toying with idea of EM- any advice for a lost 3rd year?

[abc56]

i am a female 3rd year medical student, currently considering a career in EM. not sure if this is the right place to post, but are there any female EM interns/residents out there who might be willing to PM me and answer some questions about EM and what its like?

so far my only experience has been during my medicine and surgery rotations, admitting patients from teh ER and it has been my absolute favorite thing to do.
i love the idea of seeing acute problems, making a differential, ordering appropriate tests, getting appropriate consults, working as a team, seeing a little of everything, and last but not least- shift work. i would love to have a profession where work stays at work and i can have a very fulfilling well rounded life OUTSIDE of medicine. i absolutely hate the idea of clinic, i get bored to tears. and continuity of care doesnt really matter to me at this point (actually lack of continuity is kind of appealing to me)

this all sounds fine and dandy to me now but i havent done an official EM rotation yet. i also have heard alot about the "burnout" that people experience in this field, as well as the number that it does on your self esteem

some of my good qualities: laid back, smart, kind,good sense of humor, connects well with people including strangers.
bad qualities: not the most confident person, feels stressed sometimes but im good at hiding it. trouble saying no. worries what others think

ok, so, thats a little bit about me. anyone out there wanna help a poor little lost 3rd year find her way to a happy fulfilling career in EM? i would especially appreciate the perspective of anyone who thinks they are similar to me.

thanks a bunch!
abc

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[DrQuinn]

I'm not a female... my dad always said if I was a woman, I woulda been a prostitute by the age of 16... so maybe I'm glad I'm not, but regardless, I can try to help.

It looks like you have what most of us what by your description (atleast, not re: the pros and cons but in what you like about medicine). I can't remember the last time I rounded, its been close to a year, but I know I hated it. I absolutely LOVE my job and couldn't imagine doing anything else (well, maybe radiology, but that's cause I"m jealous that they work shifts just like me, make more than I do, and get to wear workout clothes and drink gatorade while they work). Even today, I had a very busy day at work, pretty stressful and was wayyy behind in my charting, but now, looking back, it was a good shift and I saw some cool patients (tubed a 79 year old lady, Dx new colitis, two anemics requiring transfusion, post-abortion endometritis, two manics).

Do not worry so much about the burnout issue. I swear I should have it on a cut and paste key, but basically it was an issue 20-30 years ago, when those working in the ED weren't trained to work in the ED. Now, as young med students and residents, we know what we're getting into, and we go into it for the reasons we like, so, burnout is much less of a factor! I have several fellow attendings who are in their 60s and 70s, pulling 1-3 shifts a week, still making 6 figures, and still happy.

Maybe if you are on a cake rotation, FP perhaps, ask to shadow one of the ER docs in the hospital, or go to any of your school's EMIG meetings, or just peruse around here on SDN. We are a different bird indeed, but we all seem to get along with most people.

And don't worry, your confidence levels will get up. I've never met an M3 who didn't second guess themselves or were confident. (If they were confident, they came across as an a$$hole).

Q

i am a female 3rd year medical student, currently considering a career in EM. not sure if this is the right place to post, but are there any female EM interns/residents out there who might be willing to PM me and answer some questions about EM and what its like?

so far my only experience has been during my medicine and surgery rotations, admitting patients from teh ER and it has been my absolute favorite thing to do.
i love the idea of seeing acute problems, making a differential, ordering appropriate tests, getting appropriate consults, working as a team, seeing a little of everything, and last but not least- shift work. i would love to have a profession where work stays at work and i can have a very fulfilling well rounded life OUTSIDE of medicine. i absolutely hate the idea of clinic, i get bored to tears. and continuity of care doesnt really matter to me at this point (actually lack of continuity is kind of appealing to me)

this all sounds fine and dandy to me now but i havent done an official EM rotation yet. i also have heard alot about the "burnout" that people experience in this field, as well as the number that it does on your self esteem

some of my good qualities: laid back, smart, kind,good sense of humor, connects well with people including strangers.
bad qualities: not the most confident person, feels stressed sometimes but im good at hiding it. trouble saying no. worries what others think

ok, so, thats a little bit about me. anyone out there wanna help a poor little lost 3rd year find her way to a happy fulfilling career in EM? i would especially appreciate the perspective of anyone who thinks they are similar to me.

thanks a bunch!
abc