Pretty amazing. Neatly says everything I'm thinking about IDES (Integrated Disability Evaluation System) and the dirtbags & barracks house lawyers who take advantage of it.
Rep. Tammy Duckworth destroys a scumbag
12 September 2013
30 August 2013
Installing Lexicomp on your smartphone and other techno goodies
Like lots of other things in the Army - confusing as hell. Made much more difficult by the fact that you're not "hardlined" into MEDCOM's computers when you're with a line unit. I realize now that being on the hospital side is like being in a cozy cocoon fortress; sitting by a crackling log fire in a stone cabin on a snowy Midwestern night, protecte by many many layers of cyber-security.
Conversely, trying to access those MEDCOM systems from the FORSCOM side is like trying to break into the Louvre. And this is when you have proper authorization. It's bleeding impossible.
Enough of that - on to the tech. Digital medical resources include medical librarian at your local MTF (military treatment facility), AMEDD Virtual Library and, of course, this blog.
*Note: the Lexicomp website does have separate instructions for specific mobile platforms. And the layout of the website may have changed since this entry was made. If so, keep poking around.*
If NEW ACCOUNT:
-log on to AKO using your CAC
-log on to AMEDD Virtual Library (https://www.us.army.mil/suite/page/303426)
-find "Lexicomp" link under Databases on left-hand side
-click "My Account" in upper right hand corner, then "Create account" link
-click "Create account" button under "Institutional Users" heading. Use Army address.
-PRODUCT CODE is the magic key supplied by your residency program or Med Library
If EXISTING ACCOUNT:
-if you don't have Lexicomp on your phone, go to the App Store; reinstall/update it
-go to http://myaccount.lexi.com; click on "Add Product to Account"
-fill in email, password, PRODUCT CODE; should yield "Successful Activation" message
-open Lexicomp on phone, select desired programs and hit "Update"
*Note #2: when you do update, make sure you're connected to Wi-Fi and plugged in. You'll be chewing thru data and battery life pretty quickly.*
04 August 2013
Inaugural Post (for 62A)
Vision for the blog:
-mostly for myself as a repository for work-related (medicine, Army)thoughts
-way to look back when I forget how to do something or navigate Army systems
-way to help newbies from floundering; how-to guide, though somewhat scattered
This blog idea was inspired by my frustration with the steep learning curve associated with being a new brigade surgeon. I attended a "brigade surgeon course" at Ft. Sam prior to arriving at my new unit. I use quotes because it was hopeless - they really need to re-prioritize the 2 week curriculum or increase the course length.
More recently, I navigated the confusing process of obtaining something called command sponsorship for my wife. This led me to a website called "Married to the Army" which has a similar mission: act as a digital log for explanations about Army life, from the perspective of a military spouse. My wife said something that struck a chord with me: "You'd think that someone would have written this down somewhere already."
With that said, here we go.
24 March 2013
Phoenix Rising?
Aloha all!
I should preface this post by saying I'm a little toasty at the moment. As in, drinking some cheap wine with a Lean Cuisine frozen dinner because I didn't feel like hydrating myself with water.
*grin*
I called this post "Phoenix Rising" not because I am in Phoenix, AZ, but because it's my first post in over 2 years. You could say the blog has risen from its own ashes, as it were. Or maybe "Hibernating Bear Awakening" might be more appropriate.
*belly rumble*
So what's happened to me in the 2 1/2 years since I last visited this dusty corner of the Internet? More than the average bear. In October 2010, I was 2nd year emergency medicine resident, still getting used to my place in the food chain. There was a new crew of newbies in the house about to get their souls crushed in the gauntlet of medicine. Exciting new rotations awaited me at exotic locations like Portland's Legacy Emmanuel Medical Center and Seattle's Harborview Neurosurgical ICU. Things were on the level.
I entered the sunset of my residency with that weird mix of fear and eagerness that precedes a major life change. Sort of like a pound of lead in bottom of your belly. As a senior resident, you were expected to walk onto shift exuding confidence and never showing weakness. I was frequently the last to leave after the melee of our work day was over - though that might have been due to my under-developed time management skills. Then again, I never could pack up before poking my head into that trauma patient that showed up 10 minutes after my shift had ended.
My last year in Tacoma was highlighted by fear and eagerness for another reason: I met the love of my life. My first date with Kari was a 5 hour affair, most of it spent outside in front of the Parkway Tavern on I Street. It was a balmy August evening and by the time it had turned into a chilly August night, I found myself hoping this pretty lady would tolerate me a few more times.
A few times turned into a few dozen and before I knew it, I was suiting up for my residency graduation with orders in my hand to report to that most feared of assignments - Hawaii.
*wink*
After an all too brief crash course at Ft. Sam Houston with my mates, I found myself once again on a rough steep learning curve as I adjusted to my new role as the Brigade Surgeon for a Stryker infantry unit. To make things even more complicated, we were scheduled to be in Afghanistan one year from my arrival. Long distance relationships aren't supposed to be easy and I can vouch for that. Juggling a new job with that might have spelled failure, but we were sure of what we wanted and over holiday leave I proposed and she accepted!
So without revealing too many details of my personal life to the world at large, that brings us up to 2013 quite neatly. Add in liberal dashes of Top Gear and sunburns, and you'll have the whole picture.
Though this wknd has been nothing but non-stop rain. Go figure.
I should preface this post by saying I'm a little toasty at the moment. As in, drinking some cheap wine with a Lean Cuisine frozen dinner because I didn't feel like hydrating myself with water.
*grin*
I called this post "Phoenix Rising" not because I am in Phoenix, AZ, but because it's my first post in over 2 years. You could say the blog has risen from its own ashes, as it were. Or maybe "Hibernating Bear Awakening" might be more appropriate.
*belly rumble*
So what's happened to me in the 2 1/2 years since I last visited this dusty corner of the Internet? More than the average bear. In October 2010, I was 2nd year emergency medicine resident, still getting used to my place in the food chain. There was a new crew of newbies in the house about to get their souls crushed in the gauntlet of medicine. Exciting new rotations awaited me at exotic locations like Portland's Legacy Emmanuel Medical Center and Seattle's Harborview Neurosurgical ICU. Things were on the level.
I entered the sunset of my residency with that weird mix of fear and eagerness that precedes a major life change. Sort of like a pound of lead in bottom of your belly. As a senior resident, you were expected to walk onto shift exuding confidence and never showing weakness. I was frequently the last to leave after the melee of our work day was over - though that might have been due to my under-developed time management skills. Then again, I never could pack up before poking my head into that trauma patient that showed up 10 minutes after my shift had ended.
My last year in Tacoma was highlighted by fear and eagerness for another reason: I met the love of my life. My first date with Kari was a 5 hour affair, most of it spent outside in front of the Parkway Tavern on I Street. It was a balmy August evening and by the time it had turned into a chilly August night, I found myself hoping this pretty lady would tolerate me a few more times.
A few times turned into a few dozen and before I knew it, I was suiting up for my residency graduation with orders in my hand to report to that most feared of assignments - Hawaii.
*wink*
After an all too brief crash course at Ft. Sam Houston with my mates, I found myself once again on a rough steep learning curve as I adjusted to my new role as the Brigade Surgeon for a Stryker infantry unit. To make things even more complicated, we were scheduled to be in Afghanistan one year from my arrival. Long distance relationships aren't supposed to be easy and I can vouch for that. Juggling a new job with that might have spelled failure, but we were sure of what we wanted and over holiday leave I proposed and she accepted!
So without revealing too many details of my personal life to the world at large, that brings us up to 2013 quite neatly. Add in liberal dashes of Top Gear and sunburns, and you'll have the whole picture.
Though this wknd has been nothing but non-stop rain. Go figure.
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