People may see life as an ER physician as challenging, with a fast paced work dynamic in urgent care resulting in cases of ER physician burnout. In addition, since the pandemic, now more than ever, emergency medicine physicians are on the front line of healthcare, making them have a higher risk of exposure to infectious diseases. However, pursuing emergency medicine results in career satisfaction for these doctors. Why?
Emergency medicine requires a specific set of skills beyond medical education. An Emergency physician needs to think quickly, with an outstanding ability to perform various medical procedures, plus the endurance to manage different emergency scenarios with potential life-threatening traumas. These traits, which happen on a typical day in the life of an emergency medicine doctor, are what make ER physician lifestyle such a rewarding experience.
If you’re in a medical school taking emergency medicine or an aspiring practitioner about to pick this career path, come read through. Let’s explore more about life as an emergency physician, including their day-to-day endeavour in the emergency medicine department.
What does a typical day in the life as an ER Physician look like?
Expect to have an odd schedule on the clock. An ER physician typically has 8-12 hours of shift work, 3-5 times a week, and it may start at a different time each day. Junior ER physicians are more likely to get a night shift. You don’t always get a day off on weekends or even on big holidays; most of the time, you’ll have an off-day in midweek. This gig is made for you if you love flexibility rather than a 9-to-5 routine.
The day usually goes like this:
- At the beginning of the shift, ER physicians clock in and check the previous ER doctor’s report, then follow up on the existing patients who need care.
- When checking out existing patients, there will be an interruption from the next patient coming. That’s when ER physicians work with triage nurses to decide which patient to prioritise.
- Heart attack, urgent pregnancy labour, or trauma from an accident are high priorities requiring immediate and undivided attention from ER physicians.
- In between times, ER physicians will have to check x-rays or lab test results and inform the patients with a follow-up plan on whether to discharge them or refer them to relevant departments.
For a doctor in the emergency department, each day comes with mystery and, often, surprise. Some days an emergency medicine physician has to handle multiple life-threatening emergencies at once; other days, it’s just computer work and confused patients with headaches.
On managing expectations and tolerating interruptions
An emergency physician must expect interruptions as part of the daily dynamic. They change tasks and move from one to another patient in minutes, probably seconds. Lab updates, patient feedback, and new incoming patients will come without a heads-up. Therefore, every role in urgent care needs to be fully present and have a sense of teamwork.
Since the emergency department is a fast paced work environment, ER physician burnout happens all the time. While doctors from other departments have the luxury of reviewing their diagnoses and scheduling patient appointments, emergency medicine physicians have to make do with what they have and are expected to think quickly in making immediate medical decisions.
Such situations happen to be a staple of ER physician lifestyle throughout their careers. If you decide to be one of them, you must have the right mindset and a good composure to solve various problems, compartmentalize each, and prioritize accordingly to prevent ER physician burnout.
Then at the end of your shift, you should conclude it with grace, pass on the report baton to the next emergency medicine doctor, go home, and recharge.
The perks of life as an ER Physician
Despite looking like a lifetime challenge, career satisfaction is likely for those in emergency medicine. Most emergency medicine physicians believe it’s a highly rewarding job, with an opportunity to have (surprisingly) a better work-life balance compared to other physician roles.
1. Flexible working hours
Due to the shifting structure, emergency doctors may have more days off than other medical specialities. Despite unconventional schedules and intense work, ER physicians don’t get an emergency call outside of their entire shift. In fact, they’re usually the ones making phone calls to other specialists in case of emergency inquiries. As a result, ER physician lifestyle may include enjoying their free time without disturbance, hence, better work-life balance.
2. A medical generalist’ haven
ER physicians are the medical jack of all trades, the true generalist with a comprehensive, wide spectrum of knowledge in medicine to support their work in making the firsthand assessment of patients. If you’re a medical school student at the crossroads of choosing a speciality but want to explore various medical cases instead of only focusing on specific ones, you might want to check out emergency medicine.
3. That thrilling excitement of saving lives and making a meaningful impact
Some medical school students enrol in emergency medicine because they want to save lives and impact society. Fast-forward to many years later, when the intention stays the same, working in emergency medicine is one of the best mediums to serve that purpose. An ER physician gets up every day and goes to work, knowing they are making someone’s life better.
Skills to master for the emergency physician in training
Besides a wide spectrum of medicine education and clinical skills, good ER physicians must have these traits to help them thrive in such a challenging healthcare battlefield:
Analytical skills
Every second matters more in the emergency department, so an ER physician has to be smart, decisive and efficient in solving every case they’re facing when serving patients.
Communication and teamwork
ER needs a solid medical team effort of emergency medicine physicians, triage nurses, paramedics and other healthcare staff in the department. The ability to delegate tasks, communicate well and have good bedside manners will ease your job as an emergency doctor.
Multitasking
The key to surviving ER for the physician on duty is the ability to manning various tasks coming at you without a prior appointment. The goal is to maintain a flowy dynamic of patient care in such a quick-paced environment.
Attention to detail
The next demand for ER physicians is to handle cases and treatments thoroughly. An outstanding observational ability with a sharp eye is more than necessary—it’s what makes you tick in emergency medicine.
Leadership
Every emergency medicine physician needs to direct and supervise the activities in the emergency room, so the ability to lead is essential. Be firm and concise in giving instructions. As you ascend the career ladder, this skill will come in handy.
High emotional intelligence
A good composure and the right mindset will help you face the challenge and uncertainty of whatever comes through the ER door every time. Sometimes it’s a tragedy, sometimes just a whiny, demanding patient. You need to handle either situation calmly and professionally and not take the emotional baggage home if things go beyond your control.
Then comes the downsides
Those perks and skills are delightful to acquire, but as the healthcare frontier, ER doctors will also get the ugly drawbacks firsthand. These are very common happenstances that you might often experience in emergency medicine:
- Not every patient who enters the ER room has the right reason to be there. Some get to the point of abusing the existence of the emergency departments, for example homeless people just wanting a shelter for the night or drug addicts wanting free painkillers.
- High risk of emergency medicine physicians getting either physical harm from stressful, intoxicated patients.
- There is an above-average probability of getting sued by frustrated, dissatisfied patients’ families.
- Your circadian rhythm will always get disrupted due to the unconventional shift and dense schedule. There will be ER physician burnout due to this.
- You don’t always get the adrenaline rush of treating emergency medical conditions. There will be dull moments and monotonous work, as well.
Insights for students who are considering emergency medicine
At this point, you’ve got the idea of what emergency physicians will experience throughout their careers. If you’re a medical school student up for the challenge, here are some insights to keep in mind:
- Make sure you have the energy and patience in the long run.
- Balance your high-intensity work with positive activities outside. Some volunteers, the others have an active lifestyle to maintain their endurance.
- Find the right reason and purpose for what you decide to do, and use them as motivation boost when necessary.
- People in the ER department come from all walks of life. Treat them with respect and train your humility.
- Regarding teamwork, you must have a good judgement of when to delegate and trust your team and when to supervise hands-on.
- You’ll be challenged every time, not only medically but also emotionally and intellectually. May you get better at handling ER physician burnout each time.
Emergency medicine could be a stressful environment. But if you have what it takes and are up for the challenge and baggage that comes with it, you’ll thrive. Ready?
Are you an ER Doctor looking for a new role in the healthcare industry? Here at Doctor Jobs Today, we provide the most reliable and well-curated vacancies from the best medical institutions in Malaysia. You can also access various recommendations and guidelines to help you stay on track. Get your CV ready and find your future career in Doctor Jobs Today, now!
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