I suspect that’s true of all disciplines. This used to be a problem when other physicians would staff emergency departments. The older you get, the harder your body finds it to adjust to this changing schedule. I don’t know. EM makes you a “jack of all trades, master of none.” Well, I wouldn’t say master of none. Working night shifts? J Emerg Med. Not knowing what may come through the door next but knowing that regardless of what it is I am going to be able to deal with it is exciting. Burnout. • Emergency Medicine: Working in the emergency room is not for the faint-hearted. You’re a master of emergencies. Not having a longitudinal relationship with patients is a sacrifice of practicing emergency medicine so if you thrive on long term follow up with patients EM is probably not right for you. As an emergency physician you must be prepared to deal with any person with any given complaint that walks in the door so if you variety there are few if any specialties that rival emergency medicine in this respect. Emergency medicine (previously known as “casualty” and then “accident and emergency (A&E)”) became a recognised specialty only in 1972. RP: the day to day practice, I still find exciting and I can’t imagine when that won’t be the case. Whether it is the critical unresponsive patient or the man that got a crack rock stuck in his ear (yes, it happened) emergency medicine training prepares you for the skills & innovation to deal with both. Yes, there’s lots of sick patients, but there are way more people who have no access to health care and come in with run-of-the-mill primary care issues. He gives his personal insight into a career in Emergency Medicine and is clearly passionate about the work. I work to see the people already placed in a room, but that can often be interrupted by an emergency such as a trauma, heart attack or stroke. The biggest difficulty is cycling between days and nights. If you want to have relationship with your patient that spans years, you won’t get that in EM. In this article, we elaborate on the most important incentives, including the diversity in patients' presentations, having a defined and flexible schedule, the plasticity in choosing and changing a practice location, and the acuity of care and trauma experience. I always found this to be a very difficult question. Download transcript Associate Specialist in Emergency Medicine, Dr Meng Aw Yong talks about his working life as part of the team at Hillingdon Hospital Accident and Emergency Department. Usually I can get one of those days off, but not all. PC:  Most of us get into emergency medicine because we enjoy taking care of the unstable, ‘sick’ patients. These physicians thrive in high-pressure situations and can handle patients who are panicked, disoriented, or in severe pain. RP: for me, one challenge is that I have to work a lot of weekends that most people have off. That allows me to get patient work-ups started right away. The pay varies by region and whether one practices in private practice or academics. We may not handle long standing hypertension over years, but we can manage a hypertensive emergency. Ultimately, I’d rather take care of sick patients. PC: Emergency medicine sometimes offers continuity only with the patients with whom you would never want continuity. The high acuity and different approach needed created dissatisfaction among these doctors who weren’t trained to handle this. By continuing you agree to the use of cookies. Many emergency physicians enjoy being able to mix procedures with their clinical practice although one must be aware that the mundane procedures (e.g. However, it can be socially isolating. So… Again, however, you must be competent in both as you never know which you may have to do next. Iserson’s Getting into a Residency: A Guide for Medical Students, Sixth Edition – it includes a good review and comparison of all specialties as well as advice on applications, interviews.. etc. Call - 0300 123 1233 Email - [email protected] Webchat - talk to an adviser Weekdays 8am - 8pm. Is Emergency Medicine the Right Choice for Me? I can’t imagine practicing any other specialty at this point but I know in 20 years that may not be the case. Published by Elsevier Inc. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2018.11.001. Not having a longitudinal relationship with patients is a sacrifice of practicing emergency medicine so if you thrive on long term follow up with patients EM is probably not right for you. And by this point… it’s too late! Those patients will often keep us coming back for more but you must be aware that most days you are more likely to feel like a primary care doctor for those with poor access to primary care physicians. RP: There are plenty of procedures to be done. © 2018 The Authors. Burnout. Also miss whatever is going on during the weekends. ScienceDirect ® is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V. ScienceDirect ® is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V. Is Emergency Medicine the Right Choice for Me? Sunday 9am - 5pm. RP: While I miss that continuity, the many benefits of EM far overshadow that. laceration repairs, incision and drainage of abscesses) far outnumber the adventurous procedures (e.g. Before then, emergency departments were led by orthopaedics and dealt primarily with injuries. When your friends ask you out to a concert on Friday night, you reply “I have to work. Burnout is less of an issue. Fax: (312)-942-4021. When compared on a per hour basis with other specialties the pay for emergency medicine generally falls in the middle-upper echelon of salaries, though this should not be a reason for picking EM. Rush University Medical Center Saturday 9am - 5pm. Emergency medicine is also a very rapidly growing specialty in pharmacy as shown in the 2014 AJHP Pharmacy Practice Survey where 16.4% of hospitals responded to have pharmacists staffed in the Emergency Department (ED) up from 6.8% in 2008.