One of the most important decisions a medical student can make is his or her specialty. In fact, many students begin thinking about this long before they even reach medical school. In recent years, emergency medicine has become a very popular choice. This can be attributed to many factors, one of which is most certainly the popularity of television shows such as ER.
As is the case with any medical specialty, there are pros and cons to being an emergency room doctor. Often these pros and cons are really just a matter of how a person likes to work. They are very subjective – what one person sees as a good thing, another will dislike immensely.
Emergency room doctors work very long hours in very busy settings. They are responsible for taking care of anyone who walks (or is wheeled) in to the emergency room. And if you practice in a busy ER for more than a few minutes, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the crazy situations people get themselves in to.
ER doctors may work very irregular hours. Some people like this, others don’t. Emergency rooms don’t close at 5pm like your family doctor’s office does. Overnight shifts are common, especially when you are junior doctor. To make up for this, many ER doctors are given several days off after they put in a long series of shifts at the hospital. You have to be willing to have a very non-standard work schedule if you are going to enjoy being an ER doctor.
ER doctors often do not take care of patients for more than a very short time. Although some ERs operate outpatient follow-up clinics, ER doctors don’t generally follow a patient for a long period of time or provide long-term care. They are there to stabilize the patient, take care of any immediate needs, and pass them along to other doctors who will manage the patient in the ensuing weeks or months. Of course, that’s not to minimize what they do – ER doctors are an essential part of a good hospital network.
Most emergency room doctors are paid on salary. Unlike many doctors, who are paid for each office visit and procedure (this only applies to American doctors), a majority of emergency room doctors are on a set salary. This means that they often don’t have to mess with billing and they know what they are going to make in a given month. Of course, there are exceptions to this, but as a general rule, it holds true.
You have to like a very fast-paced and chaotic work environment to enjoy being an emergency room doctor. If you are the type who likes things to move slowly and have time to think – emergency medicine is NOT for you. If you like to see a wide variety of crazy and interesting medical cases, emergency medicine may be something to consider.
