What is an Emergency Medicine Doctor?
An Emergency Medicine doctor is a residency-trained and licensed physician with an M.D. or D.O. degree who is trained in Emergency Medicine (EM). When patients initially arrive at the hospital, they tend to those who are critically ill or in need of immediate care. Emergency medicine doctors generally work in emergency rooms and also practice in urgent care facilities.
Doctors that practice emergency medicine stabilize and treat patients who are suffering from serious illnesses or devastating injuries. Other patients need to be admitted to the hospital or given more testing by other specialists, while others can be treated and discharged from the emergency room. Throughout the course of their shifts, emergency medicine practitioners make these decisions.
No matter what kind of condition or injury a patient has, emergency medicine specialists evaluate and treat them at the emergency room. Their primary goal is to stabilize patients as soon as possible and decide what the best course of action is.
Adults and children, of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds, are treated by emergency physicians. Patients with diseases and conditions connected to neurology, cardiology, pulmonology, renal problems, gastrointestinal problems, orthopedic concerns, pregnancy, gynecology, dermatology, and psychiatry are among the many maladies they treat.
When a patient has suffered major injuries, is unconscious, or is suffering symptoms of a disorder such as a stroke or heart attack, the emergency medicine doctor will begin treatment right away.
Doctors in emergency medicine manage several patients at once. Patients must be swiftly triaged as they arrive in accordance with their symptoms; conditions that pose a threat to life must be treated first. Because of this, there may be a delay when you go to an urgent care center or emergency room for treatment.
Emergency medicine doctors occasionally refer cases to trauma surgeons who are on call and ready to perform emergency surgery. Although these two skills are sometimes mistaken for one another, they play distinct roles.
Cases
Subspecialties
Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine
An emergency medicine physician who specializes in Critical Care Medicine diagnoses and treats patients with critical illnesses or injuries, particularly trauma victims and patients with multiple organ dysfunction who require care over a period of hours, days or weeks. These physicians also coordinate patient care among the primary physician, critical care staff and other specialists and their primary base of operation is the intensive care unit (ICU) of a hospital.
Emergency Medical Services
An emergency medicine physician specializing in Emergency Medical Services has special knowledge and skills for the delivery of medical care of the acutely ill or injured patient in the pre-hospital setting. This care includes the initial patient treatment, stabilization and transportation in specially equipped ambulances and medical helicopters. The initial care for conditions such as heart attack or stroke may occur in patient homes, public places and wilderness settings. These medical specialists perform life-saving procedures outside the hospital setting, sometimes when people are still trapped in cars or buildings.
Hospice and Palliative Medicine
An emergency medicine physician who specializes in Hospice and Palliative Medicine provides care to prevent and relieve the suffering experienced by patients with life-limiting illnesses. This specialist works with an interdisciplinary hospice or palliative care team to optimize quality of life while addressing the physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of both patient and family.
Internal Medicine-Critical Care Medicine
An emergency medicine physician trained in Critical Care Medicine has expertise in the diagnosis, treatment and support of critically ill and injured patients, particularly trauma victims and patients with multiple organ dysfunction. This physician also coordinates patient care among the primary physician, critical care staff and other specialists.
Medical Toxicology
Medical toxicologists are physicians who specialize in the prevention, evaluation, treatment and monitoring of injury and illness from exposures to drugs and chemicals, as well as biological and radiological agents. These specialists care for people in clinical, academic, governmental and public health settings, and provide poison control center leadership. Important areas of Medical Toxicology include acute drug poisoning; adverse drug events; drug abuse, addiction and withdrawal; chemicals and hazardous materials; terrorism preparedness; venomous bites and stings; and environmental and workplace exposures.
Neurocritical Care
The medical specialty of Neurocritical Care is devoted to the comprehensive multi-system care of the critically ill patient with neurological diseases and conditions.
Pain Medicine
An emergency medicine physician who specializes in Pain Medicine diagnoses and treats patients experiencing problems with acute or chronic pain, or pain related to cancer, in both hospital and outpatient settings and coordinates care needs with other specialists.
Pediatric Emergency Medicine
An emergency medicine physician who specializes in Pediatric Emergency Medicine has special qualifications to manage emergency treatments in acutely ill or injured infants and children.
Sports Medicine
An emergency medicine physician who specializes in preventing, diagnosing and treating injuries related to participating in sports and/or exercise. In addition to the study of those fields that focus on prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management of injuries, sports medicine also deals with illnesses and diseases that might have effects on health and physical performance.
Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine
An emergency medicine physician who specializes in Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine treats decompression illness and diving accident cases and uses hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat such conditions as carbon monoxide poisoning, gas gangrene, non-healing wounds, tissue damage from radiation and burns and bone infections. This specialist also serves as consultant to other physicians in all aspects of hyperbaric chamber operations, and assesses risks and applies appropriate standards to prevent disease and disability in divers and other persons working in altered atmospheric conditions.
Centers & Institutes
Healthcare Delivery by Emergency Medicine Doctors in the US
By definition, emergency medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis and management of unexpected illness or injury. The emergency department and other areas of the healthcare delivery system benefit greatly from the clinical, managerial, and leadership services provided by emergency medicine doctors.
Due to the nature of their work and the amount of stress they must routinely bear, they are among the most regarded doctors. However, depending on the person and their personality type, the list of benefits may outweigh the disadvantages, just like in any career.
Emergency medicine is a dynamic specialty, offering a constant variety of medical cases and scenarios. Doctors in emergency medicine care for people of all ages and with a wide range of physical and mental illnesses.
Emergency medicine presents a unique set of challenges since it frequently requires doing procedures on patients without diagnosis or full consent and with the clinician having little to no knowledge about them when they are first admitted.
The number of patients requiring emergency department treatment has climbed by 32% during the past 20 years, according to the American College of Emergency Physicians. In contrast, the number of hospital emergency rooms has dropped by 7% over the same time period. As a result, there is a rising demand for emergency medicine services and a declining supply of emergency rooms. Despite these changes, the job market for emergency medicine doctors is steady, and the future of their careers is bright. Like practically any medical specialty, there are numerous underserved locations where a doctor for an emergency department is greatly needed and patients must be taken to hospitals that are frequently two to three hours away.
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The material presented above is only meant to be informative and is not intended to take the place of advice from your doctor or another health care practitioner. We advise you to talk to your provider about any questions or issues you may have.
