I refuse to...

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

Angry Birds

Angry Troll
10+ Year Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2011
Messages
1,845
Reaction score
2,515
... memorize Winter's formula. (Or ever use it.)

What do you refuse to memorize or learn?

(I'm currently studying for boards.)

Members don't see this ad.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
... memorize Winter's formula. (Or ever use it.)

What do you refuse to memorize or learn?

(I'm currently studying for boards.)

As an EM resident, I was with you, but now as a CC fellow, I can say that you will miss things without using it.

For me, it’s RTAs...can’t learn them, won’t learn them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
Members don't see this ad :)
The intricacies of EMTALA. For the boards, and in real life, I just do what I feel is most reasonable & best for the patient.

Also, the clotting cascade.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
... do pelvic exams. ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
... remove an ingrown toenail.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
... memorize anything that MDCalc can memorize for me!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5 users
This is more medicine but the various glomerulonephritises. Couldn't keep them straight in med school, no luck thus far in residency, and to top it off it's not clinically relevant to have that crap memorized as a non-nephrologist. I've just resigned myself to the fact that I'm not going to waste room in my now limited memory over it, and I'll gladly take the 20% chance I have of guessing correctly.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Not my job either. Total waste of time with no benefit. Here's the podiatrists phone number. Have a nice day

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

I'm not saying you're wrong, but its a 3 minute procedure. Digital block, cut off part of toenail, done. It's super easy, takes no time at all and leads to a much happier patient. Plus, I kind of find it gratifying.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I'm not saying you're wrong, but its a 3 minute procedure. Digital block, cut off part of toenail, done. It's super easy, takes no time at all and leads to a much happier patient. Plus, I kind of find it gratifying.

I agree with you, but also the above. If the department is blowing up and I'm busy I turf to podiatry all day.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Gotta say that I have grown to bristle when people say "that's not my job". Guess what, modern EM is essentially a patchwork of a whole bunch of things that aren't my job. Now, "I'm no good at that" (adjusting Psych or BP meds) or "This isn't good for the patient" (screening tests in Psych admits) or "I need a longitudinal relationship in order to do this" (disability paperwork) are fine reasons to refuse, in my opinion. But if EP's stopped doing everything that's "not my job" then most of us would be out of a job pretty soon.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Gotta say that I have grown to bristle when people say "that's not my job". Guess what, modern EM is essentially a patchwork of a whole bunch of things that aren't my job. Now, "I'm no good at that" (adjusting Psych or BP meds) or "This isn't good for the patient" (screening tests in Psych admits) or "I need a longitudinal relationship in order to do this" (disability paperwork) are fine reasons to refuse, in my opinion. But if EP's stopped doing everything that's "not my job" then most of us would be out of a job pretty soon.

Call GI to remove the stick and read the name of this thread... :) In all seriousness, it's just a silly venting thread.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I'm not saying you're wrong, but its a 3 minute procedure. Digital block, cut off part of toenail, done. It's super easy, takes no time at all and leads to a much happier patient. Plus, I kind of find it gratifying.

No way is it three minutes from start to finish. A digital block is itself at MINIMUM five minutes.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Really!?!?
I don’t either. I incise paronychias, and non-infected ingrowns I treat with epsom salt baths. I don’t bother with wedge incisions because I feel it’s likely to just get ingrown again and I’d rather just let a podiatrist remove the lateral nail and treat the nail matrix to prevent regrowth if it’s really bad enough that warm epsom salt baths won’t treat it. You’re not wrong to do them. I just have sufficient reasons that I don’t that my patients understand.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
I don’t either. I incise paronychias, and non-infected ingrowns I treat with epsom salt baths. I don’t bother with wedge incisions because I feel it’s likely to just get ingrown again and I’d rather just let a podiatrist remove the lateral nail and treat the nail matrix to prevent regrowth if it’s really bad enough that warm epsom salt baths won’t treat it. You’re not wrong to do them. I just have sufficient reasons that I don’t that my patients understand.


Agreed. After having my own (admittedly mild) cases of ingrown toenails, usually draining any paroncyhia followed by excising any dead skin around the nail to free the nail edge is enough to resolve it.
 
Call GI to remove the stick and read the name of this thread... :) In all seriousness, it's just a silly venting thread.
I like my stick, thanks. We've all got one or two. And there are plenty of things that I decline to do in the ED. My point is that going around saying "that's not my job" leads me to be disgruntled at work, so I have chosen not to adopt that attitude. I s'pose my post came across as preachy/proscriptive for others. I probably could've written it better to convey that I act this way because I've found that it makes me happier, not because I'm better than others - I'm not.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
... remove an ingrown toenail.

I did my first and last toenail removal a few weeks ago. Just turned into a bloody cluster, and afterward I said "never again."
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
I did my first and last toenail removal a few weeks ago. Just turned into a bloody cluster, and afterward I said "never again."

So, you just advise epsom salt baths and podiatrist follow up?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I refuse to drain dental abscesses. I've had a few attendings make me do some. They never end up anything but a bloody ****show with the patient in more pain than when we started, and the same end result of "here's antibiotics, you need to see a dentist"
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I refuse to drain dental abscesses. I've had a few attendings make me do some. They never end up anything but a bloody ****show with the patient in more pain than when we started, and the same end result of "here's antibiotics, you need to see a dentist"

Had a 2 year old with one of those the other day......I definitely wasn't going there.
 
Had a 2 year old with one of those the other day......I definitely wasn't going there.
Oh yeah, a 2 year old needing an intraoral procedure...can we get an OR please?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
I refuse to drain dental abscesses. I've had a few attendings make me do some. They never end up anything but a bloody ****show with the patient in more pain than when we started, and the same end result of "here's antibiotics, you need to see a dentist"
Yeah I really don't do dental abscesses unless it looks super turbo easy (like there is already a draining sinus, then I just make it a little bigger with a #11). Agree with your final comment, it doesn't change the dispo or plan.
 
I do most, except the toenail. Come on. Drain it and send it to podiatry. What a waste. It didn’t happen overnight.
 
dental blocks.
1-800-DENTIST®
The #1 Way to Find a Dentist Near You. Search by Zip or Call Today!
We're Here to Help 24/7 · 8 Million+ Happy Patients · Personalized Service
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Top