Real Emergency Medicine Jobs

Another doctor is shouting all kinds of medical orders to the army of nurses and aids standing at the ready. The list of instructions always ends with the words, "10 milligrams IV push." Such is the stuff of make-believe in the unending portrayals of hospital ER life.

The real life world of a doctor trained in emergency medicine may be seemingly less dramatic than these
television scenes, but the role of an EM doctor in the life of his or her patient can never be underestimated. Real emergency medicine demands clear headed and calm leadership in the midst of crisis and a split second decision making window of opportunity. Real life would never be able to sustain the trauma drama of the TV world. Most hospital ER's today do not have the luxury of an enormous staff of professionals and assistants. One, maybe two, doctors are on duty at any one time and one nurse may be responsible for the hands on care of a half dozen or so patients.

Recently my elderly mother was in and out of emergency rooms in the two months prior to her death. Sometimes she arove by car, other times by ambulance. For those of us not used to such a place an ER can be a bewildering and frightening experience. It is the human touch brought to patient care that makes these times bearable and often poignant. The doctor on duty for a few of my mom's "visits" was not your dashing, handsome offbeat hero type. In fact, he was quite the anti-hero; an overweight, unkempt, potato-chip eating anti-hero. But he ran that suburban hospital ER with confidence and a sense of respect for the ordinary people that filled its corridors. On one particular occasion the room was so full my mom's stretcher had to be put right in front of the staff desk, a relatively small area where the doctors and nurses tripped over one another trying to get their work done. It was Christmas time and the gift baskets filled with treats were everywhere. Often when it seemed like my mom and I had been forgotten in the crush of activity a nurse would appear with some new medicine for my mom or some procedure to perform. There was a seamless sense of activity and movement forward in the care of all the patients and the mixed bag of companions with them.

The work of emergency medicine is demanding and sometimes there is no one who stays behind to say thank you. But emergency medicine is not for the faint of heart or the easily defeated. Rather, it is the front line of care between life and death. Hopefully, most people will never know what it is like behind the doors that read "emergency room." But for those who do cross that line, those who live in the world of emergency medicine will play a role in those lives that will never be forgotten. And that makes all the difference.

To learn more about careers in emergency medicine visit the emergency medicine job page for more information and how to apply for a job.