Category: consultation-liaison psychiatry

  • Dirty Dozen on C-L Psychiatry

    Dirty Dozen on C-L Psychiatry

    I’m back in the saddle again after a brief hiatus according to the terms of my phased retirement contract. During my time away, I thought about what a short introduction to Consultation-Liaison (C-L) Psychiatry might include to give medical students and other trainees a snapshot look at what CL psychiatrists encounter in their work in…

  • Back on My Soap Box about MOC

    Back on My Soap Box about MOC

    I’m back on my soap box about Maintenance of Certification (MOC) again. Sidney Weissman, M.D. remarked in a letter to the editor of Psychiatric News (April 19, 2019 issue, Vol. 54, No. 8) on the rising numbers of graduating medical students who match in psychiatry residency slots. Many will graduate from these programs into private…

  • Clinical Problems in Consultation Psychiatry

    Clinical Problems in Consultation Psychiatry

    Long day on the C-L Psychiatry service. I logged 2.8 miles and 33 floors on my step counter. I barely had time to eat lunch. This post is going to be short. We were treated to outstanding presentations on fascinating topics over the last couple of days and they were given by top-notch medical students.…

  • They Work Here Too

    They Work Here Too

    The cardinal nest is pretty much done—no eggs yet, though. At least we think it’s a cardinal nest. It looks typical according to experts; loosely woven of twigs, leaves, stucco, and ponderosa pine accents. They’re pretty fussy about us snooping around the backyard evergreen tree they chose to build a home in. Any day now,…

  • The Last White Coat I’ll Ever Wear

    The Last White Coat I’ll Ever Wear

    I’m a big fan of the Men in Black movies. I’m not going to tell you how many times I’ve watched them on TV (78 million and if that number reminds you of a scene from Men in Black, you’re just as much a fan as I am, if not worse). One of my favorite…

  • Long Day; Short Post

    Long Day; Short Post

    OK, it was a long day on the general hospital psychiatry consultation service. This post is going to be short. I put 3.4 miles and 29 floors on my step counter today and I’m feeling every one of them right now. It’s almost 10:30 at night and I’m trying to find a way to end…

  • A Little Too Exuberant

    A Little Too Exuberant

    I think a sense of humor is a wonderful thing. I was the class clown in my youth. I remember my English teacher, Miss Piggott, wrote in my report card that I was “A little too exuberant.” Actually, I was a great deal too exuberant. My sense of humor tends to fall into the broad…

  • Gauging My Readiness for Retirement

    Gauging My Readiness for Retirement

    I’m noticing something about my readiness for retirement. Certain activities are starting to be at least as interesting as my work as a consultation-liaison psychiatrist at the hospital—maybe even more so. For example, my wife and I are hoping that the cardinals will come back to our backyard evergreen tree. They were building a Hoorah’s…

  • Wes Ely Brings House Down

    Wes Ely Brings House Down

    I know I’d been saying that I probably wouldn’t have time to attend Wes Ely’s Grand Rounds presentation yesterday, “A New Frontier in Critical Care: Saving the Injured Brain.” But against all odds, I actually got to go, along with some medical students and a Family Medicine resident. As I expected, Dr. Ely brought the…

  • Wes Ely at University of Iowa Today

    Wes Ely at University of Iowa Today

    Wes Ely, MD will be giving the Internal Medicine Grand Rounds today at noon at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. The title of his presentation is “A New Frontier in Critical Care: Saving the Injured Brain.” I’m on duty today in the general hospital as a psychiatric consultant. I’m pretty sure I won’t be…