Evaluating Career Options for Emergency Medicine Residency Graduates
Posted by admin in Emergency Medicine on January 19, 2012
If you’re like most residents, the middle of your final year in emergency medicine has you feeling a bit nervous. Some of your colleagues may have already secured a position in a highly acclaimed hospital, while you’re still scrambling to create your resume. For many, this is the first ever job search and job interviews they are about to embark on, not counting residency interviews.
I’ve never met an emergency medicine trained physician, who was looking for a job in EM but was unable to find one. Now granted, some locations are tougher than others – simple matter of supply and demand. But whatever stage of the process you’re in, relax, there are plenty of jobs, and you will find one that fits.
This is your time to define exactly what you want. And the options are vast. First, determine the geographical location you want to live in. There is nothing that will make you unhappier than a poor choice in location. Money does not make up for that. Once you have that down, the choices become much more simple. Community vs. Academics is the choice for most.
In Community medicine, you will be practicing in a facility that lacks some of the bells and whistles that your department did. You may not have an ultrasound machine, consultations at the drop of a dime, or even 24 hour radiology for that matter. Read the rest of this entry »
Traditional Chinese Medicine – Alternative Medicine or Ancient Wisdom?
Posted by admin in Alternative Medicine on January 19, 2012
Traditional Chinese Medicine (also called TCM) is the term given to a wide variety of treatments from various locations across Asia. While considered an alternative therapy in Western countries, it’s a long-standing and widely accepted medical practice in many Asian countries. But what exactly is TCM?
The Simplest Definition
Traditional Chinese Medicine is all about balance. It’s also a holistic approach, treating the mind, body and spirit as intertwined. Any one part of a complete organism that gets out of balance – in both the physical and meta-physical sense – and illness will occur.
It gets it’s roots in the yinyang theory (which has been absorbed by Taoism). Yinyang theory is again all about balance. It states that all phenomena in the universe can be divided into two opposite yet complementary parts. Some familiar examples might be female/male, cold/hot, moon/sun, light/dark and so forth. In the strictest sense, neither is good or bad, but instead both are parts of the whole. Traditional Chinese Medicine is meant to maintain balance and maintain health in the process. Read the rest of this entry »