Er/em/ed/ep

jawurheemd · Dec 1, 2003

Regarding the use of ER/EM/ED/EP, etc

I actually prefer calling myself as an ER doc. People, physicians and laypeople alike understand what I mean when I say it. If I were to say I was an EP, I might confuse myself for an cardiac electrophysiologist (I guess I am sometimes when I defib/cardiovert patients). If I were to say I was an emergentologist, I would feel a little like I'm making up a title to make myself sound more important. I like calling myself an ER doc because I work in an ER. I don't work in an ED. I work in a big room with a lot of curtain areas. Sure, I work at a couple of other sites where there are a bunch of little rooms in one big room, but it's kind of like the OR. I would never refere to the OR as the OD because I relate ODs to pts acting out on their SIs.

I'm not sure why ER docs get offended by being called an ER doc. I think that these ER docs feel that there's a stigma attatched to that title. I, on the other hand, think that being an ER doc is cool. I also feel that being an emergentologist is kind of nerdy.

Anyway, just my 2 cents.

docB · Dec 1, 2003

ER/ED = The Pit

I think I've come up with the best analogy for ER docs. We are like urinal strainers. We are like the disposable, plastic devices that are placed in the bottom of a urinal. A urinal strainer lies in the urinal getting pissed on all day and it's expected to keep all of the garbage like cigarette butts and bottle caps in the urinal. It's not expected to actually lift any of the detritus up out of the toilet, society just expects it to keep the trash from actually going down the drain. That's me.

16846 · Dec 1, 2003

Originally posted by docB
ER/ED = The Pit

I think I've come up with the best analogy for ER docs. We are like urinal strainers. We are like the disposable, plastic devices that are placed in the bottom of a urinal. A urinal strainer lies in the urinal getting pissed on all day and it's expected to keep all of the garbage like cigarette butts and bottle caps in the urinal. It's not expected to actually lift any of the detritus up out of the toilet, society just expects it to keep the trash from actually going down the drain. That's me.

Not a bad analogy, a little depressing, but not bad considering all the social cases that are seen (Frequent Fliers)/the large number of people who use the ED for primary care because they don't have enough insurance/money/brain cells to go see an FP or IM doc...

The White Coat Investor · Dec 11, 2003

Originally posted by jawurheemd
Regarding the use of ER/EM/ED/EP, etc

I actually prefer calling myself as an ER doc. People, physicians and laypeople alike understand what I mean when I say it. If I were to say I was an EP, I might confuse myself for an cardiac electrophysiologist (I guess I am sometimes when I defib/cardiovert patients). If I were to say I was an emergentologist, I would feel a little like I'm making up a title to make myself sound more important. I like calling myself an ER doc because I work in an ER. I don't work in an ED. I work in a big room with a lot of curtain areas. Sure, I work at a couple of other sites where there are a bunch of little rooms in one big room, but it's kind of like the OR. I would never refere to the OR as the OD because I relate ODs to pts acting out on their SIs.

I'm not sure why ER docs get offended by being called an ER doc. I think that these ER docs feel that there's a stigma attatched to that title. I, on the other hand, think that being an ER doc is cool. I also feel that being an emergentologist is kind of nerdy.

Anyway, just my 2 cents.

Well, had to reply to this one. I wouldn't say I get offended by being called an ER doc, but I do not refer to myself as an ER doc anymore than a surgeon refers to himself as an OR doc or a radiologist refers to himself as a cave doctor. Where you work does not reflect your knowledge base. Even if I work in an ICU, I am trained to take care of emergencies. Thus a surgeon moonlighting in an ED (thus becoming an ER doc) is not an emergency doctor, but a surgeon.

RE: "People, physicians and laypeople alike understand what I mean when I say it. " Gotta give you that one. No argument there. However, it carries the connotation of the "ER docs of yesteryear" when moonlighting FPs, Internists, radiologists, psychiatrists, GPS etc staffed the ED. The ER doc called you and you had no idea who that guy was or what his experience or training was.

RE: Emergentologist.
Yea, that's a pretty dumb name. How about emergency doctor? Patients, physicians, and the lay public seem to understand what that is when I use the term. Plus, its one syllable shorter than Emergency Room Doctor. It would take a sophisticated person to mistake an EP for a cardiologist specializing in electrophysiology. Most people haven't heard of an electrophysiologist.

ED connotates a higher level of status than ER. Historically, the ER was a big room downstairs with a few curtains and no supplies and a shortage of nursing staff. Now, there are Emergency Departments in hospitals, Emergency Departments in medical schools, and a helluva lot more respect and funding for EPs AND EDs.

So, lest any poor applicants interview with any such as myself who think they're uninformed for not knowing the name of the specialty they're applying in:

The Specialty is EM (Emergency Medicine)
The Practitioner is an EP (Emergency Physician)
The Place is ED (Emergency Department)
The TV show is ER (Emergency Room)

Sheerstress · Dec 11, 2003

I use the term "ER" when writing discharge instructions and talking to patients. They all know exactly what that term means, and there is never any ambiguity when they are instructed to "return to ER if..."

When communicating with colleagues, I use the term "ED." Again, no ambiguity.

A small subset of practitioners seem to like the term "emergentologist," which is almost certainly never going to catch on with anyone, and only cause confusion.

Apollyon · Dec 11, 2003

Originally posted by Sheerstress
A small subset of practitioners seem to like the term "emergentologist," which is almost certainly never going to catch on with anyone, and only cause confusion.

A buddy here used the term "emergentologist" one day (in a bar), and we thought it was a joke - a big joke. Now that I know it as a real word, I cannot take it seriously. It just sounds so contrived.

Sessamoid · Dec 12, 2003

Originally posted by Apollyon
A buddy here used the term "emergentologist" one day (in a bar), and we thought it was a joke - a big joke. Now that I know it as a real word, I cannot take it seriously. It just sounds so contrived.

It has as much etymological validity as many of the terms we use for other specialties. It only sounds contrived because it's not common usage.

The problem with all the other names ("ER doc", "emergency doctor", etc.) is that they are still often followed by the question, "So are you going to specialize?" That question is getting older every hundred times I get asked. The term "emergentologist" at least makes it unambiguous that the field is a specialty in its own right, at least to those who can understand the word at all.

DocWagner · Dec 12, 2003

But how many times have you heard friends or relatives say "WOW, you are in the EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT...that must be crazy/fun/incredible...I've seen the TV show and they do so much"
There ARE trade offs. People don't generally say "WOW you are a PHYSIATRIST/INTERNIST/RADIOLOGIST/UROLOGIST"

It is cool.

mikecwru · Dec 12, 2003

Originally posted by DocWagner
But how many times have you heard friends or relatives say "WOW, you are in the EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT...that must be crazy/fun/incredible...I've seen the TV show and they do so much"
There ARE trade offs. People don't generally say "WOW you are a PHYSIATRIST/INTERNIST/RADIOLOGIST/UROLOGIST"

It is cool.

I would say among lay people it's about a 75/25 split between "Wow, that's so cool, I could never do that." and "So what are you really going to do when you finish your training? Deliver babies? Operate? You're going to work in the ER the rest of your life?!?!?"

I refer to myself as an ER doc, but I must say, I have been sufficiently brainwashed to use "ED" instead of "ER." Along with the TV show comment, I was always corrected by the former PD that we have "many emergency ROOMS in our emergency DEPARTMENT."

I would suggest that the applicants while they're interviewing use the terms Desperado outlined. Some people ARE very touchy about this.

mike

Sessamoid · Dec 12, 2003

Originally posted by DocWagner
But how many times have you heard friends or relatives say "WOW, you are in the EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT...that must be crazy/fun/incredible...I've seen the TV show and they do so much"
There ARE trade offs. People don't generally say "WOW you are a PHYSIATRIST/INTERNIST/RADIOLOGIST/UROLOGIST"

It is cool.

"Wow, you're a physiatrist? That must be so... umm... what's a physiatrist?"

Most people guess that it's equivalent to being a physical therapist, so I guess we don't have it the worst of the physician specialties.

Apollyon · Dec 12, 2003

Originally posted by Sessamoid
It has as much etymological validity as many of the terms we use for other specialties. It only sounds contrived because it's not common usage.

The problem with all the other names ("ER doc", "emergency doctor", etc.) is that they are still often followed by the question, "So are you going to specialize?" That question is getting older every hundred times I get asked. The term "emergentologist" at least makes it unambiguous that the field is a specialty in its own right, at least to those who can understand the word at all.

I grant you the etymological point, and, moreover, I support the "so what are you going to specialize in?" - I've been asked that at least 3 times in the last week. However, this gives me opportunity to point out that we are specially-trained - not just people that washed out of their other jobs.

I guess it was funny because the guy who used the word is very histrionic, and I remember how goofy he was that night.

docB · Dec 13, 2003

Originally posted by Desperado

The TV show is ER (Emergency Room)

This made me think of two funny things. I dug a bullet out of some toadstool the other night (it was tenting the skin and would have necrosed) and handed it over to a real Las Vegas CSI. So I gave her the "Wow, is it really like the show?" bit and then I said "Now you know how we felt when ER came on." She thought it was funny.

Several years ago a friend of a friend was asking what I do. He eventually said "So, you're like some wannabe Noah Wiley?" I said, "Actually Noah Wiley is a wannabe me." (It felt good but I'd still rather have his paycheck.)

Scrubbs · Dec 13, 2003

Originally posted by Sessamoid
The problem with all the other names ("ER doc", "emergency doctor", etc.) is that they are still often followed by the question, "So are you going to specialize?" That question is getting older every hundred times I get asked. The term "emergentologist" at least makes it unambiguous that the field is a specialty in its own right, at least to those who can understand the word at all.

Its really nice to hear people talking about the "but what are you going to specialize in" question... I seriously thought that with the show ER, people would have a little more insight into the fact that we ARE a specialty... I'm already so-oo sick of talking to intelligent people about residency and having the conversation end with... "so are you going to specialize when you're done?" I've started saying, "yes... I'm thinking about ultrasound..." 😉

diesel · Dec 16, 2003

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Sessamoid
The problem with all the other names ("ER doc", "emergency doctor", etc.) is that they are still often followed by the question, "So are you going to specialize?" That question is getting older every hundred times I get asked. The term "emergentologist" at least makes it unambiguous that the field is a specialty in its own right, at least to those who can understand the word at all.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Its really nice to hear people talking about the "but what are you going to specialize in" question... I seriously thought that with the show ER, people would have a little more insight into the fact that we ARE a specialty... I'm already so-oo sick of talking to intelligent people about residency and having the conversation end with... "so are you going to specialize when you're done?" I've started saying, "yes... I'm thinking about ultrasound..."

The reason people you have conversations with ask you what are you going to specialize in? Is because they realize you rotate thru IM, Peds, OB/GYN, surgery.

Whisker Barrel Cortex · Dec 17, 2003

You guys have it easy when talking to non medical people in explaining your job and training. Try being a radiologist. Most people have no idea what we do or what our training is. Many don't even realize we are MDs. They usually think of the rad tech that took their x-ray.

Sessamoid · Dec 17, 2003

Originally posted by Whisker Barrel Cortex
You guys have it easy when talking to non medical people in explaining your job and training. Try being a radiologist. Most people have no idea what we do or what our training is. Many don't even realize we are MDs. They usually think of the rad tech that took their x-ray.

Most people have heard and understand the term "radiologist". Try explaining to some chick in a bar that you're an "emergency physician" and you'll likely get the question about whether you want to specialize. Either that or, "So that's, like, a doctor?" Most lay people aren't even aware that emergency medicine is an approved specialty.

Docgeorge · Dec 17, 2003

Originally posted by Whisker Barrel Cortex
You guys have it easy when talking to non medical people in explaining your job and training. Try being a radiologist. Most people have no idea what we do or what our training is. Many don't even realize we are MDs. They usually think of the rad tech that took their x-ray.

This is too funny!s
My aunt tells everyone that her kids are radiologists, when in actuallity they are rad techs.

Seaglass · Sep 18, 2004

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Er/em/ed/ep

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