strategy to deal with the numerous patient and personality types which we can encounter in the average shift. There are of course the chronic pain patients, the worried mother, the anxious overly concerned son, the histrionic patient, the medically savvy (at least in their mind) patient, and this list goes on and on.
Dollars & Sense
July/August 2020
Disability and Life...Another Option!
Author:
Young doctors are the ripest of "low hanging fruit" for insurance sales agents. You will have, early in your training, friendly, affectionate, insurance sales people tracking you like a pack of slobbering hounds.
May/June 2019
Three Questions
Author:
As I progress in my career, I find myself getting busier and busier. Some of it is my own doing...
Featured Articles
March/April 2021
Respect: A Driver of Empathy and Equity
Author:
In 1967, Arethra Franklin created “Respect,” a song that not only stayed at the top of the charts for months, but also became a civil rights anthem (Brown, 2018). Respect was central to creating equality in the 1960s and it is just as important today as we strive to create health equity for our patients. This important end cannot be achieved without fair work environments for clinicians.
January/February 2021 - Ahead of Print!
Who Will Be Their Advocate? A Commentary on Facing Illness Alone.
Author:
I am a terrible patient. I will refuse medicines prescribed to me...
Additional Articles
As the editor of AAEM's bi-monthly newsletter Common Sense, Dr. Mayer welcomes your comments and suggestions. You can easily reach Dr. Mayer by submitting letters to the editor using the online form.
The Master of AAEM Series
- Achieving Great Outcomes in Your Discharged ED Patients - Tom Scaletta, MD MAAEM FAAEM
- AAEM: Now More Than Ever! - Larry Weiss, MD JD MAAEM FAAEM
- Welcome to the Tribe: Thoughts on Starting Out in EM - Joe Lex, MD MAAEM FAAEM
- Where Would EM be Without AAEM? - Robert McNamara, MD MAAEM FAAEM
Medical Liability - State by State
- Part 1: Alabama-Florida
- Part 2: Georgia-Maine
- Part 3: Maryland-North Dakota
- Part 4: Ohio-Rhode Island
- Part 5: South Carolina-Wyoming
- The Final Summary
Cracking the Code: Fixing the Crowded Emergency Department
- Part 1: Building the Burning Platform
- Part 2: Creating the Analytic Model
- Part 3: Implementing the Solution