Before I had kids, the only people who truly needed me as a matter of life or death were my patients. Looking back, life was relatively easy. When I was working, all my energy was focused on the ED. When I was off work, I did whatever I wanted.

The long term benefits of breastfeeding your child – and of creating a family-friendly ED environment – outweigh the perceived problems.

Dear Boss,
One of our group members recently came back from maternity leave. We are all very happy for her and her family. The problem is that due to the fact that she is currently breastfeeding, she has to “go in the back to pump” 2-3 times per shift. While she is gone, the charts pile up, her residents have no direction, and throughput stops for her patients.

Dear Boss,
As a senior resident, I was hoping to make a final decision about my future job by the end of the year. The problem I’ve found is that all  the offers I’ve gotten look similar.  What intangibles do I need to consider to be sure I make the best choice?

Dear Boss,
I was recently asked to resign from a job I had been at for years. My director told me he had been giving me hints for months that I needed to find a new job but I guess I didn’t pick up on it. What did I miss?

Want to save the healthcare system time and money? Forget the follow-up and make the emergency department the last stop for a range of simple injuries. First up: broken toes.

Delivering a top quality patient experience is “a mountain without a top.”
Is it time for your EM group to take the first step up?

Being an ED chairman requires a skill set that you may never appreciate until you step into the role. Clinically, there are few surprises; it’s the little things that make being the boss a unique challenge, like dealing with a troubled provider, learning how leaders get treated differently, and feeling the responsible of running a 24/7 business.

Part II: Democratic groups must define their core values, clarify the owner’s obligations to the group, and put in place a system of accountability.

Dear Director,
I’m Facebook friends with a bunch of the nurses I work with and when this came up in a conversation with my chairman, he told me that I’m setting myself up for disaster and that I shouldn’t be social network “friends” with the people I work with. Is he right?