Breaking Down Medicine’s Hierarchy

Breaking Down Medicine’s Hierarchy

There’s a pretty standard hierarchy in medicine:   Medical Student → Junior Resident → Senior Resident → +/- Fellow → Attending   Similar to many things in medicine, this hierarchy stems from old habits and practices. In the ninetieth century, medical...
EDI Corner and Black History Month

EDI Corner and Black History Month

The Equity, Diversion and Inclusion committee in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Ottawa recognizes that bias and discrimination are barriers to patients receiving appropriate and compassionate care. We seek to disseminate knowledge,...
Reframing your Charting

Reframing your Charting

I’ve written about it previously – but, patient’s ‘bouncing back’ to the Emergency Department (ED) after discharge has always been perceived as a negative thing, but I think that this is an inadequate lens to view patient care. The...
Trust the Process

Trust the Process

“Trust the process” – a promise that our assistant Program Director (PD), Jen Leppard, makes on our first day of the EM year. I am new here, and I am nervous. But, as I walk into the ED, this feeling quickly vanishes, as I am reminded of what drew me to Ottawa in the...
Learning during COVID-19

Learning during COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the challenges facing residents is continuing to receive high-quality learning during their training. Difficulties such as transitioning to a virtual platform, protecting residents from certain aerosol-generating procedures, and...