Insights on Residency Training

March 22nd, 2011

Practice-Changing Articles III

Greg Bratton, MD

Recent advances and discussions in medicine are the cornerstone of Journal Watch. Here’s the third installment of the articles that made the biggest impression on me in the past 2 weeks. I hope you enjoy the articles I selected. Please feel free to leave a comment on the articles — Do you like them? Dislike them? Agree, disagree, state your […]

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March 15th, 2011

Match Day

Greg Bratton, MD

I was talking to the third-year medical student who was rotating on my Medicine service the other day about what type of medicine he thought he might end up practicing and, astutely, he said, “Family/Internal Medicine.” I raised my eyebrows. Shortly thereafter, he conceded with a chuckle that he wasn’t sure. “I hope I figure it out […]

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February 9th, 2011

Snow Days in Texas

Greg Bratton, MD

Believe it or not, it snowed in Texas this week. Mixed between our normal seasonal 60-degree days, were 5 days of ice, snow, and wintery chaos. To most outside of the Lone Star State, snow days aren’t that big a deal. You put on a heavier coat, grab the snow shovel, strap the chains on […]

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January 31st, 2011

The Real Breathless CPR

Greg Bratton, MD

Residency is hard. The hours are long, the work is grueling, and, simply put, hospital food is not good. Many days, we, as residents, walk the wards in a lifeless haze – coasting on the wings of our white coats, our fuel tanks pointing way past empty. During these times, we find ourselves sitting in wheelchairs that are stored […]

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January 13th, 2011

Help Me Help You

Greg Bratton, MD

Although this clip is from a movie about a sports agent trying to negotiate a new contract for an entitled egotistical football player, every time I see it, it reminds me of work. Put a white coat on Tom Cruise, and transplant them from a shower room to an exam room, and it becomes a […]

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December 20th, 2010

Residents’ Christmas Carol Sing-Along

Greg Bratton, MD

The 12 Days of Christmas (Come on! Sing along!) On the first day of Christmas, the ER sent to me… A cardiac arrest without a DNR. On the second day of Christmas, the ER sent to me… Two gunshot wounds, And a cardiac arrest without a DNR. On the third day of Christmas, the ER […]

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December 6th, 2010

Smoke and Mirrors

Greg Bratton, MD

I saw two patients last week that really made me scratch my head. The first was a 15-year-old girl who was smoking a pack of cigarettes daily and had been for 3 years; the other was a 26-year-old man who smoked 1.5 packs daily for 10 years and had recurrent oral ulcers and bleeding gums. […]

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November 22nd, 2010

Thanks (for) Giving

Greg Bratton, MD

This is my favorite time of year. Not because the leaves are falling and Texas is finally cooling off, but because the upcoming holidays give me time to reflect on the year’s events and appreciate what I have been given. For some, this might bring to mind a big promotion, a new addition to the […]

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October 26th, 2010

Getting Started — Introductions

Greg Bratton, MD

As a new contributor to Journal Watch, I wanted to introduce myself prior to imparting my thoughts upon the masses. In short, I am in my third, and final, year of Family Medicine residency at John Peter Smith Hospital (JPS) in Fort Worth, Texas, and I am planning on pursuing a fellowship in Sports Medicine when this year […]

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