A premed asked what literature should one read to develop the mindset and tiger's eye of a resuscitationist. Knowing when to consult my betters, I threw the question to @precordialthump. And Nickson responded thusly:
My advice
These days less and less is learnt from books… however there are some books mentioned in what follows.
Learn about Osler – the ultimate role model for how to succeed as human being and where all good medicine begins:
- http://lifeinthefastlane.com/
2011/03/becoming-an- oslerphile/
Read “Blood of Strangers” by Frank Huyler – the best tales from the ER by a great writer
Check out these talks:
- http://freeemergencytalks.net/
2012/10/joe-lex-an-old-fogey- speaks-45-years-on-the-front- lines/ - http://freeemergencytalks.net/
2010/03/amal-mattu-finding- your-niche-in-em/ - http://freeemergencytalks.net/
2010/04/peter-rosen- beginnings-of-emergency- medicine/ - http://freeemergencytalks.net/
2010/04/amal-mattu-becoming- the-leader-that-others-follow/ - http://emupdates.com/2010/09/
15/screencast-how-to-think- like-an-emergency-physician/ - http://emtutorials.com/2012/
11/own-the-resuscitation-room- cliff-reid/
Read anything by croskerry on cognitive errors such as http://1.usa.gov/xPfmhA
Read LITFL :-):
- http://lifeinthefastlane.com/
2011/06/memoirs-of-an-er- doctor/ - http://lifeinthefastlane.com/
2012/03/new-girlfriend/ - http://lifeinthefastlane.com/
2009/06/choose-medicine/ - http://lifeinthefastlane.com/
2010/02/making-sense/ - http://lifeinthefastlane.com/
2010/03/wrestling-with-risk/ - http://lifeinthefastlane.com/
resources/aequanimitas/ - http://lifeinthefastlane.com/
2009/03/the-mark-of-the-beast/
Oh, and listen to EMCrit too!
Lots of martial arts, stoic and eastern philospohy, military works, and mountaineering/ survival books have obvious parallels to what we do (at least to some of us).
C
I would add that reading Sherlock Holmes would probably serve you well as well. This BMJ article summarizes why…
White coats and fingerprints: diagnostic reasoning in medicine and investigative methods of fictional detectives
- EMCrit 281 – Why Can't Emergency Medicine and Trauma Surgery Just Get Along? - September 4, 2020
- EMCrit 280 – Who Should Get Angiotensin II with Rinaldo Bellomo - August 19, 2020
- EMCrit Wee – Is it Tamponade with Jacob Avila - August 17, 2020
Great stuff, Scott! I listeaned to Peter Rosen’s talk and have to tell you that althought times have changed, people did not. He went through a lot of the same sh*t that is happening right now here in Brazil . Emergency Medicine has not yet been recognized as a specialty in my country and the other specialties tend to repel us at every chance they get. Why? Afraid to lose costumers, I guess… The situation in our EDs is caotic as I’m sure you can imagine given the dificulties that a wealthy country like the US still faces daily in… Read more »
Awesome list. I especially like adding Sherlock Holmes. I am half way through sir aurthers writings.
I would add Patrick O´Briens´ “Aubrey/Maturin” series.
“Seamanship” is a time-honored concept of the mindset and logistics necessary to master a crisis with limited ressources and on your own wits.
The books are also extremely well written.
I will have to check these out!
Thanks for the shout-out. As to the Aubrey/Maturin series, I loved it but never thought about it as a parallel to EM. Maybe I should read it again.
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