Author Archives: Brady Pregerson, MD & Rebekah Child, RN

Brady Pregerson, MD & Rebekah Child, RN

About Brady Pregerson, MD & Rebekah Child, RN

Brady Pregerson, MD, a returned Peace Corps volunteer and winner of the 1995 Wise Preventive Medicine Scholarship, completed his medical school at the University of California, San Diego, and his residency at Los Angeles County General Hospital. He has authored three medical pocket books for nurses and doctors, as well as the educational web sites erpocketbooks.com and gotsafety.org.

Dr. Pregerson currently works as an emergency physician in Southern California. He writes, "Although the ED environment may be quite different from working on the hospital floor or in an office setting, I am hopeful that you can take these tips and apply them to your own specific work situation." You can buy his books on lessons from the ER, including Don't Try This At Home: Lessons from the Emergency Department and Think Twice: More Lessons from the ER, at amazon.com.

Rebekah Child, RN, attended the University of Southern California for her bachelor's in nursing and decided to brave the academic waters and return for her master's in nursing education, graduating in 2003 from Mount St. Mary's. She has also taught nursing clinical and theory at numerous Southern California nursing schools and has been an emergency nurse since 2002.

She is currently one of the clinical educators for an emergency department in Southern California and a student (again!) in the doctoral program at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Why do some patients object to vaccinations?

Why do some patients object to vaccinations?

Why do some people just say NO? Are they having trouble separating fact from fiction?

How to avoid lawsuits with smart charting

How to avoid lawsuits with smart charting

Here’s how acting harmoniously with doctors can improve patient satisfaction—and protect you in court.

The one thing nurses should never assume about charting

The one thing nurses should never assume about charting

“I have irritated many a doctor by reminding them of stuff (as in turn, they have irritated me), but if I save a life—well then, mission accomplished.”

When should nurses give drug seekers the benefit of the doubt?

When should nurses give drug seekers the benefit of the doubt?

Yes, there are addicts out there. But helping people with their pain is a big part of your job. Here’s how to deal.

How do I deal with “the candyman conundrum” when treating pain?

How do I deal with “the candyman conundrum” when treating pain?

Believe your patients and you avoid the added task of being the narcotics police. Also, you can often discharge them more quickly. The downside: Some patients might be lying to get pain meds.

How do I figure out if a patient is trying to score drugs?

How do I figure out if a patient is trying to score drugs?

Making an honest assessment of a patient’s pain medication needs can be a guessing game, but reaching the wrong conclusion could hurt the patient – and your career.

Coming clean about handwashing

Coming clean about handwashing

Nurse Rebekah and Doctor Brady examine hygienic practices in their department, the ED—and also come clean about their own hand-washing habits.

Angry patient damage control

Angry patient damage control

In part two of a three-part Scrubs exclusive series on caring for unhappy patients, our favorite sassy nurse, Rebekah Child, RN, and our favorite ER doc, Dr. Brady Pregerson, offer some rational suggestions on what to do when the visit has gone sour.

How do I identify unhappy patients?

How do I identify unhappy patients?

This new exclusive series on how to care for unhappy patients features our favorite ER doc, Dr. Brady Pregerson, and our favorite sassy nurse, Rebekah Child, RN, donning the velvet gloves to show us how it’s done.

Avoiding the Farrah Fawcett debacle

Avoiding the Farrah Fawcett debacle

Dr. Brady Pregerson and Nurse Rebekah Child work together at an emergency department in Southern California. That’s right. Southern California. You can draw your own conclusions about the number of celebrities they see pass through their doors. When I ask, they keep their lips zipped. And for good reason.

Privacy DOs and one big DON’T

Privacy DOs and one big DON’T

This is the second part in a Scrubs exclusive series in which Dr. Brady Pregerson, our favorite ER doc, and Nurse Rebekah Child, our favorite sassy RN, discuss navigating the sticky issues of Patient Privacy practices.

What do doctors want? “Efficiency.”

What do doctors want? “Efficiency.”

A Scrubs Exclusive: We pit Dr. Brady Pregerson, our favorite ER Doc, against Nurse Rebekah Child, our favorite sassy RN. They answer the question: “What Do Doctors Want?”

What do doctors want? “To lead.”

What do doctors want? “To lead.”

A Scrubs Exclusive: We team Dr. Brady Pregerson, our favorite ER Doc, with Nurse Rebekah Child, our favorite sassy RN. They answer the question: “What Do Doctor’s Want?”

What do doctors want? “Backup.”

What do doctors want? “Backup.”

In our exclusive MD/RN series, Dr. Brady Pregerson and Nurse Rebekah Child go head to head on the classic conundrum that nurses face daily: “What Do Doctor’s Want?”