Define "Emergency Medicine"

[Birdstrike]

In responding on the "UA Interpretation" thread, I realized, "Wait a minute, I think I just defined EM in a nutshell" in one, albeit very long, sentence.

Emergency Medicine-

"A high-stress, high-pace, high-risk specialty where you get only one shot at patients in very brief encounters with incomplete information sets, where you'll be judged with 20/20 hindsight in a 'zero miss' culture that expects boutique-level customer service for non-emergencies, despite time-, space-, and finance-limited resources."

I could define it countless ways, but how do you define Emergency Medicine, in one sentence?

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[The White Coat Investor]

So negative you are.

How about: The best job in medicine-$300-400K for 120 hours a month of proving anxious people aren't sick, trying to bring the dead back to life, and occasionally making a real difference while working with some of the greatest people you'll ever meet.

 

[Akail]

I like BS's way better...

 

[Birdstrike]

So negative you are.

Yoda, is that you?

 

[Apollyon]

"The rapid recognition of sickness and health, and the resuscitation of the critically ill and injured, realizing that the VAST majority are not."

 

[alpinism]

"The initial evaluation and treatment of acute onset life or limb threatening medical or surgical conditions which commonly involves the resuscitation and stabilization of critically ill patients."

I don’t don’t care what ACEP says, probably 90+% of what most EDs see on a daily basis is not anywhere close to being considered a true “emergency” using the above definition.

Then again, you don’t really even need a sentence to define EM.

Its EMERGENCY! not emergency?

(just my opinion for whatever that's worth)

 

[Psai]

"The initial evaluation and treatment of acute onset life or limb threatening medical or surgical conditions which commonly involves the resuscitation and stabilization of critically ill patients."

I don’t don’t care what ACEP says, probably 90+% of what most EDs see on a daily basis is not anywhere close to being considered a true “emergency” using the above definition.

Then again, you don’t really even need a sentence to define EM.

Its EMERGENCY! not emergency?

(just my opinion for whatever that's worth)

it's actually "emergency"