Deconstructing the Ten Commandments of Urgent Care Medicine
Since the holiday season was just upon us, I will take the opportunity to borrow heavily from the 1956 Cecil B. DeMille movie, The Ten Commandments. The movie portrays the life of Moses, from an infant floating down the Nile through his return to Egypt to lead the Hebrews across the Red Sea. For the next few paragraphs, think of me as the Moses of Urgent CareWorld, as I attempt to lead you to the …
Read MoreSo Here’s What I’ve Learned…
John Shufeldt, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP I am always amazed by the myriad of personalities encountered on any given day in the urgent care center or emergency room, at the office, or even when simply out and about. Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to learn a few things from the thousands of patients I’ve treated and the remarkable individuals I’ve met along the way. How is it that some people with serious acute or …
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December 2009
Persistence
John Shufeldt, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP I just returned from Boston, where the American College of Emergency Physicians held its national conference. While there, along with learning (and relearning) some emergency medicine, I had the change to walk along the Freedom Trail and enhance my understanding of our battle for independence. What continually amazes me is how fortunate we were to actually succeed. Many times the only thing which turned the tide and saved the …
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November 2009
Duty to Report
A few years ago, in a semi-rural town in Arizona, a woman brought her 4-year-old son to a physician assistant named James, who staffed a walk-in clinic. James knew the boy and his family very well. He was essentially their PCP and had treated the little boy in the past. In fact, he watched his grow from a toddler to a rambunctious little bundle of energy. On this particularly visit, the little boy had a …
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October 2009
A Tale of Two Applicants
John Shufeldt, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP It was March, and third-year residents all over the country were sending out applications for employment. It was, as Charles Dickens penned, the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the applicant’s spring of hope, most had everything before them’ James and Ashley were no exception. James, from a prestigious East Coast family practice residency, learned during his first …
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