FreshMD - Welcome to Canada

FreshMD has posted information given to refugees to Canada. It is as moving as it is simply. For instance,

"In Canada, the law lets you practise your religion freely. You will not be asked or forced to change your religion. Freedom of religion is one of Canada’s basic freedoms. There are many Buddhist and Hindu temples, and Christian churches across Canada. In many cities, you can invite Hindu Pandits home for religious ceremonies. "

Well worth the read.

Check This Out

Happy left a wonderfully glib post to a lawyer who visited his site. You know this one is going to end in a comment battle and possibly a lawsuit. I hope Happy knowswhat he's doing. I can hardly wait to see what happens in the comments section.

New Blog - Life in the Fast Lane

I had a link from a new blog this week. Life in the Fast Lane is the writings of an ED physician from Australia. It is an eclectic mix of comedy, clinical cases and policy musings. 'SandnSurf' is a talented writer and has some skills with the technical side of blogging. My guess is this blog will become popular fast. Take a look at Life in the Fast Lane.

Dr. Val's Found a Home

Few medical bloggers have gained greater access or more popular acceptance among the mainstream media than Dr. Valerie Jones. Under the pseudonym 'Dr. Val' and as a member of the National Press Club Dr. Jones gained access to Washington insiders to provide insight into the politics and policies of US Health Care.

Medical Blogging can be a difficult and dangerous business. Most are either amateurs or earn just enough money from ad revenue to pay hosting fees. In general, medical bloggers write to provoke, analyze and share information without a stable of lawyers common to print media. To have someone of Val's stature and talents within the ranks is inspiring.

So it raised more than a few eyebrows last month when Dr. Val's old site was dismantled and Val left ignominiously, albeit temporarily, homeless.

Fortunately, the world of blogging is nothing if not fluid and Dr. Val has found a new home at GetBetterHealth.com. Jump over to take a look. The current set of posted interviews include Mike Huckebee, Grant Hill and Bob Schieffer.

Val writes as a professional author for the site and will have to endure the perils and pitfalls having investors entails. Add to that the natural peaks and valleys that befall the Internet elite and the risk seems even more magnified. Just as Bill Gates dragged computer programmers into the world of pay-for-performance during the 1980's one has to wonder if Val is leading the charge of the next generation of Health Columnists.

Dr. Val Guest Appearance

Thanks to Dr. Val for making a guest appearance at Wait Times. Val is a former Candian now living south of the border. When you make it to Waterloo (or Toronto) I'll have some back-bacon on a bun and a pint of Canadian waiting for you.


Update: Found Val over at http://other-things-amanzi.blogspot.com/ where she discusses medical errors swept under the rug. I once watch a Discovery channel show where they followed an ER doc around. At the end of the shift the camera man asked him; "did you save anyone today?". The ER doc thought for a second then said; "No, but I didn't kill anyone either." Truer words have never been spoken.

Where's Dr.Val?

I'll have a cartoon of Dr.Val's up later as a guest host but first let's have a little fun with her head :-)

Can you find Dr. Val in the picture?

From Wait Time & Delayed Care

Photo Courtesy of FreeFoto.com

Dr. Val Roams the Internet

There are two really well known medical bloggers. KevinMD, who is a clearinghouse of med-blogger information, and DrVal who is arguably the most connected med-blogger on the Internet. She has done interviews with everyone from the Surgeon General to NBA All-Stars. I'd recommend you read some of the interviews before the site is sold.

Now homeless, Val is roaming the Internet posting blogs in the electronic equivalent of Where's Waldo. Check out her posts at Grunt Doc, Ramona Bates, Dr. Rob, InsureBlog, KevinMD, Emergiblog, and Happy Hospitalist and ScanMan.

Blog Watch

There are not a lot of dental blogs out there and almost none from India. So I was happy to see that George, an Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon from Salem, India has started a blog. He's taking on such eclectic topics as his profession, soul food (Indian style) and railway toilets!

Check it out at MaxFac

White Coat Rants on Clearing OD Patients

Check out White Coat Rants for an effective way of clearing (both figuratively and literally) patients that have OD'd from the ER to the floor. There is also a good video at the bottom.

Summer Time Fun

It's summer time so a break is deserved - check out the world longest back yard water slide (coming soon to an ER near you).

Blog Watch

Each summer my family gathers around the T.V. to watch the Tour de France. Half of the fun is the drama around blood doping and the scandals that rock individual teams.

Check out James Young at Pure Pedantry about EPO abuse and how they busted Riccardo Ricco. Smart guy and a good blog. BTW - I had to look up pedantry;

"an ostentatious and inappropriate display of learning "

Nicely named.

Blog Watch

I found a new blog that is pretty entertaining. She gives a hilarious recap of the "dying swan". Someone exaggerating their illness by flopping around on the waiting room floor to get in sooner. I felt guilty laughing given the recent death in a New York waiting room but the story is funny none the less. Check out Albinoblackbear at Asystole is the most stable rhythm.

Blog Watch

Need more insight into the workings of the NHS? DrGrumble has some intersting views on the "Choose & Book" policy of the NHS. It's a good blog about the huge disconnect between the providers and administrators in the NHS from a doctors point of view.

Blog Watch

via Dr. Wes check out nzou at http://www.nzou.com. Provacative so far. I'm looking forward to reading more.

How has Canada's doctor shortage affected you?

Please go read the post at Sigmund, Carl and Alfred about how TallulahRose took a year to get a diagnosis of cancer. The story is poignant. I live and work in the town she's speaking about and am on staff at the hospital where she was probably treated.

I would love to say that this story is unique but I've had friends go through similar ordeals. Months to get a breast biopsy (which was returned positive) and the same to get vocal cord ca diagnosed. Our cancer care wait times are decreasing but we still have a way to go from first symptom to treatment. The family doctors are in a no-win situation too. When 99% of the people that are worried they have cancer come back with nothing wrong it's hard to determine which patients to accept because 'they're the one'.

Blog Watch

Another new blog for me to read. Somewhere between puberty and an MD. Sara is a medical student in Isreal. Check out the post about screaming mothers in the ER.

Wasting Time

I’ve balanced the schedule, seen all my patients, finished my (EMR) charts and blogged. What does a geek do? Surf the net of course. Here’s a list of my 5 favourite ways to piss away a couple of minutes between patients.

Try and predict the weather (to the hour). Tracking weather is more of winter sport in Canada to figure out if you’re going to have the next day off. The NCEP is hands-down the most accurate model. During the summer, tracking hurricanes is a good substitute for snow storms*

Search for the best hotel in the world. My current find is the Wakaya Club (I figured if Keith Richards can fall out of a palm tree there it must be good).

Day dream about mountain biking in Moab

Figure out how to create cool HDR (High Dynamic Range) images like these (below is a snowy night in Waterloo)

Search the Proceedings of the Old Bailey. The punishments were gruesome and the trials are fascinating.

Always looking for more good sites so let me know your fav's.

*for weather buffs out there here are my other links:
12 hour surface forcast
North American Radar
Local Radar
Road Conditions
Road Closures in Ontario
School Closures