About ER Doctors

Emergency room doctors are a vital part of the health care industry. These doctors care for people who are in dire need of medical care and people who can't afford to pay to go to a doctor's office. These doctors go through extensive training to learn how to diagnose medical conditions with limited information and in a short amount of time.

Function

Doctors in the emergency room diagnose patients suffering from a wide range of illnesses. You may diagnose a child with an upper respiratory infection in one room and the next room will hold a patient with a gun shot wound. You also deal with people of all ages and backgrounds. Because of this, you must be able to retain large amounts of information and make decisions quickly.

Time Frame

Becoming an emergency room doctor takes at least 13 years after you graduate high school if you attend college, medical school, internships and residency full time. To be more specific, you will spend 4 years to get your Bachelor's Degree. From there, you will spend 4 years in medical school. Next comes a 1-year internship. You then have to face at least 2 years in residency but, this step can take as long as 7 years. After that, you may need a 1 to 3-year fellowship, depending on your ER specialty.

Benefits

While becoming an emergency room doctor takes a considerable amount of time and requires working long hours, the job can be very rewarding. These doctors have the opportunity to help people on a daily basis, some of which are very ill or need serious help. Another benefit to working in the emergency room is that your job is never dull. Even when things are slow, the anticipation of the next influx of patients can keep you on edge.

Considerations

Emergency room doctors work long hours. If you are considering this career path, remember that emergency rooms are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This leaves little time for other activities and time with family.

Warning

Due to the seriousness of some patients who seek care in the emergency room, some cases result in death. This can be very difficult for emergency room doctors to deal with. For that reason, ER physicians have a high depression rate, which is about 30% more than any other specialty. In some cases, only specific patient deaths affect the doctors, such as infant and children who pass away in the emergency room.