Dr. Kevin Sawchuk – Emergency Physician & project lead for RMH Journal Club

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Dr. Kevin Sawchuk – Emergency Physician & project lead for RMH Journal Club
December 04, 2020January 18, 2021

Dr. Kevin Sawchuk – Emergency Physician & project lead for RMH Journal Club

 
1. Please share your most interesting case with a patient?

I have so many being an Emergency Physician.  The one case that sticks in my mind was a cardiac arrest patient who was brought in by the paramedics in full cardiac arrest.  He was a post operative full knee replacement.  On a quick examination, we noticed he had a very swollen right calf.  It was suspected he had a Pulmonary Embolism, which was the cause of his cardiac arrest. We decided to give a Thrombolytic to try and break up the clot.  Much to our happiness and sometimes shock we got him back.  This was an uncommon case to see, it was neat to see our medication work and bring someone back to life.

2. What is the best advice you were given during your time in medical school that has had a lasting impact on your practice?

A direct quote from Sir. William Osler which states “The good Physician treats the disease, but the great Physician treats the patients who has the disease”.  This really stuck with me in medical school, its one thing to solve the medical problem but it is a whole other thing dealing with the patients emotional and psychosocial perception of the disease as well.  This is something that young Physicians can take to heart.

3. What are you currently working on that is helping to impact our local medical community and/or local patients?

Last year, I ran an Emergency Medicine Symposium which I was the creator of.  This is a platform to educate other Physicians and nurses in a field of Emergency Medicine. Which I thought was extremely helpful for new Physicians. Most recently, I started a journal club for our Physicians at Ridge Meadows Hospital.  This is simply to continue ongoing education, to also just ensure that everyone working at Ridge Meadows Hospital is up to date and we are practicing the most current guidelines.  In conjunction with that, I am also an examiner.  I teach residents and I will be examining National Board Licensing exams as well.

4. What is some advice or wisdom you would like to share with your medical staff peers, or any new physicians joining our community?

Advice I would give to upcoming Physicians that I did not realize when I was in school is to take very meticulous notes and documentation, particularly if it is a difficult case.  Spend the extra bit of time writing incredibly detailed and knowledgeable notes.  Another thing I find important is asking for help, learning from others and to not be afraid consults others.  You come of medical school and residency with a great body of knowledge, but you have not seen a lot of cases yourself.  Always ask for help when needed.  Lastly, which is the most important is you need to be aware that unfortunately, not all patients are going to have good outcomes.  We are going into medicine thinking that all patients are going to recover and heal.  This is an unreal expectation people put on Physicians and what we put on our self.  You need to learn coping mechanisms to deal with these scenarios because we are not really taught that in medical school.  You cannot let this negatively affect you, so I recommend talking to others, or journaling.