Our Logo

This is our logo.  You may have noticed it from recent postings on Twitter and Facebook.  Thanks to Logan Featherston, a scribe at one of the departments I work in, he was able to help out and create a logo.  The logo was thought of in my head, but needed someone with actual artistic ability to be something that would look good, and Logan made it great.  

The logo is one of symbolism.  In the middle is a device known as an ultrasound probe.  Point Of Care UltraSound (POCUS) is a growing part of medicine, especially on the prehospital and emergency side.  Most are familiar with the stethoscope, but it is laid in a particular way.  It is meant to invoke the imagery of the Ouroboros.  For those of you not familiar, it is a serpent that is eating its own tail.  Part of the symbolism behind the Ouroboros is that there is a cyclical nature to medicine especially in the sense of constant recreation.  

Why invoke the Ouroboros?  It used to be that the stethoscope was the most advanced technology in medicine.  Although it is still beneficial, many tools have taken its place as being more advanced.  Many argue that ultrasound is replacing the stethoscope even in many of its applications.  Ultrasound can provide even more detailed exams of the heart and lungs than a stethoscope ever could.  Furthermore, even though they both use sounds, the ultrasound does it in a more advanced manner.  Yes, the stethoscope still very much has its place but it may not be too far in the future before ultrasound fully replaces the stethoscope.  

Just like the stethoscope, other parts of medicine are being replaced by new pieces of technology.  However, like the cycle of the Ouroboros, some things return like a Phoenix.  Although ketamine was once popular and for a time fell out of favor, it is now in the spotlight again with even more research backing its use over time.  

When you look at our logo, remember that TOTAL EM is devoted to updating emergency medicine via FOAMED.  We want to provide the tools necessary to advance both emergency professionals and their patients in the knowledge that exists.  Just like the Ouroboros, we will work hard to look introspectively and improve ourselves with time.