Average length of career of EM attendings?

[Turkelton]

I was wondering the average amount of years EM physicians work in their careers due to the demanding nature of the job and night/day work schedule? Is 25 to 30 years working as an ED attending common? Or due people get tired of the job or burned out before then? I'm sure it varies from individual, just curious to what others have seen.

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[Apollyon]

I've seen tons of EPs with 25 years, a few with 30, one or two with 35 (and scaled back hours), and none with 40 years on the job.

 

[SoCuteMD]

I've seen tons of EPs with 25 years, a few with 30, one or two with 35 (and scaled back hours), and none with 40 years on the job.

Well, the specialty is only 40 years old.

 

[Apollyon]

Well, the specialty is only 40 years old.

People were doing it before it was a recognized specialty.

 

[Raryn]

People were doing it before it was a recognized specialty.

Studies have shown that "burnout" is way, way lower among residency trained EPs than among FM docs that ended up working in the ED. Hence, the ratio of people quitting now after 35-40 years is probably higher than it will be once the first round of actually EM doctors gets that old.

 

[Apollyon]

Studies have shown that "burnout" is way, way lower among residency trained EPs than among FM docs that ended up working in the ED. Hence, the ratio of people quitting now after 35-40 years is probably higher than it will be once the first round of actually EM doctors gets that old.

I would think that the ratio of people quitting after 35-40 years would be high in any regard!

 

[Raryn]

I would think that the ratio of people quitting after 35-40 years would be high in any regard!

Well, if someone finished med school at 25, finished EM residency at 28, 35 years later they would be 63, which is on the low side of retirement these days. I only know a few EP's that old, but most of them are still going strong.

I was just saying that I don't think that the average length of a career for an EM-trained EM attending is any less than any other physician.

 

[SoCuteMD]

People were doing it before it was a recognized specialty.

According to Brian Zink (chair at Brown, author of Anyone, Anything, Anytime), the first emergency medicine physicians date back to the late 50s and early 60s. The first resident (Bruce Janiak at Cinci) started in 1970. Hence, the specialty is 40 years old. EM was recognized by ABMS as a specialty in 1979.

 

[Apollyon]

According to Brian Zink (chair at Brown, author of Anyone, Anything, Anytime), the first emergency medicine physicians date back to the late 50s and early 60s. The first resident (Bruce Janiak at Cinci) started in 1970. Hence, the specialty is 40 years old. EM was recognized by ABMS as a specialty in 1979.

You don't have to drop names with me. All the above I know. I can add that the "practice track" closed in 1989. Additionally, although this will sound heretical to some, Greg Daniel is actually a nice guy. And you support what I said - people were working as EM docs before it was a recognized specialty.

 

[avatarftw]

Curious, do you mean that they have worked 25,30,35,40 years as attending physicians or are you including their residency time? This is pretty interesting; I'm looking for a specialty that I can practice until I'm 80 or older.

I've seen tons of EPs with 25 years, a few with 30, one or two with 35 (and scaled back hours), and none with 40 years on the job.

 

[Colbert]

You guys are crazy. I'm looking to be done by 65, I don't need to practice for my entire life.

 

[Apollyon]

Curious, do you mean that they have worked 25,30,35,40 years as attending physicians or are you including their residency time? This is pretty interesting; I'm looking for a specialty that I can practice until I'm 80 or older.

Including 3 or 4 years of residency. The president of the former group with whom I worked now has 27 years in the can. Another guy in the group "retired" after 30+ to a drug company job with hours from Tuesday afternoon to Thursday morning (that's work time - not off time). Coincidentally, there's another guy with 37 years - the (now) retired chief here where I am remembers the guy from 1976 (who moved to where I was - small world).