EM vs. Trauma Surg: Why'd you choose EM?

[substanceP]

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While in medical school, did anyone ever seriously consider trauma surgery as a career choice before deciding on EM? The results from my search on this topic mainly showed threads on the similarities and differences between EM and trauma surgery. What were the factors that made you choose EM? Lifestyle? Salary? See a wider range of pathology? Friendlier, less aggressive coworkers? Shorter training period? Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. --sp

 

[OSUdoc08]

While in medical school, did anyone ever seriously consider trauma surgery as a career choice before deciding on EM? The results from my search on this topic mainly showed threads on the similarities and differences between EM and trauma surgery. What were the factors that made you choose EM? Lifestyle? Salary? See a wider range of pathology? Friendlier, less aggressive coworkers? Shorter training period? Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. --sp

1. No on-call
2. No babysitting in the SICU
3. No standing over a patient in the OR for hours
4. No dealing with surgeons personalities for extended periods of time
5. Variety of patients
6. Chance to use your brain to diagnose instead of repairing something you can see
7. Shorter residency

 

[12R34Y]

1. No on-call
2. No babysitting in the SICU
3. No standing over a patient in the OR for hours
4. No dealing with surgeons personalities for extended periods of time
5. Variety of patients
6. Chance to use your brain to diagnose instead of repairing something you can see
7. Shorter residency

Ditto to most of the above. Although I've met many a critical care surgeon who definately use their brains in the SICU setting.

Having said that....I could NOT ever imagine standing in the OR for the rest of my life. I HATE the OR. If all of the surgeries were about 30 minutes long it might be cool (for me).

I also despise floor work and that is a LARGE part of what surgery is. Most surgeons don't spend all day every day in the OR. They have to manage their inpatients and round and round and round day after day as well.

So none of the things I've mentioned above have anything to do with EM. I guess that would be the "differences" part of your question.

The fun part of trauma can be managed by EM ie. the first 10 to 20 minutes or so........Emergent airways, vascular access, FAST exams, occasionally placing a chest tube if needed etc.....

I personally don't think that trauma surgery and EM have that much in common. just my opinion though.

later

 

[BKN]

.....

I personally don't think that trauma surgery and EM have that much in common. just my opinion though.

later

Agree. Working in the only level 1 center ED for hundreds of miles, less than 17% of our business is trauma. I like it that way. After 25 years of doing it, the trauma part is the most routine, least interesting--follow the cookbook. Medical resuscitations and diagnosis don't get old, because they are much more varied and puzzling.

 

[UCLA2000]

1. No on-call
2. No babysitting in the SICU
3. No standing over a patient in the OR for hours
4. No dealing with surgeons personalities for extended periods of time
5. Variety of patients
6. Chance to use your brain to diagnose instead of repairing something you can see
7. Shorter residency

agreed.

Also throw in the ability to have a family and outside interests.

 

[roja]

ditto all of hte above.

I actually like the OR but certainly not enough to have to do all the other things that trauma surgeons do. Not even close. While I loved trauma surgery as a med student(the OR part) I never considered it an option.

Surgeons life styles suck. No getting around it. You have to basically not be able to imagine doing anything else to put up with what they do.

If you think EM will satisfy your desire to be in the OR you will most likely make a very unhappy EP. If you can only see yourself in the OR and managing surgical patients, EM is not for you.

You have to go into EM because you like EM. Trauma is only a small part of what you do in the ER: medicine, peds, gyn, fast track, ortho, rads, etc you have to enjoy it all

 

[basementbeastie]

there are lots of hot ED nurses.....not so many hot OR nurses....

 

[turtle md]

My interest in trauma ends after the secondary survey is completed. The OR, the floor, the rehab, the floor, the call, the floor... not my style.

Like they said above, the best part of trauma is the first 10-15 minutes. After that, let the surgeons' babysit their patients on the floor.

 

[turtle md]

there are lots of hot ED nurses.....not so many hot OR nurses....

In the ED, the nurse move all over - good exercise. In the OR, they just stand there. The hottest nurses are definately in the ED! 👍

 

[EctopicFetus]

In the ED, the nurse move all over - good exercise. In the OR, they just stand there. The hottest nurses are definately in the ED! 👍

👍 agreed. Throw in the fact that I am married, would like to spend time with my wife and kids (when I have them). That and hobbies...

 

[Febrifuge]

So, to sum up: more and better opportunities to spend with family, coupled with more and better opportunities to hang out with hotties when not able to be with family.

Plus some stuff about rounding and call and whatnot that my feeble brain just parses as static. "Scchhhhshshshhhhhhh." I am assuming this is a protective adaptation and I don't need to get into it.

 

[Jeff698]

My interest in trauma ends right after I realize I do any cool procedures (or right after I realize there are none to be done). I suspect that once I get comfortable with the cool procedures, my interest in trauma will end shortly before EMS brings them in the front door.

I loved trauma as a brand new paramedic. After several years in the field, however, I dreaded it. Give me a really sick person any day.

Take care,
Jeff

 

[turtle md]

did i mention i am on trauma now? i am soooooo looking forward to getting back to the ED.

 

[canjosh]

In the ED, the nurse move all over - good exercise. In the OR, they just stand there. The hottest nurses are definately in the ED! 👍

Lots of bending and stooping, too. You just have to strategically put yourself in the right place at the right time.

 

[papichulodoc]

I loved my trauma rotation as a student! But I couldn't bring myself to do five years of 4 hour long cholecystectomies and appies to get to the promised land, just to do another two year fellowship!

 

[bartleby]

As a trauma surgeon, you get to go through a surgery residency (5 years of non-stop fun IF you're in a program that doesn't require another two years of research) then a two year fellowship to be a surgeon who rarely gets to operate. With the advent of CT, modern interventional radiology techniques, and non-operative treatment of splenic injuries, a slim minority of trauma patients get to go to the OR at the hands of the trauma service. This is a good thing for the patients...but the trauma surgeons have been victims of their own success in this regard.

 

[roja]

In the ED, the nurse move all over - good exercise. In the OR, they just stand there. The hottest nurses are definately in the ED! 👍

In our program, the nurses AND the residents are all hot. I'm sure our 80% female:male ratio of residents has *nothing* to do with anything.