I had no idea so much time had passed since I last blogged. It seems like only a few days ago that the RIF occurred. It is still painful.
Some good things are happening though. I heard today that alumnus Pompeyo Chavez and his wife had a healthy baby boy today. Also current R2 Sashi Braga and his wife welcomed a healthy baby girl to their family this week. Congratulations to all of them!
Also, faculty member Jim King who was affected in the RIF has been hired by the Baytown FMRP, so he will stay in the area. They are adding a great faculty member to their program. Our loss is their gain. I'm happy that Jim found a good spot in a good program.
Former Dept of FM member Susan Berkley PA who was working for the Dept of Surgery most recently and affected by the RIF has accepted a position at the 4Cs Clinic.
A community hospitalist physician at one of our community hospital partners today agreed to take the R3s onto her hospital service to finish out their last required block so they are on track to finish their curriculum and graduate on schedule. We are still waiting to see if John Sealy reopens on January 5th as projected. If so, we will staff that service with R1s and R2s.
Things are coming along with our new clinic space at UHC. We have been plagued by computer bugs and glitches since opening but it seems that some significant progress was made yesterday in resolving most if not all of the current problems.
Scheduling has been a major problem since the RIF, because key administrative staff were lost who normally managed that function. This week saw major strides toward figuring out a new process for dealing with scheduling and we are all hopeful that it will be simpler and easier to manage from January forward.
Recruiting is going very well, much better in fact than I ever dreamed it would this year. We appreciate the support shown by our applicants and are grateful that we've been able to progress with this more or less as normal.
I think we are all very much looking forward to the holiday break. I'm hopeful that the new year will bring good things for Galveston Island and UTMB.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
some updates
I read in this morning's paper that 125 faculty were laid off on Monday. The newspaper staff has filed an open records act request for the list of names. If they are able to obtain that and publish it, I'll post the link here. I know of a few individuals because I've needed to contact them since Monday, but will defer listing them for now in hopes that we can have a complete list and not just the ones I've stumbled across.
Curriculum update: our Cardiology rotation has been worked out. We'll be working on the Cardiology service at TDCJ. Procedure rotation is coming along. I'm waiting on word back from a few individuals before we can finalize a new template for that. Surgical Subspecialties is resolved. Gyn is back. Adult Med is 50% worked out, still trying to establish a faculty contact for the other half. Geri rotation progressing well but I still need to meet with one faculty about a few pieces of that. Pedi ER is resolved.
ER should be available in January. The latest projection on the hospital reopening date is December 9. Today I started working on a backup plan for the R3s in the event we have further delays with that.
Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday.
Curriculum update: our Cardiology rotation has been worked out. We'll be working on the Cardiology service at TDCJ. Procedure rotation is coming along. I'm waiting on word back from a few individuals before we can finalize a new template for that. Surgical Subspecialties is resolved. Gyn is back. Adult Med is 50% worked out, still trying to establish a faculty contact for the other half. Geri rotation progressing well but I still need to meet with one faculty about a few pieces of that. Pedi ER is resolved.
ER should be available in January. The latest projection on the hospital reopening date is December 9. Today I started working on a backup plan for the R3s in the event we have further delays with that.
Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday.
Monday, November 24, 2008
faculty RIF
Today has been very painful as we've said goodbye to more of our colleagues and friends.
The impact to the Dept. of FM of the faculty RIF is as follows:
Two faculty who had been recruited or were in the process of being recruited for December and January start dates will not be hired.
Dr. Weaver, Dr. Irwin and Dr. King will be leaving us. Although not official, I heard that Dr. Weaver may be staying on in some volunteer capacity with her POM groups. Dr. King has volunteered to continue to do some attending with the residents. As I hear anything official related to those two items, I will post here.
Also, my friend and right hand man (Assistant Program Director) Ron Williams will have his time reduced to 50%. He and I are in the process of figuring out exactly how we can arrange that to work best for all concerned.
Barbara Ferrell's time will also be reduced to 50%.
Many of our faculty are in dual-career families, and some who were able to retain their jobs in FM were still faced with the loss of their spouse's job.
We all, residents and faculty alike, are clearly saddened by these changes brought to us by Ike. Family Medicine was hit hard and rumor is, other departments took even harder hits. I won't go into details here because it would only be rumor at this point. Most likely you will be able to read about it on the local newspaper website before long.
In other news, the hospital opened briefly this morning, only to close again after a few hours due to air quality concerns as I understand it. I believe the next potential opening date is a week from today.
I am typically a silver-lining kind of person, but I'm having a hard time finding it today. I know I will find it and that I'm just feeling sad about today's events. But I'm going to allow myself to feel sad today and leave it at that. Check back later and I'll let you know about that silver lining. Or lemonade from lemons, or however you want to put it...
The impact to the Dept. of FM of the faculty RIF is as follows:
Two faculty who had been recruited or were in the process of being recruited for December and January start dates will not be hired.
Dr. Weaver, Dr. Irwin and Dr. King will be leaving us. Although not official, I heard that Dr. Weaver may be staying on in some volunteer capacity with her POM groups. Dr. King has volunteered to continue to do some attending with the residents. As I hear anything official related to those two items, I will post here.
Also, my friend and right hand man (Assistant Program Director) Ron Williams will have his time reduced to 50%. He and I are in the process of figuring out exactly how we can arrange that to work best for all concerned.
Barbara Ferrell's time will also be reduced to 50%.
Many of our faculty are in dual-career families, and some who were able to retain their jobs in FM were still faced with the loss of their spouse's job.
We all, residents and faculty alike, are clearly saddened by these changes brought to us by Ike. Family Medicine was hit hard and rumor is, other departments took even harder hits. I won't go into details here because it would only be rumor at this point. Most likely you will be able to read about it on the local newspaper website before long.
In other news, the hospital opened briefly this morning, only to close again after a few hours due to air quality concerns as I understand it. I believe the next potential opening date is a week from today.
I am typically a silver-lining kind of person, but I'm having a hard time finding it today. I know I will find it and that I'm just feeling sad about today's events. But I'm going to allow myself to feel sad today and leave it at that. Check back later and I'll let you know about that silver lining. Or lemonade from lemons, or however you want to put it...
Thursday, November 20, 2008
RIF
Yesterday we lost 7 of our administrative staff in the first wave of the RIF. Some who have been particularly instrumental in Residency Program activities - Dee Ann F., Susan R., Rosie V. and Cassie B. Fortunately, we lost none of our core Residency Admin staff and for that I am extremely grateful.
It is too soon to know the outcome of the clinical services RIF. All clinic employees were pink-slipped today and asked to reapply for a reduced number of jobs over the next two weeks. I still don't know exactly the number of positions that will be listed for FM. Some employees elected not to return to their jobs this morning after they were notified of the decision and process.
Faculty RIF is to occur on next Monday.
It is painful to be here right now and I'm looking forward to the recovery beginning in earnest because enough is enough. Some hopeful signs are that the next potential date for the hospital to reopen is 11/24, pending negative culture results due out tomorrow. We are still scheduled to move from the Fast Track/ER into clinic space in the UHC on 12/3.
And let me lay a rumor to rest... from somewhere there is coming a rumor that we will need to reduce our current residents by 4. NOT TRUE. We have no plans to let any of our current residents go.
We will only be matching for 4 residents for our INCOMING class in the Match this year. We hope to pick up 2 more residents for that class as PGY2 when the time comes. Perhaps this got miscommunicated to become the source of the rumor? I anticipate that we will match for either 6 or 8 in the 2010 Match. We plan to rebuild as quickly as our clinical volume allows.
It is too soon to know the outcome of the clinical services RIF. All clinic employees were pink-slipped today and asked to reapply for a reduced number of jobs over the next two weeks. I still don't know exactly the number of positions that will be listed for FM. Some employees elected not to return to their jobs this morning after they were notified of the decision and process.
Faculty RIF is to occur on next Monday.
It is painful to be here right now and I'm looking forward to the recovery beginning in earnest because enough is enough. Some hopeful signs are that the next potential date for the hospital to reopen is 11/24, pending negative culture results due out tomorrow. We are still scheduled to move from the Fast Track/ER into clinic space in the UHC on 12/3.
And let me lay a rumor to rest... from somewhere there is coming a rumor that we will need to reduce our current residents by 4. NOT TRUE. We have no plans to let any of our current residents go.
We will only be matching for 4 residents for our INCOMING class in the Match this year. We hope to pick up 2 more residents for that class as PGY2 when the time comes. Perhaps this got miscommunicated to become the source of the rumor? I anticipate that we will match for either 6 or 8 in the 2010 Match. We plan to rebuild as quickly as our clinical volume allows.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Ghost Town
Sorry about the disappearing right side bar. It's located way at the bottom of the page. Formatting problem with the links in the previous post that I don't have the time or energy to fix at the moment. And I want those links to stay there, so we'll deal with the format issue until that post rolls off the page.
The layoffs have begun in earnest today. Yesterday 450 employees across campus were notified they were affected. Today it has started in my building. Every employee is being called one by one into the Chairman's office and being told whether they are staying or going. Those who will return are being instructed to leave the building and return at 1:00. Those who are laid off are clearing out their offices and then leaving. The silence is deafening.
The nurses and other clinic staff will officially learn their fate tomorrow, although leaks are numerous and many have already heard through the grapevine. I honestly do not know how we are going to staff our clinics the rest of the week. My first task of the morning was to write letters of recommendation for nurses I can't believe we may not have with us next week.
Faculty will learn how the decision affects us on Friday. There is no question that this will be a different workplace on Monday.
Some decisions about how to handle the situation have been made at high levels that leave me apalled. Everyone knows that the layoff is necessary. But it should have been possible to work through this painful process with dignity and respect.
My Chairman has chosen to handle things much more professionally than what I've seen happening all around me in other areas. Although we don't always see eye-to-eye on things, my respect for my Chairman's professionalism, humanitarianism, and leadership have reached a new high. At least in Family Medicine, for the things we can control, we have continued to act like family, respect one another and act with integrity.
I hold out hope that this is the bottom and from here things improve as we start to rebuild.
The layoffs have begun in earnest today. Yesterday 450 employees across campus were notified they were affected. Today it has started in my building. Every employee is being called one by one into the Chairman's office and being told whether they are staying or going. Those who will return are being instructed to leave the building and return at 1:00. Those who are laid off are clearing out their offices and then leaving. The silence is deafening.
The nurses and other clinic staff will officially learn their fate tomorrow, although leaks are numerous and many have already heard through the grapevine. I honestly do not know how we are going to staff our clinics the rest of the week. My first task of the morning was to write letters of recommendation for nurses I can't believe we may not have with us next week.
Faculty will learn how the decision affects us on Friday. There is no question that this will be a different workplace on Monday.
Some decisions about how to handle the situation have been made at high levels that leave me apalled. Everyone knows that the layoff is necessary. But it should have been possible to work through this painful process with dignity and respect.
My Chairman has chosen to handle things much more professionally than what I've seen happening all around me in other areas. Although we don't always see eye-to-eye on things, my respect for my Chairman's professionalism, humanitarianism, and leadership have reached a new high. At least in Family Medicine, for the things we can control, we have continued to act like family, respect one another and act with integrity.
I hold out hope that this is the bottom and from here things improve as we start to rebuild.
Monday, November 17, 2008
ups and downs
It is SO NICE to have most of the residents back to Galveston, as of today! It's been such a great day having the residents trickle by my office one by one and welcome them home.
Some ongoing challenges... I'm sure many have read by now that UTMB plans to downsize the campus workforce by 3800 FTE sometime this week. There will be impacts to the FM department both in faculty and staff, but to a much lesser extent than many other departments across campus. This is in large part thanks to Dr. Thompson's leadership and the dedicated efforts of our faculty, staff and residents to get back to business as usual, as quickly as possible.
Also, the opening of the hospital has been delayed, probably until the first week or so of December, although no proposed dates have been released as of yet. The last rumor I heard the end of last week was that a medical floor might reopen first, in advance of surgical capability, as the latest delay was caused by poor results on mold/fungal cultures in the ORs.
UTMB has been in the news quite a lot since the announcement of the proposed layoffs. Below are links to some of the recent stories.
Word on the Street
Galveston County Daily News, Nov. 17, 2008
Numerous Letters to the Editor concerning UTMB and its recovery were published calling for restoration of its Level 1 trauma center, establishment of a hospital district and urging state and local officials to support the university. http://galvestondailynews.com/letters.lasso
Docshop says so long, Mary Ann
Galveston County Daily News, Nov. 17, 2008
In her Scenes column, Frances Powell wrote: “Many ’grats to Divafave Mary Ann Ross, who’s retiring from UTMB. Her swansong party at Salsa’s was organized by Pat Reazin and Anna Perez.” http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=92729a3d5b72b60e
Hankins again named a national top doctor
Galveston County Daily News, Nov. 17, 2008
Dr. Gary Hankins, chairman of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at UTMB, was named one of the nation’s best doctors for women for the fourth straight year. The ranking was published in the November issue of Women’s Health. (Link unavailable.)
Galveston biodefense lab was fortress during Ike
Dallas Morning News, Nov. 16, 2008
This article surveys the safety and security measures of the Galveston National Laboratory at UTMB. Reporter Emily Ramshaw wrote, “The nation’s newest mammoth biodefense lab towers like a fortress over this hurricane-battered ghost town, a rare unscathed sight among uprooted palm trees, shattered shop windows and beach homes teetering perilously on warped stilts.”
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/DN-ikeside_16tex.ART.State.Edition1.4a63bc5.html
For health’s sake, take action now
Galveston County Daily News, Nov. 16, 2008
In this editorial, publisher Dolph Tillotson urges Galveston officials to create a countywide health care taxing district to help the county’s health care providers, including UTMB. http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=3184d927c43952e8
Smaller UTMB causes worries
Galveston County Daily News, Nov. 16, 2008
State health care leaders said a plan to downsize UTMB poses vexing questions about the future of Galveston County’s poorest and most traumatically injured patients. David Lopez, CEO of the Harris County Hospital District, said the plan will cause a ripple effect across the Texas health care system, a patchwork of overburdened providers that treat the 30 percent of Texans without insurance.
http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=e5d65e052f4890e6c8545f57966c90b3
UTMB hires Atlanta firm to assist in downsizing
Galveston County Daily News, Nov. 16, 2008
UTMB has hired Kurt Salmon Associates of Atlanta to advise about reshaping UTMB as it cuts as many as 3,800 jobs and downsizes its 550-bed hospital to a 200-bed operation. The company will conduct market, facility and financial analyses of the medical branch.
http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=e6a15dd01f373482
Hospitals jammed since UTMB’s down
Galveston County Daily News, Nov. 15, 2008
Admissions are up 40 percent, emergency room visits have increased by a third and operating rooms are running around the clock at Mainland Medical Center. Since Hurricane Ike ravaged UTMB’s John Sealy Hospital on Sept. 13, admissions at Mainland Medical have jumped, as has demand for other medical services it provides. Likewise, Clear Lake Regional Medical Center in Webster reported a 30 percent increase in hospital admissions while emergency room visits doubled. http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=cfdd17e4506f95c5c8545f57966c90b3
Waco representative fights for isle
Galveston County Daily News, Nov. 15, 2008
During a tour of Galveston Island, U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards said he would encourage FEMA to expedite funding for projects throughout the city to help officials prepare for next year’s tourist season. He also is pushing the agency to fast-track damage reimbursements for UTMB.
http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=cc9665b3336d78ee
UTMB woes back on county agenda
Port Arthur News, Nov. 15, 2008
BEAUMONT – Damage to UTMB continues to reverberate throughout Southeast Texas as counties reconsider medical treatment for uninsured residents. “This is something that is affecting not only Jefferson County, but much of the state in a critical way,” Bo Alfred, Precinct 4 County Commissioner, said. http://www.panews.com/local/local_story_320165336.html
Hospital flooded in storm to cut its staff by a third
New York Times, Nov. 14, 2008
This article summarizes the effect of Hurricane Ike on UTMB and includes comments from a number of UTMB employees, including Karen Sexton, executive vice president and CEO of the UTMB Health System. “We can’t make any promises,” she said, “because we don’t know what’s going to happen. We are committed to getting back into the health care business. We know we have to be a lot smaller right now.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/15/us/15hospital.html?scp=1&sq=%22medical+branch%22&st=nyt
UTMB layoffs may have major ripple effect in Houston hospitals
KTRK-TV (Ch. 13) Houston, Nov. 14, 2008
This report focuses on the effect that UTMB’s layoffs are having on hospitals in the Houston area.
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/video?id=6506299
Some ongoing challenges... I'm sure many have read by now that UTMB plans to downsize the campus workforce by 3800 FTE sometime this week. There will be impacts to the FM department both in faculty and staff, but to a much lesser extent than many other departments across campus. This is in large part thanks to Dr. Thompson's leadership and the dedicated efforts of our faculty, staff and residents to get back to business as usual, as quickly as possible.
Also, the opening of the hospital has been delayed, probably until the first week or so of December, although no proposed dates have been released as of yet. The last rumor I heard the end of last week was that a medical floor might reopen first, in advance of surgical capability, as the latest delay was caused by poor results on mold/fungal cultures in the ORs.
UTMB has been in the news quite a lot since the announcement of the proposed layoffs. Below are links to some of the recent stories.
Word on the Street
Galveston County Daily News, Nov. 17, 2008
Numerous Letters to the Editor concerning UTMB and its recovery were published calling for restoration of its Level 1 trauma center, establishment of a hospital district and urging state and local officials to support the university. http://galvestondailynews.com/letters.lasso
Docshop says so long, Mary Ann
Galveston County Daily News, Nov. 17, 2008
In her Scenes column, Frances Powell wrote: “Many ’grats to Divafave Mary Ann Ross, who’s retiring from UTMB. Her swansong party at Salsa’s was organized by Pat Reazin and Anna Perez.” http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=92729a3d5b72b60e
Hankins again named a national top doctor
Galveston County Daily News, Nov. 17, 2008
Dr. Gary Hankins, chairman of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at UTMB, was named one of the nation’s best doctors for women for the fourth straight year. The ranking was published in the November issue of Women’s Health. (Link unavailable.)
Galveston biodefense lab was fortress during Ike
Dallas Morning News, Nov. 16, 2008
This article surveys the safety and security measures of the Galveston National Laboratory at UTMB. Reporter Emily Ramshaw wrote, “The nation’s newest mammoth biodefense lab towers like a fortress over this hurricane-battered ghost town, a rare unscathed sight among uprooted palm trees, shattered shop windows and beach homes teetering perilously on warped stilts.”
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/DN-ikeside_16tex.ART.State.Edition1.4a63bc5.html
For health’s sake, take action now
Galveston County Daily News, Nov. 16, 2008
In this editorial, publisher Dolph Tillotson urges Galveston officials to create a countywide health care taxing district to help the county’s health care providers, including UTMB. http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=3184d927c43952e8
Smaller UTMB causes worries
Galveston County Daily News, Nov. 16, 2008
State health care leaders said a plan to downsize UTMB poses vexing questions about the future of Galveston County’s poorest and most traumatically injured patients. David Lopez, CEO of the Harris County Hospital District, said the plan will cause a ripple effect across the Texas health care system, a patchwork of overburdened providers that treat the 30 percent of Texans without insurance.
http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=e5d65e052f4890e6c8545f57966c90b3
UTMB hires Atlanta firm to assist in downsizing
Galveston County Daily News, Nov. 16, 2008
UTMB has hired Kurt Salmon Associates of Atlanta to advise about reshaping UTMB as it cuts as many as 3,800 jobs and downsizes its 550-bed hospital to a 200-bed operation. The company will conduct market, facility and financial analyses of the medical branch.
http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=e6a15dd01f373482
Hospitals jammed since UTMB’s down
Galveston County Daily News, Nov. 15, 2008
Admissions are up 40 percent, emergency room visits have increased by a third and operating rooms are running around the clock at Mainland Medical Center. Since Hurricane Ike ravaged UTMB’s John Sealy Hospital on Sept. 13, admissions at Mainland Medical have jumped, as has demand for other medical services it provides. Likewise, Clear Lake Regional Medical Center in Webster reported a 30 percent increase in hospital admissions while emergency room visits doubled. http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=cfdd17e4506f95c5c8545f57966c90b3
Waco representative fights for isle
Galveston County Daily News, Nov. 15, 2008
During a tour of Galveston Island, U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards said he would encourage FEMA to expedite funding for projects throughout the city to help officials prepare for next year’s tourist season. He also is pushing the agency to fast-track damage reimbursements for UTMB.
http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=cc9665b3336d78ee
UTMB woes back on county agenda
Port Arthur News, Nov. 15, 2008
BEAUMONT – Damage to UTMB continues to reverberate throughout Southeast Texas as counties reconsider medical treatment for uninsured residents. “This is something that is affecting not only Jefferson County, but much of the state in a critical way,” Bo Alfred, Precinct 4 County Commissioner, said. http://www.panews.com/local/local_story_320165336.html
Hospital flooded in storm to cut its staff by a third
New York Times, Nov. 14, 2008
This article summarizes the effect of Hurricane Ike on UTMB and includes comments from a number of UTMB employees, including Karen Sexton, executive vice president and CEO of the UTMB Health System. “We can’t make any promises,” she said, “because we don’t know what’s going to happen. We are committed to getting back into the health care business. We know we have to be a lot smaller right now.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/15/us/15hospital.html?scp=1&sq=%22medical+branch%22&st=nyt
UTMB layoffs may have major ripple effect in Houston hospitals
KTRK-TV (Ch. 13) Houston, Nov. 14, 2008
This report focuses on the effect that UTMB’s layoffs are having on hospitals in the Houston area.
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/video?id=6506299
Friday, November 07, 2008
checking out new space
Today I got to go look at our proposed new clinic space. I was less than enthusiastic. We are so spoiled, having been in such a nice clinic up until hurricane Ike. The new space will work. I think. It's just not great.
We are to have 15 exam rooms and the two team rooms (precepting rooms) are each about half as big as in our previous space, which already felt pretty cramped. There is no room for medical students and very little room for faculty.
As we're walking the space, the clinic director says to the group that we need to look on the bright side. It took about half an hour for anybody to figure out what that was. And this is what we came up with:
It's better than the Fast Track in the ER, which is where we are currently seeing patients.
It's closer to the hospital than our previous clinic space, so more convenient in that way.
The waiting area is much nicer than in our old clinic.
And there is a beautiful view of Old Red from the registration area.
At least there's something good about it.
We are to have 15 exam rooms and the two team rooms (precepting rooms) are each about half as big as in our previous space, which already felt pretty cramped. There is no room for medical students and very little room for faculty.
As we're walking the space, the clinic director says to the group that we need to look on the bright side. It took about half an hour for anybody to figure out what that was. And this is what we came up with:
It's better than the Fast Track in the ER, which is where we are currently seeing patients.
It's closer to the hospital than our previous clinic space, so more convenient in that way.
The waiting area is much nicer than in our old clinic.
And there is a beautiful view of Old Red from the registration area.
At least there's something good about it.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
faculty presentations
For STFM Annual Spring Conference 2009 in Denver CO:
Outcomes of a Texas Family Medicine Residency Rural Training Track: 2000 – 2008
Nash LR, Olson MM, Caskey JW, Thompson BL (scholastic poster)
Osteopathic Medicine: Contributions for The Future of Family Medicine
Nash LR, et. al. (1 day pre-conference session) (also includes Sierpina VS, Curka PA)
Portfolio Smorgasbord: Exploring Portfolio Experiences From Across The Country
Kulie T, et. al. (includes Williams RE) (3 hour theme session)
Integrative Medicine In Residency Curriculum: First Year Implementation And Evaluation
Lebensohn P, et. al. (includes Sierpina VS) (90 minute seminar)
Contributions of Community-based Preceptors to The Family Medicine Clerkship Curriculum
Bulik RJ, Wright DP (scholastic poster)
Supplementing Student Experiential Learning At Community-Based Training Sites
Bulik RJ (special topic breakfast)
Outcomes of a Texas Family Medicine Residency Rural Training Track: 2000 – 2008
Nash LR, Olson MM, Caskey JW, Thompson BL (scholastic poster)
Osteopathic Medicine: Contributions for The Future of Family Medicine
Nash LR, et. al. (1 day pre-conference session) (also includes Sierpina VS, Curka PA)
Portfolio Smorgasbord: Exploring Portfolio Experiences From Across The Country
Kulie T, et. al. (includes Williams RE) (3 hour theme session)
Integrative Medicine In Residency Curriculum: First Year Implementation And Evaluation
Lebensohn P, et. al. (includes Sierpina VS) (90 minute seminar)
Contributions of Community-based Preceptors to The Family Medicine Clerkship Curriculum
Bulik RJ, Wright DP (scholastic poster)
Supplementing Student Experiential Learning At Community-Based Training Sites
Bulik RJ (special topic breakfast)
national conference presentations accepted!
Congratulations to the Drs. Melendez on the acceptance of their scholastic poster for presentation at the STFM Annual Conference next spring! The title of their poster is "Community Medicine Program In Co-occurring Substance Abuse, Psychiatry Disorders And Primary Care, a Tri-service Model".
Good work!
Monday, November 03, 2008
opportunities to help
The Texas Medical Association is hosting a fund drive for UTMB medical students. Click here to review the call and donation instructions.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
letter to our applicants
So… what about Hurricane Ike?!
This is a very good question you might ask yourself and us in relation to residency training at UTMB – Galveston!
What I can tell you at this point is that the Family Medicine Residency Program in Galveston is continuing. We have for many years been fortunate to have available to us community hospitals in the area for several of our core rotations, as well as electives. Thanks to our off-campus sites and community preceptors, the FMRP experienced the least disruption in training probably of all the UTMB GME programs. Our residents were back on clinical rotations within one week of landfall, although many chose to rotate out of the immediate Houston-Galveston area for one or two rotation blocks, due to housing and personal family needs. No delays in graduation related to the storm are anticipated.
We don’t yet know exactly what the future of the clinical enterprise on campus will look like. Possibilities range from the establishment of essentially a 200 – 250 bed community hospital to as much as full recovery (650+ beds) although I think what eventually will come to pass probably lies somewhere in the middle. Campus-based rotations continue to come back online as time passes and various departments make progress in the recovery effort.
The future location of our Family Medicine Center (outpatient clinic) remains under negotiation. The two most likely contenders seem to be 1) in the University Health Clinics building near the ER or 2) that our Primary Care Pavilion clinic will be refurbished. If the long-term decision is option #2, we may temporarily be housed in the UHC until the PCP is ready for our return. At present, we are temporarily located in the Fast Track area adjacent to the ER. The only thing I can tell you for sure is that we won’t be staying there!
Now, why should you come here? If you enjoy building things, consider yourself a pioneer or adventurer, have a strong sense of personal responsibility and professionalism and are flexible and innovative in making the most of a wide variety of learning experiences, this may be the program for you! While many of our core rotation experiences remain stable, we intend to take this opportunity to reevaluate our curriculum as a whole and reinvent ourselves to our best potential in the coming few years. Sometimes change occurs slowly and incrementally and sometimes it occurs quickly in big ways. It would be a shame not to capitalize on this opportunity for amazing progress and we don’t intend to miss it. Come join us and be a part of reinventing our future!
Lisa R. Nash, DO, FAAFP
Program Director
This is a very good question you might ask yourself and us in relation to residency training at UTMB – Galveston!
What I can tell you at this point is that the Family Medicine Residency Program in Galveston is continuing. We have for many years been fortunate to have available to us community hospitals in the area for several of our core rotations, as well as electives. Thanks to our off-campus sites and community preceptors, the FMRP experienced the least disruption in training probably of all the UTMB GME programs. Our residents were back on clinical rotations within one week of landfall, although many chose to rotate out of the immediate Houston-Galveston area for one or two rotation blocks, due to housing and personal family needs. No delays in graduation related to the storm are anticipated.
We don’t yet know exactly what the future of the clinical enterprise on campus will look like. Possibilities range from the establishment of essentially a 200 – 250 bed community hospital to as much as full recovery (650+ beds) although I think what eventually will come to pass probably lies somewhere in the middle. Campus-based rotations continue to come back online as time passes and various departments make progress in the recovery effort.
The future location of our Family Medicine Center (outpatient clinic) remains under negotiation. The two most likely contenders seem to be 1) in the University Health Clinics building near the ER or 2) that our Primary Care Pavilion clinic will be refurbished. If the long-term decision is option #2, we may temporarily be housed in the UHC until the PCP is ready for our return. At present, we are temporarily located in the Fast Track area adjacent to the ER. The only thing I can tell you for sure is that we won’t be staying there!
Now, why should you come here? If you enjoy building things, consider yourself a pioneer or adventurer, have a strong sense of personal responsibility and professionalism and are flexible and innovative in making the most of a wide variety of learning experiences, this may be the program for you! While many of our core rotation experiences remain stable, we intend to take this opportunity to reevaluate our curriculum as a whole and reinvent ourselves to our best potential in the coming few years. Sometimes change occurs slowly and incrementally and sometimes it occurs quickly in big ways. It would be a shame not to capitalize on this opportunity for amazing progress and we don’t intend to miss it. Come join us and be a part of reinventing our future!
Lisa R. Nash, DO, FAAFP
Program Director
Monday, October 20, 2008
interviews
5 brave souls who are not afraid of a challenge have signed up for interviews since we started inviting applicants last week! We are so excited to begin looking FORWARD and planning for the future, beyond our immediate recovery timeframe.
In further news, OB and Adult ER rotations at UTMB return to our schedule in block 6 (November 17) and we're excited about that too. This is "hot off the press" news, just learned today.
In further news, OB and Adult ER rotations at UTMB return to our schedule in block 6 (November 17) and we're excited about that too. This is "hot off the press" news, just learned today.
News about the FM Clinic and HOS service
This morning’s update from Dr. Thompson included the news that the UHC building is currently targeted to be restored to service first, before the PCP. Most likely this means that our clinic will move to the UHC at least temporarily but possibly “permanently” (whatever “permanently” means…). Currently, the belief is that faculty offices, conference room space, etc. will remain in the 2nd floor of the PCP. Timeframe undetermined. I have sent an email to the powers that be requesting to be included in the decisions regarding our clinical space and also informing them of our RRC requirements. I will be looking forward to the opportunity to be involved in those ongoing negotiations.
The better news is that the first med/surg unit at JOHN SEALY is scheduled to open November 10, in time for us to resume our hospital service in block 6!! We have been promised beds, although I don’t have an exact number yet. As you know, L&D and NBN are already functional. I’m told no decisions have been made yet regarding pedi beds.
Last week we saw about 370 outpatient visits in our various locations, but mostly at Stewart Road. This is excellent, with steady increases in demand occurring every day. It is possible that I may put some R3s back into continuity clinics in this block even, so stay tuned! FYI, 370 would be about 50% of our normal volume for this time of year and is excellent under the circumstances. The key question is where will the demand level out? I’ve been saying all along that one of my indicators would be school enrollment. Last week while I was at Ball High for prenatal clinic, I learned that about 60% of GISD students have returned.
Today when I drove in, I noticed that almost all of the trash and debris has been removed from Holiday Drive between Seawall and Harborside. I got phone service at my house late yesterday afternoon. No DSL, but I do have telephone. And somebody (FEMA, the city?) picked up my stinky freezer full of rotten food from the alley. You may have seen that the curfew was lifted for all but part of the Strand and downtown areas a little over a week ago. The last Red Cross shelter on the island is closing today.
Slow but steady improvement all over the island is evident. We continue to await news from Dr. Callendar about the future of UTMB as a whole but at least I can say all things considered, FM is in about the best position we can be. Our programs are all functioning and we are serving our patients. Our students and residents are completing their educational experiences and we are going about our business.
The better news is that the first med/surg unit at JOHN SEALY is scheduled to open November 10, in time for us to resume our hospital service in block 6!! We have been promised beds, although I don’t have an exact number yet. As you know, L&D and NBN are already functional. I’m told no decisions have been made yet regarding pedi beds.
Last week we saw about 370 outpatient visits in our various locations, but mostly at Stewart Road. This is excellent, with steady increases in demand occurring every day. It is possible that I may put some R3s back into continuity clinics in this block even, so stay tuned! FYI, 370 would be about 50% of our normal volume for this time of year and is excellent under the circumstances. The key question is where will the demand level out? I’ve been saying all along that one of my indicators would be school enrollment. Last week while I was at Ball High for prenatal clinic, I learned that about 60% of GISD students have returned.
Today when I drove in, I noticed that almost all of the trash and debris has been removed from Holiday Drive between Seawall and Harborside. I got phone service at my house late yesterday afternoon. No DSL, but I do have telephone. And somebody (FEMA, the city?) picked up my stinky freezer full of rotten food from the alley. You may have seen that the curfew was lifted for all but part of the Strand and downtown areas a little over a week ago. The last Red Cross shelter on the island is closing today.
Slow but steady improvement all over the island is evident. We continue to await news from Dr. Callendar about the future of UTMB as a whole but at least I can say all things considered, FM is in about the best position we can be. Our programs are all functioning and we are serving our patients. Our students and residents are completing their educational experiences and we are going about our business.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Updated recruiting information
Please see the link to the right regarding Info for Applicants 2009, as the information has been updated to reflect our current status related to recovery from hurricane Ike.
Also, our new website has launched and the link to the right has been updated, so check out our new look and available information!
Also, our new website has launched and the link to the right has been updated, so check out our new look and available information!
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Relocating
We will close down our temporary office in Fort Worth tomorrow afternoon. Effective Monday, you can reach us at our usual telephone numbers in Galveston.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
progress!
Wow, finally some exciting news to report!
There is a preliminary prediction (unconfirmed as of yet) that the PCP 2nd floor (NOT the clinics) will reopen next week, which would allow the Residency Program faculty and staff to be all located in one place. Our usual place. It's so hard to believe.
I read on the UTMB updates today that MS1 and MS2 return to classes has been delayed to 10/20.
There are still tremendous difficulties with lack of housing. Dr. Triana is on the island now and will be actively seeking out opportunities for our residents, so watch for email from her. I've asked Becky to contact various island daycares and check on their status and openings, so if you have childcare needs, watch for emails from her too.
Our SRFH location is still expected to reopen this week (mobile units there now, faculty seeing patients) and we hope to have two residents there in block 5 for FM outpatient rotations.
Various favorite restaurants and businesses are starting to reopen... I've heard Casey's, Fishtails, Chili's and NY Pizza have all reopened for lunch service.
Program faculty have begun preliminary discussions about recruiting for the 2009 Match and we will have definitive plans in the next couple of weeks. At this point, we're thinking about recruiting for a smaller class, somewhere in the 4 to 6 range with the option to pick up some PGY2 residents in the following cycle. We may be able to locate hotel rooms for the applicants in Houston, which will make the process simpler. Most likely we will not begin interview until at the earliest the first week in November.
That's all for now, but watch the UTMB website, this blog and email for further updates! Things are beginning to happen faster now.
There is a preliminary prediction (unconfirmed as of yet) that the PCP 2nd floor (NOT the clinics) will reopen next week, which would allow the Residency Program faculty and staff to be all located in one place. Our usual place. It's so hard to believe.
I read on the UTMB updates today that MS1 and MS2 return to classes has been delayed to 10/20.
There are still tremendous difficulties with lack of housing. Dr. Triana is on the island now and will be actively seeking out opportunities for our residents, so watch for email from her. I've asked Becky to contact various island daycares and check on their status and openings, so if you have childcare needs, watch for emails from her too.
Our SRFH location is still expected to reopen this week (mobile units there now, faculty seeing patients) and we hope to have two residents there in block 5 for FM outpatient rotations.
Various favorite restaurants and businesses are starting to reopen... I've heard Casey's, Fishtails, Chili's and NY Pizza have all reopened for lunch service.
Program faculty have begun preliminary discussions about recruiting for the 2009 Match and we will have definitive plans in the next couple of weeks. At this point, we're thinking about recruiting for a smaller class, somewhere in the 4 to 6 range with the option to pick up some PGY2 residents in the following cycle. We may be able to locate hotel rooms for the applicants in Houston, which will make the process simpler. Most likely we will not begin interview until at the earliest the first week in November.
That's all for now, but watch the UTMB website, this blog and email for further updates! Things are beginning to happen faster now.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
incremental recovery
There is not a tremendous amount of "new" news since my last post. Incremental recovery efforts continue.
The FM residents are dispersed across the state and Linda and I are working on plans for block 5 now. We hope to have a little more than half to maybe 2/3 of the residents back to the Houston/Galveston area by the beginning of block 5. We are fortunate in that we've worked with a number of mainland community hospitals for certain core rotations for several years and they are up and running already and taking on additional residents beyond the usual numbers.
It looks like FM will be able to open one of our clinic sites in the next week or so and I hope to put some residents there for the outpatient FM core rotation in block 5.
This morning I read a news article stating that 75% of the island's housing is uninhabitable so I'm concerned that even once we're able to return, many of our patients simply will not be there. The ABFM is being flexible with us regarding continuity clinic requirements, but we will need to aggressively work towards recovery of our FMC even so. Dr. Thompson and others have this high on their priority list.
We're beginning to work on housing options for our residents whose housing is uninhabitable. This will be a significant challenge, given the widespread destruction of housing and very limited availability for the foreseeable future. We are exploring several different avenues as solutions.
No definite decisions regarding recruiting and the 2009 Match have yet been made. We WILL interview and recruit a class, although I'm not sure what size that class will be. I definitely plan to interview and recruit for our 2 PGY1 AOA positions and some ACGME positions as well, number to be determined. In all likelihood, we will not begin interviews until late October or early November. Stay tuned for further updates!
The FM residents are dispersed across the state and Linda and I are working on plans for block 5 now. We hope to have a little more than half to maybe 2/3 of the residents back to the Houston/Galveston area by the beginning of block 5. We are fortunate in that we've worked with a number of mainland community hospitals for certain core rotations for several years and they are up and running already and taking on additional residents beyond the usual numbers.
It looks like FM will be able to open one of our clinic sites in the next week or so and I hope to put some residents there for the outpatient FM core rotation in block 5.
This morning I read a news article stating that 75% of the island's housing is uninhabitable so I'm concerned that even once we're able to return, many of our patients simply will not be there. The ABFM is being flexible with us regarding continuity clinic requirements, but we will need to aggressively work towards recovery of our FMC even so. Dr. Thompson and others have this high on their priority list.
We're beginning to work on housing options for our residents whose housing is uninhabitable. This will be a significant challenge, given the widespread destruction of housing and very limited availability for the foreseeable future. We are exploring several different avenues as solutions.
No definite decisions regarding recruiting and the 2009 Match have yet been made. We WILL interview and recruit a class, although I'm not sure what size that class will be. I definitely plan to interview and recruit for our 2 PGY1 AOA positions and some ACGME positions as well, number to be determined. In all likelihood, we will not begin interviews until late October or early November. Stay tuned for further updates!
Friday, September 19, 2008
RTT article
An article about our Rural Training Track was published in this month's edition of Texas Medicine.
Block 4 assignments
All FM residents have now been reassigned for block 4 rotations. Early next week, Linda and I will begin working on block 5 assignments. We hope to begin bringing a few people back to the Galveston/Houston area. Primarily, this will be residents whose housing is habitable and on the mainland.
Generally speaking, recovery efforts on the island appear to running ahead of schedule, which is good news. I encourage you to keep up to date on the progress at the UTMB website, the Galveston Daily News, Channel 2 and KHOU. These are the most extensive coverage sites I have located and the ones I am personally following daily.
At present, it looks like we have about 6 to 8 residents whose housing on the island is definitely or likely not habitable upon return to the island. These will be the folks who are on displaced rotations longest. The Chiefs are busy compiling a list of residents and faculty who have space in their homes for temporary housing and we will coordinate that as it becomes feasible to bring people back to the local area.
All things considered, I'm feeling optimistic about recovery for the Family Medicine Program.
Generally speaking, recovery efforts on the island appear to running ahead of schedule, which is good news. I encourage you to keep up to date on the progress at the UTMB website, the Galveston Daily News, Channel 2 and KHOU. These are the most extensive coverage sites I have located and the ones I am personally following daily.
At present, it looks like we have about 6 to 8 residents whose housing on the island is definitely or likely not habitable upon return to the island. These will be the folks who are on displaced rotations longest. The Chiefs are busy compiling a list of residents and faculty who have space in their homes for temporary housing and we will coordinate that as it becomes feasible to bring people back to the local area.
All things considered, I'm feeling optimistic about recovery for the Family Medicine Program.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
the scope of the problem
If you're wondering how big a job UTMB faces in terms of its medical students and residents, see the excerpt below. Full article here.
Campus officials say it could be a month or more before the hospital resumes regular operations and is able to bring all of its students and residents back. In the meantime, administrators are working on temporary placements for 557 medical residents and about 2,400 medical, nursing, allied-health, and graduate students. The hospital has about 12,000 employees, 8,000 of whom work in Galveston.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
new office location, general update
After 22 hours traveling yesterday, I am now sitting in the fully equipped temporary FMR Administrative office at Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Worth. They have graciously agreed to house us for the immediate future, until we are able to return to the UTMB-Galveston campus.
Our new telephone number is 817-735-2737.
Almost all of the FM residents have new rotation assignments to begin on Monday in accordance with our usual rotation timeline. We should have that task completed by the end of the week so that everyone can be back to clinical work/education on Monday 9/22. It is anticipated that no one in the FMR will have a break in training.
Many, many thanks go out to FMR Program Directors across the great state of Texas, all who have volunteered rotations and many also housing for our residents. We are deeply grateful.
Applicants for the 2009 Match can expect an update regarding our status within the next two weeks, after we've been able to attend to the immediate needs of our current residents.
All FM residents and faculty are holding up well and making the best of a difficult situation. From my perspective, I feel a little bit guilty because although I'm displaced, the inside of my home is virtually untouched and will be easy to move back into. I am sitting in an air-conditioned office and am well-supported. I have electricity and internet access and I can buy gas without waiting in line for 90 minutes. When I turn on the tap, water comes out and I took a wonderful shower this morning. My kids, pets and I are safe and healthy and housed with family. All things considered, I have much to be thankful for.
Our new telephone number is 817-735-2737.
Almost all of the FM residents have new rotation assignments to begin on Monday in accordance with our usual rotation timeline. We should have that task completed by the end of the week so that everyone can be back to clinical work/education on Monday 9/22. It is anticipated that no one in the FMR will have a break in training.
Many, many thanks go out to FMR Program Directors across the great state of Texas, all who have volunteered rotations and many also housing for our residents. We are deeply grateful.
Applicants for the 2009 Match can expect an update regarding our status within the next two weeks, after we've been able to attend to the immediate needs of our current residents.
All FM residents and faculty are holding up well and making the best of a difficult situation. From my perspective, I feel a little bit guilty because although I'm displaced, the inside of my home is virtually untouched and will be easy to move back into. I am sitting in an air-conditioned office and am well-supported. I have electricity and internet access and I can buy gas without waiting in line for 90 minutes. When I turn on the tap, water comes out and I took a wonderful shower this morning. My kids, pets and I are safe and healthy and housed with family. All things considered, I have much to be thankful for.
Monday, September 15, 2008
communications
UTMB email system is operational again, so we will resume using that as our primary communication venue.Updates will be posted here from time to time, but please communicate with me by email from now.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
housing/rotations
I heard from Donna just a little bit ago. UTMB medical personnel are being relieved by a military medical unit. Donna has also been in contact with Adriana.
I understand from the two of them that there are a number of residents who are in hotels and need to be relocated. I'm not having much luck reaching people by cell phone, so please post a comment here and let me know if you are in housing where you can remain for potentially 2 to 4 weeks or if you need to be relocated. Linda and I will be working to make arrangements starting tomorrow.
Everyone try to be patient. Hang in there and call either Linda or me if you don't hear from us in the next 48 hours. Meantime, leave a comment here and let me know your housing status/needs.
I understand from the two of them that there are a number of residents who are in hotels and need to be relocated. I'm not having much luck reaching people by cell phone, so please post a comment here and let me know if you are in housing where you can remain for potentially 2 to 4 weeks or if you need to be relocated. Linda and I will be working to make arrangements starting tomorrow.
Everyone try to be patient. Hang in there and call either Linda or me if you don't hear from us in the next 48 hours. Meantime, leave a comment here and let me know your housing status/needs.
Press conference
The mayor says there is no water, no gas, no electricity and no communications. No time estimate about restoration.
Governer Perry says DO NOT make any effort to return to the island until further notice.
City Manager LeBlanc says UTMB is first on the list for restoration of services and the timeline is 1 week.
Search and rescue is the immediate concern and all efforts directed towards that until this has been completed. As of last night, they had completed to 11 mile road. Current info is that 3 bodies have been found.
For the residents - my plan is to have everyone sit tight for the remainder of this week. If we do not have information regarding imminent re-entry to the island towards the end of the week, I will locate alternate assignments for you all, hopefully in the areas where you are currently evacuated to. It will be important to begin bringing people back to the island as it is re-opened because we will need to be available as recovery begins. Some of the recovery work will be dependent upon availability of medical services when needed so we need to be there to do our part.
Stay tuned.
Governer Perry says DO NOT make any effort to return to the island until further notice.
City Manager LeBlanc says UTMB is first on the list for restoration of services and the timeline is 1 week.
Search and rescue is the immediate concern and all efforts directed towards that until this has been completed. As of last night, they had completed to 11 mile road. Current info is that 3 bodies have been found.
For the residents - my plan is to have everyone sit tight for the remainder of this week. If we do not have information regarding imminent re-entry to the island towards the end of the week, I will locate alternate assignments for you all, hopefully in the areas where you are currently evacuated to. It will be important to begin bringing people back to the island as it is re-opened because we will need to be available as recovery begins. Some of the recovery work will be dependent upon availability of medical services when needed so we need to be there to do our part.
Stay tuned.
anyone checking here?
Residents & Faculty: please post a comment if you are checking this blog! It only just occurred to me to try to communicate with everyone this way. The UTMB alert website is up but minimal information is being posted there. I have not been able to log in to the email system to try to reach everyone that way.
As I'm sure you know, very little information is coming from the island. Our faculty and staff who stayed on the island are all safe as far as I know. I've heard directly from or about Dr. Thompson, Dr. Simmons, Dr. Yadiki and Becky.
The best source of information that I've located is KHOU. They are broadcasting on DirectTV channel 361 non-stop. Their website is also being updated regularly. They just posted an important update. The mayor is supposed to hold a press conference at 1pm. Residency staff and I will be making another round of telephone calls to update everyone, but the latest I've heard to this point is that it will be AT LEAST Tuesday or Wednesday before the island is re-opened. IMO, that may be an optimistic timeline. Everyone please just stay put where you are for the immediate future and await further instructions.
As I'm sure you know, very little information is coming from the island. Our faculty and staff who stayed on the island are all safe as far as I know. I've heard directly from or about Dr. Thompson, Dr. Simmons, Dr. Yadiki and Becky.
The best source of information that I've located is KHOU. They are broadcasting on DirectTV channel 361 non-stop. Their website is also being updated regularly. They just posted an important update. The mayor is supposed to hold a press conference at 1pm. Residency staff and I will be making another round of telephone calls to update everyone, but the latest I've heard to this point is that it will be AT LEAST Tuesday or Wednesday before the island is re-opened. IMO, that may be an optimistic timeline. Everyone please just stay put where you are for the immediate future and await further instructions.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
2008 ALSO Course
As usual, I had a blast at our annual multi-residency ALSO Course, held in Baytown last week. I enjoyed working with both our residents and the others and working with my FMOB faculty colleagues from across the region.
I think the residents had fun too, or at least if anyone didn't, they didn't tell me! Several of you commented to me that you learned a lot and had a good time. And now you all have the basic tools you need for managing urgent and emergent situations in L&D. You just need some experience putting them into practice.
I think the residents had fun too, or at least if anyone didn't, they didn't tell me! Several of you commented to me that you learned a lot and had a good time. And now you all have the basic tools you need for managing urgent and emergent situations in L&D. You just need some experience putting them into practice.
Click on the photo to access the photo set.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
new FM baby!
Drs. Hanan Hussein and Saleh Elsaid (both faculty) welcomed a new addition to their family today!!
baby Saad, 6lb and 6oz
Everyone is doing well.
baby Saad, 6lb and 6oz
Everyone is doing well.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Monday, August 04, 2008
updates on Edouard
Keep abreast of the UTMB emergency management plans re: Edouard here.
All residents should have received your individual assigments from Residency staff already. If you have questions or did not receive the message, contact me on my cell phone or staff at the office until 3pm.
All residents should have received your individual assigments from Residency staff already. If you have questions or did not receive the message, contact me on my cell phone or staff at the office until 3pm.
Why Your Doctor Needs A Raise...
The good news: A year into our grand healthcare experiment, nearly everyone in Massachusetts has insurance. The bad: It's never been harder to actually get in to see a doctor. The fix? Pay primary care physicians more. Lots, lots more.
Sound interesting? Read the entire Boston Magazine article here.
Sound interesting? Read the entire Boston Magazine article here.
Monday, July 28, 2008
kudos to Dr. Gomez!!
Dr. Gomez' presentation has been accepted by the NAPCRG Program Committee for presentation at the 2008 NAPCRG Annual Meeting being held Nov 15 - 19 at Wyndham Rio Mar, Rio Grande, PR.
Poster on Research in Progress Submission
Submission Title: Relationship between Depression and glycemic control and its correlation with medication adherence in patients with Diabetes Mellitus type 2: a cohort study in a primary care setting
Poster on Research in Progress Submission
Submission Title: Relationship between Depression and glycemic control and its correlation with medication adherence in patients with Diabetes Mellitus type 2: a cohort study in a primary care setting
Friday, July 25, 2008
Interesting discussions
Today I attended a school of medicine committee meeting where one of the agenda items involved a discussion about teaching behavior change counseling techniques to medical students. As part of the discussion, a concern was raised about identifying and teaching skills for students to deal with their own personal biases that might affect their patient care... primarily biases that center around choices patients make that are not in the best interest of their health. And whether or not students personally make some of those same choices and how that impacts their patient care. Interesting discussion.
Which led me to remember something that happened to me during medical school and residency, and some lingering thoughts about how the things that happen TO us during training also create some biases that have the potential for affecting our patient care.
Have you ever read the book House of God? I hadn't read it until medical school. There was a great deal of discussion about that book among a group of my peers at some point and I was pretty out of the loop, having not read it. So, as a first year medical student, I read it. I was horrified and apalled that anyone could possibly conceive of health professionals thinking about and acting toward their patients in some of the ways described. Horrified. And personally insulted, actually. Certainly I would never do such things. Would I?
Five years later, as a second year resident, I read the book again. (Because, let's face it, who has time as an intern to read anything not absolutely necessary and related to what might confront you immediately or in the next 24 hours?!) My experience this time was vastly different. Vastly. So much that I'm at least a little bit ashamed. I remember laughing until tears ran out my eyes at some points. I remember completely identifying with some of the circumstances and situations described. At the time, I remember thinking how naive and idealistic I was as a first year medical student.
Now, a good number of years removed (we won't go into detail about how many) from the supreme endurance test of q3 call blocks and 100+ hour work weeks (yes, I pre-date duty hour restrictions), I once again have a different perspective. I think about discussions among my current faculty peers, about how we seem to do our best to "train out" some of the very best qualities in medical students and residents. We all seem to lose some of our humanity in the process. I like to think that these days that I'm a lot closer to the humanity and idealism I started out with than to the ridiculously over-fatigued and callous R2 I became for a time.
I invite your thoughts and reflections on this topic...
Which led me to remember something that happened to me during medical school and residency, and some lingering thoughts about how the things that happen TO us during training also create some biases that have the potential for affecting our patient care.
Have you ever read the book House of God? I hadn't read it until medical school. There was a great deal of discussion about that book among a group of my peers at some point and I was pretty out of the loop, having not read it. So, as a first year medical student, I read it. I was horrified and apalled that anyone could possibly conceive of health professionals thinking about and acting toward their patients in some of the ways described. Horrified. And personally insulted, actually. Certainly I would never do such things. Would I?
Five years later, as a second year resident, I read the book again. (Because, let's face it, who has time as an intern to read anything not absolutely necessary and related to what might confront you immediately or in the next 24 hours?!) My experience this time was vastly different. Vastly. So much that I'm at least a little bit ashamed. I remember laughing until tears ran out my eyes at some points. I remember completely identifying with some of the circumstances and situations described. At the time, I remember thinking how naive and idealistic I was as a first year medical student.
Now, a good number of years removed (we won't go into detail about how many) from the supreme endurance test of q3 call blocks and 100+ hour work weeks (yes, I pre-date duty hour restrictions), I once again have a different perspective. I think about discussions among my current faculty peers, about how we seem to do our best to "train out" some of the very best qualities in medical students and residents. We all seem to lose some of our humanity in the process. I like to think that these days that I'm a lot closer to the humanity and idealism I started out with than to the ridiculously over-fatigued and callous R2 I became for a time.
I invite your thoughts and reflections on this topic...
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Play-Doh Workshop
We recently had our Circumcision workshop for the interns during Orientation. They were all quite excited about getting to play with Play-Doh during this experience. Unfortunately, we had a few untoward outcomes with detachment of certain important anatomic structures, but in the end it was a successful activity. And a good time was had by all, including me! What a great group of interns!
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Information for applicants 2009
Update to reflect the impact of Hurricane Ike:
10/16/08 The UTMB campus continues its recovery efforts. As of today, FM is seeing patients in three clinical sites... a new shared/borrowed space on the mainland at League City, our faculty clinic Stewart Rd location and temporary space in the Fast Track area of the ER. We are in negotiations at present for the relocation of our hospital service, which I expect to take place in the next week or two. This will be a temporary measure until the John Sealy Hospital on campus reopens.
We will be recruiting for a class of 4 in the 2009 Match and have just as of yesterday begun to issue interview invitations. I anticipate that we will interview about 40 - 45 applicants. You can help us greatly by keeping your application status up to date and advising whether you plan to accept or decline the invitation to interview once received.
Thank you for your interest in our program. If you enjoy being part of building something new and dynamic, you will find great experiences, training and professional community as we emerge from the effects of hurricane Ike!
Dear Applicant,
Thank you for your interest in our residency training program.
Our basic requirements for consideration for interview include:
- graduation from medical school within the past five years (not flexible)
- passage of USMLE I and II, including CSA (preferably on first attempt) OR COMLEX for Osteopathic students. Obviously, the better your scores, the stronger will be your application.
- some U.S. clinical experience
- three letters of recommendation, at least two of which MUST be from family doctors.
We accept applications only through ERAS. Please do not email me long attachments in an attempt to circumvent the process because I will not read them. If you meet our criteria outlined above, then apply through ERAS. This will ensure that your application is reviewed.
Osteopathic students may apply to our program through either or both Match processes, however you will only be guaranteed a dual-accredited slot by matching through the AOA Match.
We will begin our interview season for the class entering in 2009 in September 2008 for Osteopathic students and October 2008 for all. We hope to conclude interviews by end of January 2009. We will begin screening applications immediately as they become available through ERAS. We will schedule interviews until we have interviewed sufficient candidates to fill our class, so you are encouraged to apply early.
Our program does sponsor J1 visas. Our program does NOT sponsor H-1 visas.
UTMB does NOT sponsor externships or observerships for persons who have already graduated from medical school.
Please see our Residency website for more detailed information regarding our program. For specific questions that may not be covered, please contact our recruiter, Mr. Louis Johnston. His contact information is listed on the webpage.
Lisa R. Nash, D.O.
Program Director
UTMB Family Medicine Residency
Friday, June 27, 2008
UTMB FMR Graduation 2008
Click to view the 2008 graduation photos!Many thanks to Cassie Boatwright (our photographer) and Becky Hamilton (our video producer). The photos and video are outstanding and I know our graduates will cherish them for years to come.
Monday, June 16, 2008
salary increases!
We are pleased to announce the pending salary increases for House Staff have been approved effective September 1, 2008, reflecting the October 1st paycheck.
PGY-1: $42,757
PGY-2: $44,015
PGY-3: $45,620
PGY-1: $42,757
PGY-2: $44,015
PGY-3: $45,620
Thursday, June 05, 2008
PHNP
Our Grand Rounds presentation June 5th was given by Dr. Ana Malinow. It was an excellent presentation covering U.S Health Care Policy. I encourage you to look at the following resources:
Physicians for a National Health Program
Healthcare for All Texans
One of the most sobering points in her presentation was when she asked how many of us in the room had ever been uninsured. This was an audience of medical students, residents and faculty physicians and other faculty members. About 50% of the people in the room raised their hand. I was one of them. Can you imagine?! Fifty percent of the healthcare professionals in that room have been uninsured at some time in their life. Unbelievable. And unacceptable.
Physicians for a National Health Program
Healthcare for All Texans
One of the most sobering points in her presentation was when she asked how many of us in the room had ever been uninsured. This was an audience of medical students, residents and faculty physicians and other faculty members. About 50% of the people in the room raised their hand. I was one of them. Can you imagine?! Fifty percent of the healthcare professionals in that room have been uninsured at some time in their life. Unbelievable. And unacceptable.
exciting faculty developments
Yesterday I met with our new part-time faculty member (Peter Curka, DO) who starts next week and we enjoyed planning our Osteopathic Manual Medicine (OMM) conferences for next year and some of the other projects he will be involved with. DO and Alternative & Integrative Medicine track residents will be required to attend, our other MD residents are welcome and we have two MD faculty members who already have requested to attend the course.
Our OMM Consult Clinic will be open for scheduling in the next six weeks or so. Of course, all the DOs in our practice also are able to schedule OMM in their continuity clinic, but the consult clinic will allow our MD colleagues to easily refer patients for OMM.
We are in the process of setting up an interview with another DO candidate for a full-time faculty position with the residency as well.
Today I interviewed a faculty candidate for Residency who has a CAQ in Sports Medicine (MD) and will take the lead on development of our Sports Medicine fellowship if we are successful in recruiting him. You may remember that one of our 2007 graduates is starting his Sports Medicine fellowship next month and we hope to also recruit him back to join the faculty.
It’s exciting times around here at UTMB!
Our OMM Consult Clinic will be open for scheduling in the next six weeks or so. Of course, all the DOs in our practice also are able to schedule OMM in their continuity clinic, but the consult clinic will allow our MD colleagues to easily refer patients for OMM.
We are in the process of setting up an interview with another DO candidate for a full-time faculty position with the residency as well.
Today I interviewed a faculty candidate for Residency who has a CAQ in Sports Medicine (MD) and will take the lead on development of our Sports Medicine fellowship if we are successful in recruiting him. You may remember that one of our 2007 graduates is starting his Sports Medicine fellowship next month and we hope to also recruit him back to join the faculty.
It’s exciting times around here at UTMB!
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Departmental Review
Recently, our Department underwent the most recent formal review. These occur roughly every 5 years and are rather a big deal in the land of academic medical centers. Among other things, the Departmental Review identifies strengths and suggests areas for improvement. For this post, I'd like to share with you the strengths identified by our reviewers.
- 8/8/8 FMRP scheduled for next review in about 18 months
- Adequate patient volume to support most aspects of outpatient and inpatient training, with the exception of maternity care. (Maternity care being an area we've been working on with various strategies for the past several years. More to follow on that front...)
- Resident graduates who remain to practice in the region
- Unusually high percentage of residents graduating this year entering various fellowship programs
- Strong commitment to rural education via a rural track residency program
- Residen tcohort who reports satisfaction with attending support in both the hospital and ambulatory settings
- Adequate administrative resources in support of residency training
- Strong faculty commitment to residency teaching in all clinical venues
- Appropriate educational relationships with other disciplines providing training for Family Medicine residents
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
AODME Conference
I've been away this week, attending the Association of Osteopathic Directors and Medical Educators annual meeting.
Many of you know that we have received our Osteopathic certification this past year for the residency program. Our Osteopathic residents will be eligible upon completion of the program to sit for both the ABFM and AOBFM certification exams.
The meeting I'm currently attending includes educators from both undergraduate and GME settings, as well as across multiple specialties. One of the things I've been struck with during the course of the meeting is how closely aligned allopathic FAMILY MEDICINE is with Osteopathic Philosophy and Practice (OP&P). What I mean by that is primarily related to the bio-psycho-social approach, the doctor-patient relationship and communication skills. All of my allopathic/ACGME residents are being instructed in OP&P... you just didn't know it!
As a result of our recent certification and the inclusion of more DOs in our program from here forward, I will be making more of an effort to explicitly point out OP&P where it occurs in our training program. We will also begin an Osteopathic Manual Medicine workshop series as a component of our Thursday afternoon didactics. Our DO residents will be required to attend and the MD residents will be invited.
I've learned a lot of good things at this conference and I plan to share a number of them here through the blog over the next few days.
Many of you know that we have received our Osteopathic certification this past year for the residency program. Our Osteopathic residents will be eligible upon completion of the program to sit for both the ABFM and AOBFM certification exams.
The meeting I'm currently attending includes educators from both undergraduate and GME settings, as well as across multiple specialties. One of the things I've been struck with during the course of the meeting is how closely aligned allopathic FAMILY MEDICINE is with Osteopathic Philosophy and Practice (OP&P). What I mean by that is primarily related to the bio-psycho-social approach, the doctor-patient relationship and communication skills. All of my allopathic/ACGME residents are being instructed in OP&P... you just didn't know it!
As a result of our recent certification and the inclusion of more DOs in our program from here forward, I will be making more of an effort to explicitly point out OP&P where it occurs in our training program. We will also begin an Osteopathic Manual Medicine workshop series as a component of our Thursday afternoon didactics. Our DO residents will be required to attend and the MD residents will be invited.
I've learned a lot of good things at this conference and I plan to share a number of them here through the blog over the next few days.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
A FM kid turns 1!
Josie (& Family!) blow out the candle
My girls looking at a HUGE redfish in the aquarium
Abbye & Dani(children of Dr. Nash (L) and Dr. Alonso (R))
Dr. Montiel in the background
The big event was held at Moody Gardens and I think everyone had a blast. Many thanks to Dr. Montiel for inviting us to the party. :-)
Friday, March 21, 2008
Welcome, Class of 2011!!!
Michael Crawford – University of Texas Medical Branch – GalvestonRichard Donaldson – W. Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine
Cesar Gerez - Universidad Autonoma de Tamaulipas, Tampico Mexico
Eduardo Guerra Valencia - Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Peru
Toni Hernandez – University of Texas Medical Branch – Galveston
Jose Rodriguez – Universidad de Oriente, Venezuela
Lisset Parets - Saint George's University, Grenada
Bhanu Yadiki - Jss Medical College, India
Match Results Show Resurgence
According to AAFP, the 2008 Match results show a resurgence in interest in Family Medicine.
Although helpful, the increase still falls short of estimated manpower needs for 2020.
The fill rate for FM was 91% this year, which explains what the Scramble pool liked like to me... more US grads unmatched than I expected.
Read the full story on the AAFP website here.
Although helpful, the increase still falls short of estimated manpower needs for 2020.
The fill rate for FM was 91% this year, which explains what the Scramble pool liked like to me... more US grads unmatched than I expected.
Read the full story on the AAFP website here.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
filled!
We have filled our incoming class for 2008!!
I'd like to thank the applicants who made the trek to Galveston to interview. We have selected our final candidate and as soon as I have a chance to notify each of those who interviewed, I will post our new class here. We had 830-some-odd applications through ERAS for our two positions, so it was an extremely competitive field. That is not counting the emailed applications, phone calls and attempted faxes that we received. True to our word, we screened only those applications submitted through ERAS. Unfortunately, many people did no research to know that we would not accept email applications and I found myself deleting massive amounts of email several times a day just to keep my email working.
The Scramble (or re-Match as some now like to call it) is always a challenge. It's a much higher stakes, higher stress level process for all involved than the regular interview season, and that's saying something.
My staff did a wonderful job answering the phones, often redirecting frustrated applicants to ERAS submission and offering helpful advice. They screened calls directed at me so that I was able to focus on the business at hand, which was screening applications, selecting and interviewing appropriate applicants and making tough decisions. I'd like to thank them as well. If you tried and weren't able to get through to me directly, please know that my staff did pass on all messages from faculty members and medical schools and all applications referrenced in those messages were personally screened by me.
I also need to thank the faculty and residents who participated in the selection, pre-screening and interview process. In particular my residents found Scramble stressful and I was proud of the way they handled it. We would not have been as successful as we were in selecting our final two members of the class without the residents' help.
We have a great group of residents here at UTMB-FMR, and I'm confident our incoming class will continue the tradition.
I'd like to thank the applicants who made the trek to Galveston to interview. We have selected our final candidate and as soon as I have a chance to notify each of those who interviewed, I will post our new class here. We had 830-some-odd applications through ERAS for our two positions, so it was an extremely competitive field. That is not counting the emailed applications, phone calls and attempted faxes that we received. True to our word, we screened only those applications submitted through ERAS. Unfortunately, many people did no research to know that we would not accept email applications and I found myself deleting massive amounts of email several times a day just to keep my email working.
The Scramble (or re-Match as some now like to call it) is always a challenge. It's a much higher stakes, higher stress level process for all involved than the regular interview season, and that's saying something.
My staff did a wonderful job answering the phones, often redirecting frustrated applicants to ERAS submission and offering helpful advice. They screened calls directed at me so that I was able to focus on the business at hand, which was screening applications, selecting and interviewing appropriate applicants and making tough decisions. I'd like to thank them as well. If you tried and weren't able to get through to me directly, please know that my staff did pass on all messages from faculty members and medical schools and all applications referrenced in those messages were personally screened by me.
I also need to thank the faculty and residents who participated in the selection, pre-screening and interview process. In particular my residents found Scramble stressful and I was proud of the way they handled it. We would not have been as successful as we were in selecting our final two members of the class without the residents' help.
We have a great group of residents here at UTMB-FMR, and I'm confident our incoming class will continue the tradition.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Criteria
Please review our criteria for applicants here.
I WILL NOT REVIEW APPLICATIONS SENT BY EMAIL OR FAX. You MUST apply through ERAS.
Additionally, you must have graduated from medical school 2003 or more recently. Your medical school must be on the approved list for the Texas Medical Board, which you can review here. Click on the link "Substantial Equivalence".
We have one remaining position and will be interviewing selected applicants today and tomorrow.
I WILL NOT REVIEW APPLICATIONS SENT BY EMAIL OR FAX. You MUST apply through ERAS.
Additionally, you must have graduated from medical school 2003 or more recently. Your medical school must be on the approved list for the Texas Medical Board, which you can review here. Click on the link "Substantial Equivalence".
We have one remaining position and will be interviewing selected applicants today and tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
1 spot left
We have screened all applications submitted through ERAS for the Scramble. We have interviews scheduled with selected applicants today, tomorrow and Thursday. We have filled one position and have one remaining.
Because we require an in-person interview, there were several excellent applicants who are geographically challenged to get here in our timeframe. I am holding those applications for now and if we do not fill our remaining position with any of the applicants currently scheduled for interview, we will be contacting additional applicants to set up interviews.
Thank you all for your interest in our program, and I wish you the best of luck with the Scramble.
Because we require an in-person interview, there were several excellent applicants who are geographically challenged to get here in our timeframe. I am holding those applications for now and if we do not fill our remaining position with any of the applicants currently scheduled for interview, we will be contacting additional applicants to set up interviews.
Thank you all for your interest in our program, and I wish you the best of luck with the Scramble.
Scrambling for 2
We will be scrambling for two additional residents for the coming year.
We are accepting applications only through ERAS, so please do not call, fax or email. Just send your application through ERAS.
You can find our criteria here.
We do require an in-person interview, so you must be able/willing to travel to Galveston this week.
We will contact successful applicants as we screen your application.
We are accepting applications only through ERAS, so please do not call, fax or email. Just send your application through ERAS.
You can find our criteria here.
We do require an in-person interview, so you must be able/willing to travel to Galveston this week.
We will contact successful applicants as we screen your application.
Chief Residents 2008-09
I am pleased to announce our new Chief Residents for 2008-09!!!Dr. Donna Simmons (L) and Dr. Adriana Gomez (R)
Welcome, and I look forward to working closely with you over the next year.
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
schedule oddities
Bear with me, this is complicated...
The FMR tries to maintain our schedule in accordance with the Dean's calendar for the medical students, as do most of the other GME programs at UTMB. We do this for many reasons, one of which is coordination. The more of us who are on the same schedule, the simpler it is to manage rotation orientations and that sort of thing. Periodically, the medical school alters the schedule by a week at the beginning of the academic year. This is one of those years.
Block 13 of AY2007-08 ends on June 22. Block 1 of AY2008-09 will not begin until June 30.
Graduating resident contracts end June 30. As has been our custom, R3s will be scheduled for their mandatory university checkout routine during that extra week. You may also use up any comp time you've accrued and/or take vacation days, once your checkout obligations are met.
Linda is in the process of investigating our options for the current R1s and R2s. If you are on the FM Hospital service, block 13 will be 5 weeks long for you, and you will remain on the hospital service. This may also be the case for certain other rotations - likely MICU, Newborn Nursery, ER, etc. We will let you know as soon as we know. For some, we will schedule you for R2/R3 Orientation activities during that week. Likely that will be no more than 3 days (hopefully just 2), so that may turn out to be a good time to take some comp or vacation days as well. Stay tuned for updates as more information becomes available. See Linda if you have individual questions.
The FMR tries to maintain our schedule in accordance with the Dean's calendar for the medical students, as do most of the other GME programs at UTMB. We do this for many reasons, one of which is coordination. The more of us who are on the same schedule, the simpler it is to manage rotation orientations and that sort of thing. Periodically, the medical school alters the schedule by a week at the beginning of the academic year. This is one of those years.
Block 13 of AY2007-08 ends on June 22. Block 1 of AY2008-09 will not begin until June 30.
Graduating resident contracts end June 30. As has been our custom, R3s will be scheduled for their mandatory university checkout routine during that extra week. You may also use up any comp time you've accrued and/or take vacation days, once your checkout obligations are met.
Linda is in the process of investigating our options for the current R1s and R2s. If you are on the FM Hospital service, block 13 will be 5 weeks long for you, and you will remain on the hospital service. This may also be the case for certain other rotations - likely MICU, Newborn Nursery, ER, etc. We will let you know as soon as we know. For some, we will schedule you for R2/R3 Orientation activities during that week. Likely that will be no more than 3 days (hopefully just 2), so that may turn out to be a good time to take some comp or vacation days as well. Stay tuned for updates as more information becomes available. See Linda if you have individual questions.
Attention R1s!
R1s who are interested in the Rural Training Track and/or Ball High Prenatal Clinic for next academic year need to submit:
Rural Training Track - updated/current CV, copy of your ITE scores, and letter or email outlining the reason(s) for your interest in the program. We will be scheduling interviews with the RTT faculty in the very near future. As a reminder, the RTT faculty choose the residents who will participate in the RTT. Current R2s will automatically be enrolled for PGY3 unless I hear differently from you... Jaime and Rene. Submit documents to the Program Director.
Ball High Prenatal Clinic - email or letter (to me) outlining the reason(s) for your interest in participating. Generally speaking, this opportunity is appropriate for residents who have a higher than average interest in including maternity care as part of their future practice.
Deadline is Friday, March 14 at 5pm.
Rural Training Track - updated/current CV, copy of your ITE scores, and letter or email outlining the reason(s) for your interest in the program. We will be scheduling interviews with the RTT faculty in the very near future. As a reminder, the RTT faculty choose the residents who will participate in the RTT. Current R2s will automatically be enrolled for PGY3 unless I hear differently from you... Jaime and Rene. Submit documents to the Program Director.
Ball High Prenatal Clinic - email or letter (to me) outlining the reason(s) for your interest in participating. Generally speaking, this opportunity is appropriate for residents who have a higher than average interest in including maternity care as part of their future practice.
Deadline is Friday, March 14 at 5pm.
Monday, March 03, 2008
A new addition to the family!
Congratulations to Dr. Liliana Andrade and family on their new addition:
Andres Eduardo was born on 02/26/08 at 12:46 pm. He weighted 6 lb and 2 Oz. and his length was 18 1/2 inches.
Andres Eduardo was born on 02/26/08 at 12:46 pm. He weighted 6 lb and 2 Oz. and his length was 18 1/2 inches.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Evaluations
R3 Evaluation Meeting was held today. R3s, please check the portfolio for a summary within the next few days.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Will There Be Enough Family Doctors?
Please watch this short video produced by TAFP. It features (among others) Dr. Falcon, who is one of our preceptors in Rio Grande City, Dr. Clare Hawkins who is the FMR PD in Baytown and Dr. Sam Adkins who is the FMR PD in Austin. Residency funding is addressed.
BTW, UTMB residents - on 2/12 the GMEC voted near unanimously (1 nay) to recommend a pay raise for next fiscal year. This recommendation goes to Finance. When further action is taken, I'll post an update.
BTW, UTMB residents - on 2/12 the GMEC voted near unanimously (1 nay) to recommend a pay raise for next fiscal year. This recommendation goes to Finance. When further action is taken, I'll post an update.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Some new DSHS requirements/resources
Umbilical Cord Blood Banking and Donation Brochure
During the 2007 regular legislative session, legislators passed HB 709 which requires that a physician or other person permitted by law to attend a pregnant woman during gestation or at delivery of an infant shall provide the woman with the brochure before the third trimester of the woman’s pregnancy or as soon as reasonably feasible.
More info is available on the DSHS website, including downloadable brochures.
Information for Parents of Newborn Children
This law, effective September 1, 2005, requires physicians, certified nurse midwives, direct entry midwives, hospitals and birthing centers that provide prenatal care to a pregnant woman during gestation or at delivery to provide the woman with information on immunization, newborn screening, postpartum depression and shaken baby syndrome.These brochures can now be either downloaded from the Parents of Newborn Children webpage in English or Spanish or ordered from The DSHS Warehouse . The stock numbers are: #1-316, English and #1-316a, Spanish.
During the 2007 regular legislative session, legislators passed HB 709 which requires that a physician or other person permitted by law to attend a pregnant woman during gestation or at delivery of an infant shall provide the woman with the brochure before the third trimester of the woman’s pregnancy or as soon as reasonably feasible.
More info is available on the DSHS website, including downloadable brochures.
Information for Parents of Newborn Children
This law, effective September 1, 2005, requires physicians, certified nurse midwives, direct entry midwives, hospitals and birthing centers that provide prenatal care to a pregnant woman during gestation or at delivery to provide the woman with information on immunization, newborn screening, postpartum depression and shaken baby syndrome.These brochures can now be either downloaded from the Parents of Newborn Children webpage in English or Spanish or ordered from The DSHS Warehouse . The stock numbers are: #1-316, English and #1-316a, Spanish.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Important Organization Links
American Academy of Family Physicians
American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians
American Board of Family Medicine
American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians
Texas Medical Association
Texas Osteopathic Medical Association
Texas Academy of Family Physicians
Society of Teachers of Family Medicine
Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
AOA on YouTube
AOA on MySpace
American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians
American Board of Family Medicine
American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians
Texas Medical Association
Texas Osteopathic Medical Association
Texas Academy of Family Physicians
Society of Teachers of Family Medicine
Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
AOA on YouTube
AOA on MySpace
Single dose of honey effective for cough in kids
I take care of a lot of kids. With the recent withdrawal of so many children's cough/cold meds, I was happy to see this "old fashioned" remedy determined useful. And it's cheap.
From InfoPOEMS...
Clinical Question:
Is honey effective for cough suppression in children?
Bottom Line:
A single dose of honey is effective at decreasing cough severity and sleep disruption in children with cough due to uncomplicated upper respiratory infections. Please remember that honey should never be given to infants because of the risk of botulism. (LOE = 2b)
Reference:
Paul IM, Beiler J, McMonagle A, Shaffer ML, Duda L, Berlin CM Jr. Effect of honey, dextromethorphan, and no treatment on nocturnal cough and sleep quality for coughing children and their parents. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2007;161(12):1140-1146.
Study Design:
Randomized controlled trial (double-blinded)
Funding:
Industry
Setting:
Outpatient (any)
Allocation:
Uncertain
Synopsis:
Children aged 2 years to 18 years with cough attributed to upper respiratory infections of less than 7 days' duration were randomly assigned to receive honey (n = 35), specially compounded honey-flavored/honey-scented dextromethorphan (n = 33), or no treatment (n = 37). The honey and dextromethorphan were administered 30 minutes before bedtime. The honey was dosed by age: children aged 2 years to 5 years received 8.5 mg (1/2 teaspoon), 6- to 11-year-olds received 17 mg (1 teaspoon), and 12- to 18-year-olds received 34 mg (2 teaspoons). Only children whose coughs were moderately disruptive were eligible to participate. The researchers used multiple exclusions to limit this to viral respiratory infections. The authors main justification for using a no treatment arm instead of a placebo group was that in a previous study they found dextromethorphan to be equivalent to placebo. Although the no treatment group obviously knew what they were getting, the other 2 groups were unaware of their treatment. The parents of the children provided ratings of cough severity, effect on sleep, and so forth at baseline and the next day. Only 81% of the children enrolled completed the study. Every treatment group improved by the second night, even those receiving no treatment. Children in the 2 treatment groups had slightly greater reductions in cough frequency than untreated children. Children receiving honey had slightly greater improvements in cough severity and in sleep disruption. Five parents reported hyperactivity, nervousness, and insomnia in children treated with honey compared with 2 parents of those treated with dextromethorphan, and 0 of those receiving no treatment.
From InfoPOEMS...
Clinical Question:
Is honey effective for cough suppression in children?
Bottom Line:
A single dose of honey is effective at decreasing cough severity and sleep disruption in children with cough due to uncomplicated upper respiratory infections. Please remember that honey should never be given to infants because of the risk of botulism. (LOE = 2b)
Reference:
Paul IM, Beiler J, McMonagle A, Shaffer ML, Duda L, Berlin CM Jr. Effect of honey, dextromethorphan, and no treatment on nocturnal cough and sleep quality for coughing children and their parents. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2007;161(12):1140-1146.
Study Design:
Randomized controlled trial (double-blinded)
Funding:
Industry
Setting:
Outpatient (any)
Allocation:
Uncertain
Synopsis:
Children aged 2 years to 18 years with cough attributed to upper respiratory infections of less than 7 days' duration were randomly assigned to receive honey (n = 35), specially compounded honey-flavored/honey-scented dextromethorphan (n = 33), or no treatment (n = 37). The honey and dextromethorphan were administered 30 minutes before bedtime. The honey was dosed by age: children aged 2 years to 5 years received 8.5 mg (1/2 teaspoon), 6- to 11-year-olds received 17 mg (1 teaspoon), and 12- to 18-year-olds received 34 mg (2 teaspoons). Only children whose coughs were moderately disruptive were eligible to participate. The researchers used multiple exclusions to limit this to viral respiratory infections. The authors main justification for using a no treatment arm instead of a placebo group was that in a previous study they found dextromethorphan to be equivalent to placebo. Although the no treatment group obviously knew what they were getting, the other 2 groups were unaware of their treatment. The parents of the children provided ratings of cough severity, effect on sleep, and so forth at baseline and the next day. Only 81% of the children enrolled completed the study. Every treatment group improved by the second night, even those receiving no treatment. Children in the 2 treatment groups had slightly greater reductions in cough frequency than untreated children. Children receiving honey had slightly greater improvements in cough severity and in sleep disruption. Five parents reported hyperactivity, nervousness, and insomnia in children treated with honey compared with 2 parents of those treated with dextromethorphan, and 0 of those receiving no treatment.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Launch of new AAFP brand
I hate it when things change for no good reason. You know... a certain common term has become offensive or there is some other "politically correct" reason for changing the name of something. The thing itself hasn't changed but the name must change...?
This IS NOT one of those times. I was already getting the above mentioned attitude in full gear when I heard AAFP was changing the logo. I was pretty happy with who we are and what we look like. But the truth is, the Future of Family Medicine project pretty clearly outlines that America doesn't understand who we are really, or what we do. I like the new logo and I'm on board. I like the message. Check it out at this link. And there is a good promo video too, you'll find the link on the promo page.
What do you think?
Monday, February 04, 2008
resident research grant awards
I would like to congratulate Drs. Jerome Alonso and Adriana Gomez for successfully obtaining American Academy of Family Physicians awards for their research projects!
Alonso - "A Retrospective Cohort Study Evaluating the Relationship between Uncontrolled Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Intensity of Hypoglycemic Therapy among Type 2 Diabetics." Dr Ripsin - Mentor
Gomez - "Relationship between depression and Glycemic control and its correlation with medication adherence in patients with Diabetes Mellitus Type 2: a cohort study in a primary care setting." Dr. Cass - Mentor
Alonso - "A Retrospective Cohort Study Evaluating the Relationship between Uncontrolled Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Intensity of Hypoglycemic Therapy among Type 2 Diabetics." Dr Ripsin - Mentor
Gomez - "Relationship between depression and Glycemic control and its correlation with medication adherence in patients with Diabetes Mellitus Type 2: a cohort study in a primary care setting." Dr. Cass - Mentor
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Dr. Youens on the cover!!
This month's Texas Co-op Power magazine has a very nice article on rural family medicine, highlighting Dr. Youens' practice in Weimar, TX. This is, of course, the site of our Rural Training Track! The RTT and some of the residents are mentioned in the article.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
2007 ITE Top Scores
I am pleased to announce the top ITE scores for our program on the 2007 ITE:
PGY1 - Lorena Salvatori
PGY2 - Tran Quan & Donna Simmons
PGY3 - Rainer Effenhauser
You will each be formally recognized at the 2008 UTMB FMR Graduation ceremony.
Overall, I am extremely pleased with the 2007 ITE scores. Several of the residents distinguished themselves with impressive increases in their scores over last year. Everyone has worked really hard in their academic studies this year and I think we are seeing that rewarded with good scores. Keep up the good work!
PGY1 - Lorena Salvatori
PGY2 - Tran Quan & Donna Simmons
PGY3 - Rainer Effenhauser
You will each be formally recognized at the 2008 UTMB FMR Graduation ceremony.
Overall, I am extremely pleased with the 2007 ITE scores. Several of the residents distinguished themselves with impressive increases in their scores over last year. Everyone has worked really hard in their academic studies this year and I think we are seeing that rewarded with good scores. Keep up the good work!
back, catching up!
I am home from spending a month in Russia, adopting my two newest daughters. We are all adjusting and I'm looking forward to being back to work in the very near future.
Lots has happened while I've been away.
Recruiting season is getting wrapped up. We have our final two interviews scheduled for tomorrow and we're looking forward to that. Our official Rank Meeting will be held next week, at which we will construct our final Rank list. We're also looking forward to that!
We have a very interesting situation developing with our graduating class of 2008... it looks like five of them will be going on to fellowship training, and that is definitely a record for us! The two who have gotten word recently and not been previously announced are: Javier Rios - Sports Medicine and Jose San Martin - Obstetrics. Congratulations!! Edited to add: I don't find where I previously announced David Schnaiderman's fellowship... so here goes - David will also be staying on here at UTMB for his Geriatrics fellowship!
Also, I recently learned that one of our Chiefs - Carlos Montiel - will join one of our former graduates - Alex Brzezny - in practice in Washington state after graduation. I'm happy for everyone concerned!
Lots has happened while I've been away.
Recruiting season is getting wrapped up. We have our final two interviews scheduled for tomorrow and we're looking forward to that. Our official Rank Meeting will be held next week, at which we will construct our final Rank list. We're also looking forward to that!
We have a very interesting situation developing with our graduating class of 2008... it looks like five of them will be going on to fellowship training, and that is definitely a record for us! The two who have gotten word recently and not been previously announced are: Javier Rios - Sports Medicine and Jose San Martin - Obstetrics. Congratulations!! Edited to add: I don't find where I previously announced David Schnaiderman's fellowship... so here goes - David will also be staying on here at UTMB for his Geriatrics fellowship!
Also, I recently learned that one of our Chiefs - Carlos Montiel - will join one of our former graduates - Alex Brzezny - in practice in Washington state after graduation. I'm happy for everyone concerned!
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