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I posted this question several months ago, but wanted to get some more responses from fellow med students who are interested or will be pursuing emergency medicine. In a nutshell: I've been ruminating if my interest in the specialty has been a function of the fact that I have been able to do a lot during my shifts (have done 20 shifts), such as H&Ps, present to attendings, updating patients on results, and helping with ultrasound or some minor procedure -- basically being useful and involved in patient care beyond, say, retracting or endless rounding. To put another way, I think EM is popular among med students (myself included) because it's one of the few specialties that during a rotation the student is actually relied upon and can actually function as a physician in some minor ways, lest of which is being often times the first point of contact for a patient in the ED. In the back of mind, I wonder if the things that are exciting me now will wear off as an attending in my 40s or 50s. Will I still have that enthusiasm to walk into a room and determine the origin for a patient's abdominal pain? Will trying to gather a history from an elderly SNF patient who can't give a coherent history be mentally taxing?
For other EM-bound medical students or students who still are on the fence about the specialty, what are your thoughts? Do you have an reservations about pursuing EM?
For other EM-bound medical students or students who still are on the fence about the specialty, what are your thoughts? Do you have an reservations about pursuing EM?