Life As An Emergency Medicine Doctor - Should YOU Choose This Residency/Specialty?

[@ZenProductivity]

Please stay safe everyone and stay home! We are trying our best in the ED and ICU to help combat COVID. It's a struggle. Keep safe and God Bless.

[@mollysullivan6414]

ER docs are the coolest group of people i've ever met. extremely intelligent, competent, but HUMBLE and personable. high performers who are capable of accepting fault and remaining accountable. also almost all the docs in my ED speak spanish. it's been an incredible blessing to work with such an outstanding group of people.

[@ZenProductivity]

Thanks so much Molly! It is a really harsh time for emergency medicine and the ICU right now surrounding the covid situation. Thanks so much for your support! We all appreciate it.

[@rileythompson9322]

Thank you for this! I’m only a HS sophomore but I know I want to be some sort of doctor but not sure what kind. I was leaning towards emergency medicine but this persuaded me more!

[@ZenProductivity]

That's awesome! It's a good idea to know early. Maybe you can even start volunteering and shadowing in the emergency department to get even more perspective! Great that you are thinking about things so early :) Wish I had that insight back when I was in HS!

[@rileythompson9322]

Physician Zen Thank you! Any tips on how to start shadowing/volunteering?

[@ZenProductivity]

@@rileythompson9322 Usually you can just go to your local community hospital and they have a process you go through. I think some may let HS students volunteer but each hospital is a little bit different.

[@sbrat9050]

Same. At first I was leaning towards pharmacology but now I’m reconsidering.

[@ZenProductivity]

@@sbrat9050 That's great. Glad I could shed some light :)

[@ZenProductivity]

Thanks for watching! I hope this helps in your medical journey.. Let me know your thoughts below!

[@dudebruh3302]

I am only 13, and I want to become an Emergency Medicine Doctor. I want to help people and assist them in what they do. Its really sad to see people hurt so I want to do the best I can to help them.

[@ZenProductivity]

Thanks for the comment! Good luck with your journey :)

[@dudebruh3302]

@@ZenProductivity Thank you so much for your response, you dont even know how much your response is worth to me.

[@ZenProductivity]

@@dudebruh3302 Yes of course! Good luck and stay safe :)

[@tarishakaur5790]

same but I'm 14 lol

[@sahithisanku8681]

I can so relate! I'm a US-IMG in my final year of med school, and I just decided to pursue EM as my specialty. The application requirements, SLOEs, etc caught me off guard and I'm scrambling for away rotations as well! Thanks for the great video

[@ZenProductivity]

So Glad you found this video helpful. Best of luck!! Let me know how things go :)

[@emery6049]

I’m so glad you mentioned the fellowship in sports medicine because I was trying to decide between EM and sports med but now finding out that I can do both is great!

[@BinhPham-dx4qu]

Tired af so I will back to become an Endocrinology doctor, but I always love this field of medicine

[@ravitejakEM]

I'm an Emergency Physician and I love ❤️ what I do 😊

[@abby6713]

This is a great video. New subscriber here! I am an Emergency Department RN and in my first year of medical school. I miss being in the clinical setting and helping patients! I didn't know about those fellowships, so thank you!

[@CarlaTheNatural]

Yess it’s the best specialty😄 so excited for the match!

[@dkorb2739]

Was thinking ophthalmology to begin with too and have just started doing my ER sub-Is love it so far

[@womanofgod2199]

Thank youu so much for this doc!! Been contemplating what specialty to take after passing the licensure exam and now you brought into light and made it clear for me what path to take! This is such an eye opener and I’m so glad I found your video. I thought I was gonna take Fam Med but during my rotation I find it not fitting for me. Now, I know emergency medicine is the right fit for me. Thank you and God bless you more! Stay healthy and happy! 💕✨

[@I_Am_ThatGuy]

Hey! I'm considering becoming an EM physician. However, I've been to some extent dissuaded from relatively recent news on the possible future excess of EM docs as a result of increasing residency programs and the impact of COVID on EDs throughout the country. Also, I've heard a lot about the encroachment of mid-level practitioners, especially in EM, taking away many of the responsibilities once held by physicians, and thus lowering demand for EM docs. How do you view all this and what do you think about the future of EM?

[@fenne5558]

Heya! I recently switched interest from animal care to human doctoral care! A few kinds have fit with my personality traits and interest: Emerge, Palliative, and Pediatrics. I can’t exactly decide which yet, but I know I truly want to help people with their injury and make sure they do okay! I’m not totally into the theories of puzzling pieces together, I like to know my stuff and treat how I methodically can!

[@charliethefox9708]

I'm still deciding on becoming a Emergency department pyschian or Nurse Practitioner, this helped with the background of a MD with emergency medicine. - Thanks

[@NapFroCentrics]

FoxTheUndoubtfulFox are you a nurse currently?

[@ZenProductivity]

Thanks! Glad it was helpful. Every specialty and field has its pros and cons. Definitely a lot of responsibilities as an MD or NP! Both great :)

[@charliethefox9708]

@@NapFroCentrics Working torwards it at the moment. Currently working on my A.A. , just trying to get my B.A. then decide nursing or medical school. Since around where I'm from if you have a B.A. nursing school is accelerated , So it sorta gives me time to decide.

[@NapFroCentrics]

@@charliethefox9708 Oh okay! I'm pre-PA, currently working on my A.A. I hope of becoming a PA in the ED. Currently going through EMT training and hope to become an ED tech :)

[@ZenProductivity]

@@NapFroCentrics Good luck to you both!

[@restinginn9906]

Dude that critical care EM life seems pretty cool!

[@Zay13378]

ER Physician is definitely the specialty for me! Was between ER and Trauma Surgeon I think I know for sure what I want to do at this point. My BSN RN cousin told me I have the brians and work ethic to become anything in medicine. Better start looking at college now 🙂

[@ZenProductivity]

Best of luck!

[@mahaanazi3313]

After 3 years , same situation, I’m a ER resident and I love trauma surgery,, so still confused should I continue or change to general surgery.. I love both and still thinking hard , every day for 2 months thinking thinking thinking about changing to general surgery but still lost between the two .

[@mukundathakur5097]

I am an international Medical student. I really want to come to america for residency. Pray fir me please

[@Skepticalstudent45]

Great video! I would love to hear about family practice and/or internal medicine. Thank you for all that you do, especially during these trying times. God bless.

[@ZenProductivity]

You got it! Thanks for the kind words

[@samaher21medicine]

Awesome! Interesting I’m shifting from ophthalmology to EM too!!

[@defensivedriving6597]

Emergency doctors are the best to diagnose you. They have all the tools.

[@ZenProductivity]

Thanks! They definitely have all the tools and knowledge to diagnose most things things, Especially the life-threatening conditions :)

[@MrPattithendi]

Great video👍 EM is truly an evergreen field .

[@ZenProductivity]

Thanks Sudeep! Yes totally agree!

[@rachael4775]

Thank you so much for this!!! I think this is what I’ll do after med school!!!

[@ZenProductivity]

Awesome!!! That is great. Best of luck.

[@rohl1271]

I wish I knew this 21 years ago

[@ZenProductivity]

It's never too late!

[@subodeb3212]

What's your thoughts on NPs and PAs playing huge roles in the ERs? For example, a physician assistant essentially work under a physician's license and I doubt an ER physician has time to read every detail before he/she signs off the PA's treatment plan! So if a PA makes a mistake (which can happen with any clinician to be honest), it falls on the ER doc's shoulder.

[@ZenProductivity]

I think NPs and PAs have a huge and positive impact on the field of emergency medicine. Especially with the amount of patients and volumes we are seeing. The practice at each hospital is different on supervision and oversight.

[@DrsGanandMo]

Great video and content !! Keep it up; very informative for people watching

[@ZenProductivity]

Thanks so much! I'm in both the ED and ICU these days dealing with COVID. Thank you for your support!

[@cheerleaduhhlove6697]

Im struggling to decide between IM and EM because i loove IM, but i just feel like it lacks procedures.. but i feel like EM is more about stabilizing a patient and less about the actual medicine..

[@ZenProductivity]

If you do IM there are LOTs of fellowships with procedures you can do afterwards like critical care, cardiology, gastroenterology, etc. It requires 2-3 more years of fellowship training but might be worth if if you love IM!

[@petelancaster6715]

How do you stabilize a patient without "actual medicine"? Do you think they wave a magical wand over a patient with CHF or treat hyperkalemia by saying 'abracadabra'?

[@mouad.a.t5725]

thank you for a very informative video

[@kitannadavis8557]

Great video!! Really imformative cause I like this job.

[@ZenProductivity]

Glad it was helpful. Medicine is awesome!

[@widaafshar1231]

Amazing video! I am in high school and very interested in the ER specialty! Can you please make more videos on it, thanksss!

[@ZenProductivity]

You got it!

[@IAMCHIDERA]

3rd year med student here. Im between EM and trauma surgery

[@amithsarker1122]

I am 15.I am in College. I am intended to be an emergency medicine doctor. It is really interesting to me.

[@ZenProductivity]

Awesome! Always good to think about things early. Try volunteering in the hospital to get some experience with the different specialties!

[@muhammedal-ghazalietudaiye2566]

Goodluck

[@xmx30]

Hello! I am interested in EM but I would like to know more about it. Does it contain small surgeries at least or not at all? And the other question: how many years after med school is the residency in Europe? Thank u so much!🥰🥰🥰

[@byst017]

This is great content, subscribed!

I also heard ER is a lot less charting and it’s shift work.

[@ZenProductivity]

Actually all specialties have a siginificant amount of charting. Depending on the shift I may have 20-50 charts to sign. Remember you also have to sign the trainees charts as well as any nurse practiioners or physician assistants. Charting is not fun for any specialty but a necessity to have good charting :)

[@jamjam3448]

This is for me. Thanks😎😎☺️😊

[@ZenProductivity]

Most welcome 😊

[@michaelkendrick_]

If only I knew this in high school. Would have been a doc

[@ZenProductivity]

It's never too late!

[@germoreno8936]

Excuse me Doctor, Could we tell us how difficult is to get into ER residency as non US IMG? Do you know if somebody has gotten it? Could you tell me tips to get it? thanks you so much for answering... great video.

[@ZenProductivity]

It is moderately competitive I would say. I definitely know it is possible but our residency has only matched US grades as far as I know. I wish I could be of more help..

[@graydengossen7782]

What type of stuff do you see? And what type of stuff do you do with the patient. I might really like this career.

[@ZaidIrfan-pi8im]

I wish I can either become a GP or ED Consultant.

[@drzackhidig1360]

I’m postgraduate year 2. I’m in emergency surgery department right now

[@ZenProductivity]

Best of luck!

[@gabrielosu7001]

What the difference between trauma surgery and emergency medicine?

[@ZenProductivity]

Totally different specialties! EM docs only do specific procedures not surgeries in the operating room.

[@niebo303]

Good video

[@ZenProductivity]

Thanks Buddy! Hope all is well :)

[@Akksksjekalalalala1]

thank you

[@ZenProductivity]

Your welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@lonewolf604]

Any advice for a music major interested in going to med school? I just can’t see myself trying to do music for a living anymore, especially after COVID. I was looking into Emergency Medicine or Pediatrics.

[@vasylpryshliak8432]

With the ultrasound fellowship do you still have to work the same shifts on weekends and holidays?

[@Geoblek1]

I heard emergency medicine doctors get sued a lot for obvious reasons, how true is this and how do you deal with it?

[@younggouda6764]

Is this field suitable for a doctor with ADHD ? And will I be able to travel I heard that yes emergency doctors have crazy shifts but they have much more free time than other doctors so that they can travel more and focus on their hobbies more ?

[@ZenProductivity]

Sorry I can't fully answer this question regarding ADHD. That should probalby be controlled regardless of what specialty choice anyone goes into. EM has a flexible schedule so, yes lots of EM doctors travel and do hobbies. You decide how many shifts you want to do depending on the practice of your group. But also remember less work is less money so there is a balance. If you don't work enough to make money you cant travel and do hobbies. But if you work too much you won't have time to do them.

[@younggouda6764]

Zen Productivity thank you for your answer I really like ER. I feel alive there. I love solving mysteries and putting pieces together its Either internal medicine or EM for me ,but I don’t like working 9 to 5 every day, I can work for 24 hours nonstop , its either all or nothing for me (it’s an ADHD thing 😢). So I think EM is most suitable for me 😁

[@ZenProductivity]

@@younggouda6764 Great. Yes if you "Feel alive" then that is where picking your specialty should start. I've seen EM docs that are not happy because they just don't like the practice of emergency medicine. If the schedule fits, all the better! Remember also that EM doesn't really do 24 hour shifts, usually 8-12 hour shifts. And the nights, weekends, and holidays working can really put a damper on consistent family life as well. Just a few words from my experience.

[@younggouda6764]

Zen Productivity thank you very much this was very helpful 😁🤟🏻

[@ZenProductivity]

@@younggouda6764 Absolutely! Just wanted to give you the best information to help you decide. Always try to look at the pros and cons of any specialty. I see many people only looking at the pros and get upset with the cons years afterwards. Your career and your life should not be a surprise, in my opinion. Especially after countless hours and work you put in, you should really love what you do.

[@mega123hd]

Thanks for the video it helped alot , actually I though about Emergency medicine many times , despite being in another country but there are so many similarities globally , I worked as an ER medical "not resident" for sometime , it's cool and refreshing , everyday is a different story , you just dont get bored at all , but I could feel the burnout sometimes specially with high RTA load at some year times , and I feel it's a bit stressful when you cant finish the patient journey since you usually refer him to a consultant unit , I just want to know how do you fight the burnout and how much load you receive everyday , another thing , how much hours you do weekly and do you get some free time? Thanks in advance

[@ZenProductivity]

ED physicians have a high burnout rate overall. My schedule is random but usually 3-4 shifts a week. I created a website called physicianzen.com that talks about how I combats burnout using productivity techniques. Feel free to check out. Thanks for the comment.

[@mega123hd]

@@ZenProductivity will check it out 👍thanks and have a nice day😊

[@ZenProductivity]

@@mega123hd Yes sounds good!

[@amrmohamed1387]

حابب أعرف عملت إيه الحقيقة😁

[@mega123hd]

@@amrmohamed1387 لسه عمومي ما دخلت نيابة حتى الان بسوي تحضيرات للسفر واجلت فكرة التخصص شويتين . بالتوفيق لحضرتك

[@vasylpryshliak8432]

Very informative and professional video Thank you! I’m an IMG and on the fence between EM and IM/FM In your opinion, will it be hard to keep up in ED pace once you get older?

[@cafeconlacienciatv5038]

What's the difference between Emergency Medicine and Critical Care

[@POCUS101]

Lots of differences. Different departments entirely.

[@veenaduraisamy4986]

What's the difference between emergency doctor and intensivist ? Could you please tell me :)

[@ZenProductivity]

Emergency medicine Doctors work in the emergency department, usually doing shift work and see lots of undifferentiated patients from chronic pain, psych, ob/gyn, and trauma. Intensivist see sickest patients that get admitted to the hospital and have to be very knowledgeable about ventilator management and extremely sick patients. Hope that helps!

[@anwarahmed7123]

Emergency doctor works in emergency department and Intensivist works in ICU. ER physician sees all kinds of patients , from almost all departments who may or may not get admitted. He stabilizes a sick patient and takes care of any emergency issues which may kill the patient in next few hours. Then shifts the patient to his respective areas. ICU doctor takes care of admitted sick patients. Some ICUs see only medical cases and some ICUs see both medical and surgical cases. If you ask me, being an Intensivist is tougher than an ER physician.

[@neilespiritu1423]

Hi. I'm interested in Emergency Medicine and I'm an IMG looking for USCE... Does your hospital have externship or observership program?

[@physicianzen5078]

Sorry Neil Not that I am aware of.

[@neilespiritu1423]

@@physicianzen5078 Thank you! Appreciate the reply! Stay safe

[@maryamnour8801]

Hello I’m an aspiring er doctor and was wondering the residency hours as pgy1,2,3? How is the work/ life balance during residency?

[@ZenProductivity]

thanks for the comment. It really depends on what rotation you are in residency. Some months like ICU will be extremely tiring and some months like research can be fairly easy on the schedule. WHen in the ED typically residents work 15-20 shifts a month for 10-12 hour shifts. Hope that helps

[@knosis]

Max of 60 hours/week on paper during residency for ED rotations and 80 hours for other rotations. Of course it is a lot more when you consider notes.

[@cafeconlacienciatv5038]

Do You recommend an EM/CCM or a EM/ Pulm and Critical Care Pathway ?

[@POCUS101]

Just depends on what you want to get out of your practice. My focus was never really pulm since there are clinics involved. Also you have to do IM in order to do Pulm. You can't do pulm through EM

[@storyofdoctor]

i also want to do emergency medicine

[@supman94]

Great video Zen! So you mentioned sports medicine as a fellowship for emergency medicine, does that mean as an attending EM working in the hospital, you'd have the option of working outpatient as primary care sports physician? If so, that sounds like the best of both worlds

[@ZenProductivity]

Yes you can work in BOTH areas!

[@nerdybigmac1235]

How do you juggle your family life and your job?

[@rera9538]

I was thinking about choosing emergency ... Can u give me some resources that I can use for learning that speciality..

[@phantastiquely]

I’m applying to EM this year and was interested in critical care later on , what is your schedule like as a critical care/EM doc?

[@ZenProductivity]

It's pretty sporadic. In the ICU I can work up to 7 days straight. And then I will do EM shifts on the other weeks that are more spread out. More recently I've been doing 3 day weekend coverages so I don't do such long stretches of ICU.

[@phantastiquely]

@@ZenProductivity thanks for taking the time to reply! how do you feel about this schedule in terms of work/life balance and family life?

[@ZenProductivity]

@@phantastiquely It can be tough if you do full time and have kids. Especially doing over nights and weekends when childcare is difficult. Having family or babysitters is a must if you and your spouse are working full time in my opinion.

[@fuscia3161]

Hello Doc!!! How many years does ittake to become an ER Doctor?? I’m currently studying for a BS Nursing for my pre med before going to med school.

[@ZenProductivity]

Hi! 4 years of medical school, and 3-4 years of EM residency afterwards. Then if you want to do a fellowship it is an additional 1-2 years. So Minimum 7 years once you enter med school. Hope that helps.

[@fuscia3161]

Zen Productivity thanks Doc!!!!♥️

[@charlotte-zk7uv]

I'm a high school student and I'm interested in emergency medicine. Can you tell me what course should I take to become one?

[@CHAGUITO73]

I’m not him. But from my experience, there is rarely a straight forward path towards the residency. Right now focus on getting good grades, and enjoy life. Same during college, concentrate on getting into med school and enjoy life! Once you’re there, the path to your chosen residency will become more clear :)

[@CHAGUITO73]

It also might be a good idea to work in an ER. Or volunteer in a hospital. Good luck!

[@ZenProductivity]

Hi Charlotte. Sorry for late reply but totally agree with Santi!! Good luck. Maybe we will be colleagues some day :)

[@mithra3956]

Hey pls answer my question I'm from India going to do mbbs, after that I'm planning to do emergency medicine and residency in US What's should be my ideal plan to do emergency medicine Can u give a general idea or way

[@ZenProductivity]

It is institution specific. I would try to look at hospitals that have accepted applicants in the past and start there. Unfortunately I'm not familiar with all of the places that do accept but I know there definitely are. Coming from outside the US it does get competitive from what I hear. So make sure you have a well-rounded application.

[@mithra3956]

@@ZenProductivity thanks for your help 🤓

[@ZenProductivity]

@@mithra3956 Yes of course! No problem. Best of luck!! and Stay safe :)

[@frostyhamster3116]

Have you ever delivered babies before? And can you perform a c section if needed?

[@dhulfymanoj2834]

I am a grade 10 student from SRI LANKA,I just wanna bcm a VOG Specialist........at ths age I don wanna much risk.. but eventhough I wanted 2 make few medicines in this quarantine......pls give me some ideas!!! Waiting 4 the reply.......also the way ur tlkng is hlpful👍

[@ZenProductivity]

Not sure what a VOG specialist is. Can you specify?

[@dhulfymanoj2834]

@@ZenProductivity ya it's a high standard Doctor

[@gochohee]

doc how many years is the residency for ER med? thannk you in advance!

[@ZenProductivity]

It can be 3-4 years depending on the residency you choose!. But at least 3 years. And then there are fellowships you can do beyond that. Hope that helps!

[@azmathahmed2476]

Do I need compulsory experience for doing mrcem

[@strongDr]

What is the initial attending salary like?

[@BEGOWEGO]

Are you there?

[@ToTo-nh1xd]

If anyone knows if I'm repeating my second year in med school how is it gonna affect me in future?

[@knosis]

It depends how you spin it. Make sure to spin it in a positive way and mention it on your personal statement when you apply to residency. Some residencies like peds, family med and less competitive IM programs don't really care, but it gets more difficult with more competitive specialities. Make sure to make connections in the speciality you want to get into, they'll be of great help

[@ToTo-nh1xd]

@@knosis hey thx for replying just wanted to let u know I passed it and I'm currently in the 4th year 😁

[@knosis]

@@ToTo-nh1xd that's great man. Good luck with eras and interviews! Keep making connections and stay positive during the interviews! You got this.

[@ToTo-nh1xd]

@@knosis thank you so much and wish u good luck 👍🏻

[@moonfox4990]

Is this the same thing? : emergency medicine doctor and er physician ?

[@ilegnx]

Yes it is the same :)

[@moonfox4990]

@@ilegnx thanks

[@ZenProductivity]

Yup same thing as Angeli reports!

[@moonfox4990]

@@ZenProductivity thanks 🥺👉👈

[@Orthogunner7]

This aged well…