Emergency Medicine

Sophie Baldwin, 9/27/23

Emergency medicine doctors are at the forefront of hospital lines. They treat, diagnose, and manage acute illnesses and injuries in the emergency room. They are able to perform some procedures such as intubating a patient or placing a chest tube. EM doctors are often called the "jacks of all trades, masters of none" because they are equipped to treat a wide variety of medical problems, but aren't specialized in one specific area. The nature of emergency medicine is extremely fast-paced and high-pressure. Because of this, EM doctors must be able to work well under stress and enjoy the rapid environment.

Fast Facts

• Salary: $357,000

• DO friendly? Yes

• IMG friendly? Yes

• Competitiveness: Low

• Match rate (2023): 95%

• Average step-one: 233

• Surgical? Yes (procedural)

Becoming an Emergency Medicine Doctor

• 4 years of undergraduate

• 4 years of medical school

• 3-4 years of emergency medicine residency

• 1-2 years of fellowship (optional)

Work-life Balance

Emergency medicine doctors generally have a favorable work-life balance. EM doctors work in shifts, meaning they do not take call and do not have to take their work home with them. Because they do shift work, EM doctors have more flexibility in their schedule and can choose to work as much or as little as they'd like. The downside of shift work is that the shifts can sometimes be at irregular hours, such as the night shift. However, EM doctors will typically work around 40 hours a week.

Fellowships

• Disaster medicine (1 year)

• Emergency ultrasound/imaging (1 year)

• EMS-Prehospital (1 year)

• Medical toxicology (2 years)

• Pediatric emergency medicine (2 years)

• Sports medicine (1 year)

• Critical care (2 years)

Job Satisfaction and Outlook

• 65.2% are satisfied with their career (Physician Wellness)

• 33.4% report burnout (Physician Wellness)

• 8% projected job growth (Annals of Emergency Medicine)

Sources

https://residency.wustl.edu/choosing-a-specialty/specialty-descriptions/emergency-medicine/

https://www.prospectivedoctor.com/how-competitive-is-an-emergency-medicine-residency/

https://gailgazelle.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/ABEM-longitudinal-wellness-burnout-2008.pdf

https://www.annemergmed.com/article/S0196-0644(21)00439-X/fulltext