A Day In The Life Of

[GYN DOC]

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Can a practicing physician comment on an average day in the ER? Why is ER considered a lifestyle choice if you have to work nights and weekends and holidays? What is an average monthly schedule like? In practice do you have the option of choosing shift hours (8,10,12), how many night/wknds per month you want to work? Do you feel that you'll likely burn out after 10 yrs?

Lots of questions i know - just need some verification

 

[sleepymed]

Can a practicing physician comment on an average day in the ER? Why is ER considered a lifestyle choice if you have to work nights and weekends and holidays? What is an average monthly schedule like? In practice do you have the option of choosing shift hours (8,10,12), how many night/wknds per month you want to work? Do you feel that you'll likely burn out after 10 yrs?

Lots of questions i know - just need some verification

darling, i'm going to pre-empt the slaughtering by telling you to use the search function in the upper right hand corner of the screen...

 

[GYN DOC]

Actually i did use the search engine and couldn't really find anything on actual practice life. Just a lot of people commenting on crazy patients and cases. Believe me i have experience with those.

 

[roja]

there are a number of threads that adress this issue. Try using the search function for: shift work
burn out
hours
life style.

 

[docB]

Most practicing EPs work from 120 to 160 hours/month broken up in 8 to 12 hour shifts.

Most EPs do at least some nights and weekends. Some try to do a lot because many groups pay more for those shifts. Some avoid them for personal reasons. Some groups are set up so you do fewer nights and weekends as you gain age or seniority.

EM is considered a "lifestyle specialty" because we tend to work fewer actual hours per week or month than others though the hours are pretty intense. We don't do call so we're never on a pager. We don't maintain a patient base so we don't have to field calls from our patients all night.

 

[EM2BE]

Can a practicing physician comment on an average day in the ER? Why is ER considered a lifestyle choice if you have to work nights and weekends and holidays? What is an average monthly schedule like? In practice do you have the option of choosing shift hours (8,10,12), how many night/wknds per month you want to work? Do you feel that you'll likely burn out after 10 yrs?

Lots of questions i know - just need some verification

Curiosity question - were you originally interested in gyn or currently in gyn, or is the name misleading?

 

[southerndoc]

darling, i'm going to pre-empt the slaughtering by telling you to use the search function in the upper right hand corner of the screen...

I think when you post a new thread there is an auto-search feature. It's not foolproof though.

Reasons EM is a lifestyle specialty: no call, tons of time off, excellent salary.

 

[WallowaWanderer]

Do you feel that you'll likely burn out after 10 yrs

I'm hoping I can go at least 11 or 12.

 

[jazz]

Why is ER considered a lifestyle choice if you have to work nights and weekends and holidays?

some groups are better than others b/c they have dedicated night guys which means that your nights are few and far in between.

but even having to work nights/weekends beats a lot of other specialties. i've seen cardiologists in the hospital on weekends at 8am rounding on their entire practice's patients and then they are still in the ER at 6pm seeing all the consults.. that is in addition to working 5 days a week and possibly taking call over the weeknights

we may be up all night but we get to sleep the next day. for IM, surgery, and a lot of the medicine subspecialties you are answering calls all night and then have to work/operate the entire next day....


in EM if you work the weekend (2 shifts), then you probably only have 1-2 the following week and a ton of time off....

obviously, other better lifestyle specialties are derm, ophtho, etc

 

[brianmartin]

and a lot of the medicine subspecialties you are answering calls all night and then have to work/operate the entire next day....

Isn't that only if you are on call?

 

[GYN DOC]

Thanks guys for answering. A friend actually turned me on to studentdoctor network and let me use her sign on. All med students should know about this.

I like the fast pace atmosphere of the ER. After realizing that its all orchestrated chaos - everyone knows their role and their place - they're just doing it all at the same time, I definetely started to feel more comfortable in our Room 9 (trauma room).
How do you feel about not knowing what happens to your patients after they come in from a carwreck and get sent to the ICU or surgery? Do you feel yourselves getting jaded and cynical about your repeat offenders? How do you feel about being in the back of the scenes and not really getting the recognition you deserve - at least pat on the back? How do you feel about never actually being on top in terms of efficiency - the ER is always backed up? I realized the only real thing i liked about OB (the field i considered) was the triage room!

 

[GYN DOC]

Also, i guess i was wondering about the lifestyle of an ER doc because if you have a working spouse the only time they're home is at night and on the weekends - so if you're gone during those hours (no matter how much time you have off on days and in between) you dont see your family. Most offers i saw were 12 hr shifs 7a-7p with no comment on nights/weekends. One person posted that they're variable - but on average how many nights/wkends - and can you tell a hospital/practice how many u want to work?

 

[docB]

Thanks guys for answering. A friend actually turned me on to studentdoctor network and let me use her sign on. All med students should know about this.

I highly suggest opening your own account. The other way confuses people and if you like the forums as much as you seem to you'll keep coming back throughout your training. I started as an EM PGY 2 and I'm still here.

I like the fast pace atmosphere of the ER. After realizing that its all orchestrated chaos - everyone knows their role and their place - they're just doing it all at the same time, I definetely started to feel more comfortable in our Room 9 (trauma room).
How do you feel about not knowing what happens to your patients after they come in from a carwreck and get sent to the ICU or surgery?

We actually get a lot of feedback and some of it is positive. It's easy to ask who ever took the patient to the OR what happened. That's without the weeks of handholding the patient through recovery.

Do you feel yourselves getting jaded and cynical about your repeat offenders?

Yes. See here:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=257985
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=362755

How do you feel about being in the back of the scenes and not really getting the recognition you deserve - at least pat on the back?

I am the lord of the fish bowel. Seriously, recognition in medicine is not usually as cool as it sounds. We can live without it.

How do you feel about never actually being on top in terms of efficiency - the ER is always backed up? I realized the only real thing i liked about OB (the field i considered) was the triage room!

You get used to the chaos. What looks like a disaster to most we call Thursday. It is annoying when it really gets out of control but that's not every day. It is about once a week though.

 

[southerndoc]

I am the lord of the fish bowel. Seriously, recognition in medicine is not usually as cool as it sounds. We can live without it.

I agree. If you go into medicine for recognition, then you went into medicine for all the wrong reasons. (We aren't even considered one of the most admirable career choices anymore according to USNews & World Report.)

I love it when patients send thank you letters or express their thanks, but I don't expect it. For me, the sense of helping someone, either treating their disease in the ED or referring them to someone who can treat it, is rewarding enough for me. It's the act, not the result that gives me satisfaction.

 

[EMCC]

I agree. If you go into medicine for recognition, then you went into medicine for all the wrong reasons. (We aren't even considered one of the most admirable career choices anymore according to USNews & World Report.)

I love it when patients send thank you letters or express their thanks, but I don't expect it. For me, the sense of helping someone, either treating their disease in the ED or referring them to someone who can treat it, is rewarding enough for me. It's the act, not the result that gives me satisfaction.

I totally agree! When I save someone's life/diagnose them, I don't expect any thanks or gifts. But, the rare occasion when the family does thank me with chcolates/a card, etc absolutely puts me on cloud nine for about a week. I even listen to the narc seekers as they explain their sob story about why they couldn't follow up and are back in my ED... (sigh)... But then I think about the gift and get happy again😀

 

[maxbaner]

I know it depends on location, group size, etc. but what is the most typical work schedule for ER physicians? As well as pay, amount of paid vacation, etc? Any info for around the midwest area: OH, IN, MI, IL?

 

[docB]

I know it depends on location, group size, etc. but what is the most typical work schedule for ER physicians? As well as pay, amount of paid vacation, etc? Any info for around the midwest area: OH, IN, MI, IL?

Here's the obligatory admonition to read the FAQ and use the search. They really isn't a "typical" schedule. There are so many ways to do scheduling it's impossible to list. EM scheduling is flexible. Paid vacation is usually none. You get paid for the hours you work or the patients you see or a mix of both. In private groups it's rare to get paid vacation.

 

[GYN DOC]

Paid maternity leave?

 

[sexyman]

I feel like you can take more vacations when they are NOT paid though...ha

 

[southerndoc]

Paid maternity leave?

You're asking questions that are job specific, not career specific. It's equivalent to asking if an office worker can get paid maternity leave. Paid vacation, sick time, maternity/paternity leave, insurance, malpractice, etc. are all position and contract specific. Some jobs offer no benefits (not even malpractice), while others are all inclusive.

 

[docB]

Paid maternity leave?

In general no. But that's not just EM. In most specialties you get paid for the patients you see, not some set salary. If you're not seeing patients, no pay. But EM is actually easier. If you are a doc with an office based practice and you take 3 months off for baby duty you'll lose your whole patient base. You won't have anyone to see when you try to come back. In EM you can come back and you'll see a full load on your first day back.