The Expedition Medicine National Conference 201

As one of the world's premiere Expedition Medicine and Wilderness Medicine education companies, we're committed to providing “best of service” CME educational opportunities for medical professionals. Our courses train participants to work in wilderness, extreme, and remote environments, or consult on patients who have returned from these locations.

Attending an ExpedMed event is a refreshing alternative to the typical CME course. Our ExpedMed CME curriculum is based on the textbook entitled Expedition and Wilderness Medicine edited by Drs. Gregory Bledsoe, Michael Manyak, and David Townes. Drawing from a wide range of wilderness medicine and expedition medicine topics — with a particular emphasis on wilderness, tropical, and travel medicine — an ExpedMed CME course will provide you with the information you need on a variety of important topics, all in a concise and practical format.

Go to: ExpedMed.org

ExpedMed 2012 Brochure Available Now

Our 2012 ExpedMed brochure is now available.

If you're interested in learning more about the exciting CME activities offered by ExpedMed in the coming months, clink Here to download a pdf version of the brochure.

ExpedMed is a leading Expedition Medicine and Wilderness Medicine CME company.  In addition to the annual ExpedMed washington, DC conference, ExpedMed leads CME adventure trips to some of the most unique and remote places on earth.  

Private Island CME Adventure with ExpedMed

Just wanted to check in with you guys and let you know about a new CME trip we've developed over at ExpedMed for February 28 - March 3, 2013 .

The trip is on Little Saint Simons Island, a private island that allows no more than 32 overnight guests, has seven miles of pristine beach, is overrun with birds, gators, dolphins, crabs, fish, deer, and other amazing wildlife, and has won numerous travel awards for its incredible food, history, service, and sustainable eco-friendly policies.

Little Saint Simons Island is an incredible place.  It's been in private hands for over 100 years and was converted from a hunting lodge into an eco-resort.  I toured it recently just to make sure it's what we would need for an event, and it was awesome.  

While on the island, I saw a bald eagle adult sitting on its nest with a chick peeking out over the nest edge, two adult gators (and two young gators), lots of birds, and wandered along a beach with no one but my friends as far as I could see in any direction.

The food was incredible and the cottages were really cool-- many were originals that had been updated with AC and electricity (but no tv, thankfully!).

Although we’ve reserved the entire island, I only have 11 rooms available. The cost per room is $1,950 which includes three nights on the island, all food, and all activities for two people.  

Activities include fishing (with all gear and bait), kayaking, guided tours of the island with naturalists, biking, exploring with motorized skiffs, beach wandering, bird and other wildlife watching, and hiking.

Rooms are double occupancy so if two people are in the room it's $325 per night each for three nights.

We are offering our 20 hour online course for CME plus 8 hours of live CME training.  CME fees are $799 (for a total of 28 hours of Category I CME).  

Please let me know ASAP if you are interested.  I’ve already sold three rooms and only have 8 more left.  

This is an incredible opportunity to visit one of my favorite places on earth.  By the way, kids are welcome and will love it-- when I toured the island I took my five year old and another dad with his 5 year old son.  Both of the kids went crazy-- it was an awesome experience for all.

If this sounds like your type of adventure, contact us at ExpedMed to reserve your place.

Tebowing Your Message: Applying the Principles of Tebowmania to Your Endeavors

Well, the Broncos' season is over, but not before Tim Tebowmania reached a fever pitch.  I knew it was nearing insanity when both my wife and mother-- neither of whom had ever watched an NFL game on their own before-- each independently told me they were planning on spending their Saturday night watching the game.  Needless to say, I was amazed.

It seems like everyone has an opinion on Tim Tebow.  Some people love him, others hate him.  The one thing that's agreed upon, however, is that everyone is talking about him.

What I find most remarkable is not that a young football player has taken the country by storm, but how he's done it and how clear has been his message.

Ask anyone-- and I mean anyone-- what they think about when they think of Tim Tebow and I bet you get a handful of answers, but they're all centered around Tebow's faith, his values, and his clean-cut image.

Now, you might think Tebow is an idiot, or you disagree with his message, or you think he's an overhyped player, but the key is that you're thinking about him and you know what he stands for.

Stop and think about that for a minute: When you think about Tim Tebow, you don't first think about football, you think about his message.

And I find that fascinating.

Whether you agree with Te

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Physicians + Money Management

If you've been in medicine for even a little while, you know there are a number of taboo subjects that just aren't discussed.

One of the most important discussions that medical students do not have while in training is the subject of money and overall financial management.

Last, at our most recent Medical Fusion Conference I was able to sit down with Dr. Setu Mazumdar, an Emergency Medicine physician turned financial manager.  Setu gives his perspective of "financial independence" in this interview.  Check it out...it's worth watching.  Hopefully, by learning a bit about finances while in training you'll avoid some of the common pitfalls of physicians and money.

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Emergency Medicine + Perception Problems

I was thinking this week about how Emergency Medicine physicians are perceived in busy Emergency Departments.

For those of you who aren't medical people or don't work in Emergency Medicine, a busy ER is a crazy place.  There is a constant push to make every action more efficient.  Patients are being taken to and discharged from rooms as quickly as possible so the ill in the waiting room can be evaluated.  Activities that aren't completely necessary are eliminated, simply because of the crush of needy people waiting for care.  

There is a mountain of medical literature discussing the issue of ER overcrowding, and a current focus on training physicians to eliminate any testing that isn't absolutely required.  Twenty years ago physicians working in ERs did full work ups on patients.  Today, the focus is on singling out that handful of tests that will give the physician a clear picture of the patient's pathology, so a decision can be made as soon as possible and the patient moved into the hospital or discharged home.  

Now, insert into this chaos two physicians, we'll call them Dr. Flippant and Dr. Effective (for the sake of comparing two styles and nothing more, let's make these physicians both male).

Dr. Flippant walks into a patient room having barely reviewed the chart.  He interacts with the patient in a superficial way, barely asking questions because he really isn't interested.  He does a cursory physical exam, orders no tests, and sends the patient home.  His total time in the patient's room is under three minutes, after the patient waited hours to see him. 

Now let's look at Dr. Effective.

Dr. Effective walks into a patient room having thoroughly reviewed the patient's data.  Because his ER is so busy, he begins his patient assessment the moment he enters the room, guaging the patient for unlabored breathing, ability to move in a symmetric and balanced way, and appropriate responses to questions.  He notes the color of the patient's eyes and skin, the smell of the room, and whether the patient is perspiring.  All these things are taken in within the first few moments of the physician-patient interaction.  Dr. Effective asks a few questions that are targeted, and purposely phrased to limit long responses but give maximum data for his decision making.  He does a focused physical exam, limiting the exam to the body part or parts that will quickly allow him to determine if this patient needs further testing.  Once complete, his very targeted-- yet appropriate and effective-- assessment has determined that the patient needs no further testing, and he sends the patient home.  His total time in the patient's room is under three minutes, after the patient waited hours to see him.

Now here's the problem with the perception of these two physicians...

In each case above, the time constraints limited these two physicians to less than three minutes with their patients.  However, one of these examples was a flippant, sloppy physician and the other was an effective and appropriate physician.  

The difficulty is that if you're the patient in the room, it's almost impossible to ascertain which example is treating you.  Both spent little time at your bedside.  Both asked few questions.  Both did limited exams, and neither ordered any tests.

Now, if you couple this with the confounding variable that Dr. Flippant is a charming, visually appealing person, and Dr. Effective has a more curt personality and frumpy look, the perception issue becomes even more difficult.

To the untrained eye, these physicians did the exact same thing with both their patients.  The difference between these physicians was the processing that was going on internally.

Even an excellent physician-- working efficiently and effectively taking care of a large number of patients-- in a busy ER  frequently gets feedback from patients and families that he "didn't spend time with me" or he "wasn't interested in my problem" or he "didn't even order any tests." It is difficult to explain to these idividuals that the physician was actually acting appropriately, when the patient is incensed that after their long wait time "that's all the doctor did."

What's worse, if you're the patient, you have really no way of determing which doctor took care of you.  How can you be assured that you saw Dr. Effective and not Dr. Flippant?  The unfortunate thing is that unless you have medical training or a medical family member interacting with the physician, it's almost impossible.

In my view, this is one of the most difficult issues in contemporary Emergency Medicine-- the very subjective and often skewed perception issue.  It's unfortunate, and it's a big problem for patients, and for the good physicans out there trying to take care of them.

The Medical Fusion Conference

Discover all of the options available to you as a physician.

The Medical Fusion Conference is a unique event that allows clinical physicians the opportunity to learn about unique niches where they can apply their clinical knowledge.  Learn more about the Medical Fusion Conference in the following video:

Medical Fusion isn't just another conference where you're sitting around and listening to an endless parade of speakers that lecture from behind a podium. Instead, you'll have every opportunity to talk to any speaker you're interested in learning more from. Our Accelerator Sessions are a perfect chance to make connections and deep-dive into the areas that are of interest to you.

You can view more videos on our Freelance MD YouTube Channel

More about our Accelerator Sessions

What are physicians saying about attending Medical Fusion?

“[The Medical Fusion Conference] was fun, professionally run, and highly stimulating.”

Dr. Mark Kroll, former Chief Technology Officer of St. Jude Medical

“My son thought being a doctor might get boring. I brought him to the Medical Fusion Conference and he saw whole worlds of medicine that he never dreamed existed. Now he can’t wait to go to medical school.”

Kenneth Kamler, MD, VP of The Explorers Club and author of Surviving the Extremes

“The Medical Fusion event is a unique forum to learn from and network with like-minded medical entrepreneurs. Our organization connected with other attendees from the 2010 event and we are well along the path collaborating on joint initiatives.”

Jeffrey Segal, MD, JD, Founder & CEO of Medical Justice Services

“The Medical Fusion Conference is a great way to meet other physicians considering non-clinical transitions or learn more about how to supplement your income. If you’re stuck in a rut, I’d recommend it.”

Arlen D. Meyers, MD, MBA, President and CMO of Medvoy.com, CEO, Society of Physician Entrepreneurs

"The Medical Fusion Conference is a unique event that brings together entrepreneurial physicians, business people, and investors to explore the intersection between business opportunity and clinical medicine."

Bruce Robertson, PhD, Managing Director, H.I.G. BioVentures

“Medical Fusion is setting a standard for physicians seeking alternative non-clinical careers that go beyond medical directorships or pharma jobs. [The Medical Fusion Conference] will continue to provide excellent insights into career options for physicians who no longer want to be only clinicians.”

Dr. Philippa Kennealy, Founder/CEO, The Entrepreneurial MD

“If you are interested in meeting like minded physicians, who are empowering themselves, and doing some AMAZING things in their practice and outside of medicine, you’ve got to attend [the Medical Fusion Conference].  The first conference was not only great for networking, it also inspired me to meet other doctors who “get it.”

Dr. Mike Woo-Ming, internet entrepreneur and founder of IncomeMD.com