In the final minutes of 2016 here is a partial list of a few of my favorite things from the year gone by.
Favorite Cause: Organ Donation
My good friend John received a new heart this week. I am grateful for his lifetime of friendship and doubly grateful for the donor’s family for giving my friend the gift of life. Please sign up to be an organ donor.
Favorite EMS Podcast
The newish EMS podcast, MedicMindset, is fantastic. The seventh episode on a successful surgical airway is my favorite.
Favorite EMS Book
“A Thousand Naked Strangers: A Paramedic’s Wild Ride to the Edge and Back” by Kevin Hazzard. Read an excerpt “The first time I saw a patient exhale her last breath.”
Favorite Fiction Book
“The Eagle Tree” by Ned Hayes was an Amazon Kindle First book early in the year. It is a fantastic look at the world through they eyes of an autistic teenager.
Favorite Non-Fiction Book
A core value of my son’s school is ‘Grit.’ The value is inspired by the TED Talk and book by Angela Duckworth. Read “Grit: the Power of Passion and Perseverance.”
Favorite EMS Comic
The best humor is often closest to the truth. Take a look at the “Professional Growth Scale” by Lenwood Brown III.
Favorite EMS CE article
Read this article on Pediatric IO tips by Jon Lee. Pediatric IOs: 5 things I didn’t learn in paramedic school.
Favorite Thing I wrote
The morning after the U.S. Presidential election I wrote, “What a President Trump means for EMS.” This is the most-viewed article I have written for EMS1.
Favorite Article I edited
As EMS1 editor-in-chief I edited dozens of articles this year. This anonymous submission for a special project on bullying and harassment was my favorite because of the power of the message. As writers and editors I believe we have an obligation to shine light into dark places. Please read “First person: Sexually assaulted, harassed as an EMS explorer.”
Favorite Writing on Opioid Epidemic
Post after post Peter Canning is doing the best writing on the impact of the opioid overdose epidemic by sharing the stories of death, heartbreak, relapse and resuscitation from the streets of Hartford. Add the MedicScribe blog to your feed reader.
Favorite Photo
My son and I have a shared passion to change the meaning of store and attraction signs by covering letters.
Favorite Friend I said Goodbye to in 2016
For generation Xer’s like me 2016 was a year of saying goodbye to the celebrities of our youth. I also recently said goodbye to my friend and mentor Mykl Hensely. I last saw Myk, “the Big Fish,” at his home in July.
I am looking forward to 2017!
