The ketogenic diet is literally everywhere we look these days. Originally this diet was designed to treat epilepsy, but has recently become popular among the weight loss community. It’s on the cover of most of “those” magazines at the checkout stand, claiming to be the “magic pill” diet, if you will, saying that there will be weight just melting off by restricting carbohydrate intake, and increasing fat intake, while maintaining moderate protein. There is no doubt that this diet has worked wonders for people as far as weight loss, as there have been many anecdotal stories regarding it. But is this diet for everyone?
[Read more…] about Why Keto May Not Be for EveryoneMedical Tips
How to Manage a Knocked-Out Tooth
Have you ever had your tooth knocked out?
If you answered yes, you are not alone and probably know what to do. But if you have not, you will be someone’s hero in knowing how to manage a knocked out tooth.
[Read more…] about How to Manage a Knocked-Out ToothNight Shift Survival Guide
Healthcare workers know that their job never ends. Patients don’t stop coming to the hospital because it is a weekend, holiday or late at night. Therefore, we provide 24-hour coverage and support in order to take care of our patients – because that is what we do! We are super-humans who save lives! But at what cost? At some point in your career you have likely had to take on night shift and that means that you have to fight your own circadian rhythm in order to stay awake! How messed up is that?!? This is my personal survival guide (with help from my nurses) for surviving the vampire shifts! I will start this list of with more serious topics to take note of. Then, in true night shift fashion, we will take a 90 degree turn and jump off the deep end with some fun suggestions from those who have made a few life mistakes previously!
[Read more…] about Night Shift Survival GuideDecoding MIPS in Emergency Medicine – Radiology Edition
In our last edition, we discussed some ways of altering practice models or properly documenting patient care so that we stay within the current MIPS guidelines while continuing to provide the highest quality care. In this edition, we will discuss some of the MIPS guidelines as they pertain to Radiographic studies that are commonly ordered in ER/Urgent Care settings. As always, appropriate documentation as to why, or why not, a test was ordered is crucial not only for MIPS, but from a legal standpoint as well. So, let’s get into it!
[Read more…] about Decoding MIPS in Emergency Medicine – Radiology EditionGraduated, passed boards, got a job… now what?
“Don’t Hurt Anyone”
My first job as a nurse practitioner was ideal. I knew all the physicians. I knew all the nurses. I knew all the administrators. Yet, I was scared beyond belief. First and for most I did not want to hurt my patients. Second, I wanted the staff that I worked with to accept me as a competent nurse practitioner. I remember clearly two conversations from those first few days; “John, don’t hurt anyone” and two, “John, one of the most important things is know what you don’t know”.
[Read more…] about Graduated, passed boards, got a job… now what?
MEASLES: Coming soon to a practice setting near you (Are you ready?)
In case you have been in a news and media blackout recently, Measles is back. I have seen headlines such as “Measles cases rocket toward record level”, “555 Measles cases spread to 20 states,” and “Measles outbreak hits ‘completely avoidable’ 25-year high”…despite being declared eliminated in the United States in 2000. If you are still in current practice, odds are that none of us have seen measles in front of us or thought that we had pretty much eliminated it. Personally, I have only seen one case a few years back and it was in an un-immunized child of a migrant farm worker. To be honest, it could have been very easily overlooked as just another “viral illness” or “viral exanthem”. Sometimes, it pays to be lucky rather than good. The purpose of this blog is to help prepare you in case this walks into your practice setting…making you both lucky and good.
[Read more…] about MEASLES: Coming soon to a practice setting near you (Are you ready?)