It’s Spring Break for the WhiteCoat children and Mrs. WhiteCoat and I are taking the kids on a surprise trip to a water park for the week. Might slip in a short post here or there, but don’t expect novellas for a little while.
While I’m gone, I would really like to hear what everyone does and does not like about this blog so far. Is there something I should be writing more about? Is everyone sick of hearing about EMTALA yet? More cases? More patient stories? More swearing? Should I re-institute contests? EP Monthly would be glad to kick in some prizes, right, Logan?
Let me know so that after I clear my head and have some fun with the family, I can get back to my keyboard addiction.
Thanks!
WC
MORE PATIENT STORIES!!!!!! facts are good, but they get boring when overloaded upon.
I love it just the way it is….
Well written
Interesting
Topical
Sense of humor
Keep up the good work! When you get back, that is.
As a fellow who sort of wishes he had pursued a medical career, I am a big fan of your posts involving actual cases. Keep up the good writing!
I personally enjoy the cases and patient stories, but I also like your take on healthcare policy and public health issues. I confess that I get half of my industry news from reading your blog. Therefore, I’d hate to see you drop that aspect entirely. That’s just my $0.02.
I love the patient stories. Not so bothered about your health care policy/politics as I am t’other side of the pond and it’s very different here, and because I am not a medic of any description, but I do still read them. Wouldn’t mind a “glossary” of common terms though…..I get a bit muddled trying to understand all the acronyms and such like.
Have a good Spring Break.
Bring back some contests! Or even just the radiology cases without prizes are always fun. I enjoy your mix of the topical healthcare news/EMTALA and patient stories. Keep up the good work!
Definitely more cases and patient stories!
Thanks for a great blog!
Well WC… here’s a novella for you.
You know I am always up for a good laugh and so very much appreciate your sense of humor which comes through in your posts and I imagine you are quite fun to work with.
I appreciate the compassionate posts that have caused a tear or two to fall every now and then. *Your treating the grouchy elderly man with respect (that no one else was giving him) and fixing his glasses comes to mind. :
Your contests are fun… although I often feel like I am playing trivial pursuit. I SUCK at trivial pursuit. But it’s the challenge that’s fun.
And I appreciate your medical/legal/other factual posts. I learn things. And if I zone out on one (only because tired or out of my league) I am back for the next one.
I have learned A LOT HERE. I’ve learned to be wary of men in scrubs wielding cameras if they look irritated.
I’ve learned about the controversy/concerns about excessive radiation from CT’s,IVPs, etc.. (unfortunately gained some fear), but more importantly gained some knowledge and so will hopefully be able to protect myself better in the future.
I never would have known if it weren’t for the ER (oops! I know..I stand corrected.),ED blogs. (Thank you to all the ED bloggers for that)
And I have learned other things as well… including gaining some insight into law as it applies to medicine.
I enjoy your heartfelt family stories and amusing ones. Your love for your wife, children and family shines brightly via your words.
I enjoy the random pictures every so often.
And I find it interesting when you dialog with your commentators. I think when the author gets in on the comments it brings a blog to life and becomes even more interesting. The comment threads can get quite interesting, heated and amusing..depending upon the topic. You draw in good commentators here.
Swearing? Don’t remember that. whatever though..your blog is terrific the way it is because there is something for everyone and you balance it nicely. But it is really for you… to communicate what is important to you.
I just wish you and other blogging docs would get together to storm Washington so YOUR voices could be heard regarding our health care system.
Instead… I feel like the doctors being consulted for our FREE UTOPIA health care system will be like the traitor doctors called upon as witnesses (not all docs) in a malpractice case. They will sell you and us out.
Anyway… you have a terrific blog!
Hope you all have a bast during your mind unwind.
Blast. The word was supposed to be blast. I hope you all have a blast during your mind unwind!
Now I have to go back to doing the taxes *sigh* and will catch up on your previous posts when finished.
I may not always comment… but you are one of my favorite blogs and I visit often to see what you’ve been up to.
Thanks for the great posts!
P.S. blogging IS addicting!
I do like the posts on the health care system and medical economics. The health care system REALLY needs to be fixed, and we need a broad, measured, national dialog on how that can best be done. But I read your blog for the cases and patient stories. I volunteered for several years in the emergency department (they actually called it the Surgical Emergency Clinic) of a large urban public hospital. I was about equally fascinated by the medicine and by the patients. I realized pretty quickly how circumscribed and incomplete was my middle-class, college-educated view of the world. When I read your patient stories, I’m reminded of how much I learned from that volunteer experience — and I’m reminded without actually having to stand in blood and vomit, smell gangrene or try to pin a writhing patient who won’t remember any of this tomorrow.
Have a great trip and come back fresh and rested.
Just keep it up – don’t pull any punches, and dish up whatever topic/story/joke you feel is appropriate for the moment. I like the interactive nature of your replies (and others’) to comments posted. I also like when you post something I’m interested in/local to and you provide a different perspective or contrary view. Have a fun and safe Spring Break – don’t forget the sunscreen (unless it’s an indoor water park!)
Hope you are having a great time with your family! I agree with all the people above. You do a great job just the way it is. I can practically hear the way you must talk when I read about your patient stories. They’ve had me cracking up on numerous occasions. I’ve even shared a few of them with a friend of mine that’s a physician, for all I know he’s reading you too now – when he finds the time. Keep up the good work. Love your blog!
Do. not. change. Down here in my cave in front of my computer with the production & accuracy dogs barking at my heels (or hands, as the case may be), I only get to hear it all dolled up and vanilla for JCAHO. I like reading the reality. Keep on!
Your blog is one of the best medical blogs out there. You have a good mix, but it is a bit heavy on the EMTALA/JCAHO/reform stuff, in my opinion. I enjoy reading about it, but I have to admit, patient stories never get old.
Whatever Dino says, and I forget exactly… write well, mix it up and something else. But you do that already, so no..no suggestions from me.
MOAR PATIENT STORIEZ PLX!
MOAR FUNNEH STORIEZ PLX!
No, seriously, I like all your posts, since I’m not from the USA it somewhat give me an unique “experience” of what’s happening over there.
More swearing