Do IM docs work in the ER?

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I know FM docs staff the ER in small-medium sized cities. Can IM docs work in the ER?

Originally Posted by Deepa100

Can IM docs work in the ER?

Yes.

Originally Posted by Shinken

Yes.

Do u specialize to do this??

This is most common in rural areas from what I've seen. No, they don't specialize, but they might do CMEs to gain additional skills.

How much of a common practice is this and how competitive are IM's to work in the EM?

Originally Posted by valkener

How much of a common practice is this and how competitive are IM's to work in the EM?

you can go on physician recruitment websites to check. it's not that common in urban areas..more rural. FM or IM can do shifts in the ER in those areas.

I think it's important to realize that even when IM-trained docs work in the ED, in most cases they're not expected to work in the same capacity as an EM trained doc (especially with regards to trauma, resuscitation, etc). Also, in each instance I've seen an IM doc in the ED, their was also an EM doc covering the shift. If you want to go into IM and are interested in working in the ED, you'll probably be able to find shifts in your community/rural EDs. If you want to work in the ED, you should become an EM doc.

yep, my sister did IM residency. She worked in a rural urgent care and community hospital for few years, passed EM boards and then easily got a job at big urban hospital as EM doc

Originally Posted by Pisiform

yep, my sister did IM residency. She worked in a rural urgent care and community hospital for few years, passed EM boards and then easily got a job at big urban hospital as EM doc

This is no longer an option. The ABEM practice track has been closed for a number of years, and the only way to become a board-certified emergency physician is to complete an emergency medicine residency.

But as is said above... it is not uncommon at all to see IM or FM trained physicians come into the ER for significant number of shifts. Usually this is seen as either a part time (though perhaps permanent part time) thing, or a temporary period of a year or two where you are full time there. This is much more common in rural settings, or heavily underserved urban ERs. I was in one that had an FM and IM doc doing somewhat regular shifts simply because the ER was getting swamped with the closure of a nearby hospital and wanted all the help they could get.

My understanding of this is that years ago it was almost the norm for IM and FM to stock many/most of the emergecy room posts. Its only been a relatively recent (in the greater scheme of medical training) change that EM is specifically trained in large numbers. But now that EM-specific training is commonplace the EM positions are overwhelmingly filled by formally trained EM docs at all of the major and mid-level sites. Rural sites and underserved areas are still employing IM and FM docs plenty, but thats more due to the fact that the EM market still isnt saturated with formally trained physicians yet and these areas need competent physicians of any training to step up and take shifts.

Spark notes: there is nothing barring you from being IM trained and doing ER work. You will just be lower on the hiring list than a formally EM trained physician.

IM training does not prepare you to care for children or pregnant women/GYN problems which makes some rural ERs more likely to hire FM than IM if they can't actually get EM trained docs.

Originally Posted by DrMom

IM training does not prepare you to care for children or pregnant women/GYN problems which makes some rural ERs more likely to hire FM than IM if they can't actually get EM trained docs.

I've seen a shift to this practice locally as we just got an FM residency nearby. IM docs have long worked the ER in my area (county population 40,000) as there are very few EM docs here. IM docs work without EM supervision and some of them have been within the hospital system for 20+ years.

Additionally, for what it's worth, on late night shifts there are sometimes NPs/PAs working alone in the ER as well.

We fly a lot of patients out... which you could have assumed I'm sure.

in summary to the OP, if you want to do IM, do IM residency. If you want to do EM, do EM residency. If you really want to do both, do IM/EM residency.

This is only seen in rural areas. Perhaps an urgent care, but not a hospital's ER. I do believe there are dual residencies though (probably allopathic)