ABSTRACT
Virtual communities of practice (VCoPs) facilitate distance learning and mentorship by engaging members around shared knowledge and experiences related to a central interest. The American College of Emergency Physicians and Emergency Medicine Residents' Association's Global Emergency Medicine Student Leadership Program (GEM-SLP) provides a valuable model for building a VCoP for GEM and other niche areas of interest. This VCoP facilitates opportunities for experts and mentees affiliated with these national organizations to convene regularly despite barriers attributed to physical distance. The GEM-SLP VCoP is built around multiple forms of mentorship, monthly mentee-driven didactics, academic projects, and continued engagement of program graduates in VCoP leadership. GEM-SLP fosters relationships through (1) themed mentoring calls (career paths, work/life balance, etc); (2) functional mentorship through didactics and academic projects; and (3) near-peer mentoring, provided by mentors near the mentees' stage of education and experience. Monthly mentee-driven didactics focus on introducing essential GEM principles while (1) critically analyzing literature based on a journal article; (2) building a core knowledge base from a foundational textbook; (3) applying knowledge and research to a project proposal; and (4) gaining exposure to training and career opportunities via mentor career presentations. Group academic projects provide a true GEM apprenticeship as mentees and mentors work collaboratively. GEM-SLP mentees found the VCoP beneficial in building fundamental GEM skills and knowledge and forming relationships with mentors and like-minded peers. GEM-SLP provides a framework for developing mentorship programs and VCoPs in emergency medicine, especially when niche interests or geographic distance necessitate a virtual format.
ABSTRACT
Wolf's isotopic response (WIR) is an uncommon phenomenon that refers to the occurrence of a new skin condition at the location of a previously healed dermatosis. We describe an unusual manifestation of bacterial furunculosis which arose as an isotopic response following a herpes zoster episode. The initial skin disease in most cases is herpes zoster and the isotopic response is a granulomatous reaction. A 65-year-old female with a history of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and currently on chemotherapy regimen presented with a pustular skin rash on the posterior scalp extending to the posterior right neck and shoulder. Prior to this presentation, the patient was treated for three weeks with valacyclovir for herpes zoster infection which improved her skin condition. During the current hospitalization, the patient's wound cultures from the pustule revealed the growth of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Although the patient was on immunosuppressive therapy, her white blood cell (WBC) count increased to 9.9 x 103/µL. After receiving vancomycin and valacyclovir, her cutaneous condition eventually improved. She was transitioned to oral clindamycin and discharged to a rehabilitation facility. This case describes an immunocompromised patient who was treated for herpes zoster, improved after treatment, and then developed MRSA furunculosis at the same site. It is of significance to report such manifestations, especially in immunocompromised patients, as it could be underdiagnosed. It is also important to inquire about the patients' herpes-related medical history because herpes is the most common initial dermatosis reported in the literature. In such cases of suspected WIR, it is vital to obtain a biopsy before starting treatment with antiviral medication to rule out the possibility of malignancy.
