Patients who require medical treatment that cannot wait for a scheduled appointment with a doctor can go to an emergency room in any hospital around the world. Nurses, technicians, staff, and at least one emergency room physician are among the many people who work in the emergency room. An emergency room physician’s job is one of the most stressful jobs a doctor can have because no one can predict what kind of injury or illness will come through the door at any given time. An emergency room physician must triage patients who arrive at the emergency room, be prepared to treat a wide range of injuries, and delegate authority to the emergency room nurses and support staff.
During the course of a shift, hospital emergency rooms may treat everything from a common cold to a life-threatening bullet wound. Many hospitals have a policy of not turning anyone away from the emergency room, which means that, in addition to life-threatening emergencies, many uninsured patients and overly-concerned parents with sick children will visit an emergency room. The ability to determine who requires immediate treatment and who can wait is one of the most important tasks of an emergency room physician.
Triage isn’t always as straightforward as it appears. Some serious or life-threatening injuries are readily apparent, while others are not. A gushing bullet wound obviously requires immediate attention, but people can also be suffering from internal injuries or illnesses that are less visible but just as dangerous. A physician in an emergency room has only a few minutes to determine whether a patient’s symptoms require immediate attention or can wait.
After triage, an emergency room physician must be prepared to treat the wide range of symptoms that he or she encounters on a daily basis. An ER doctor, unlike doctors who specialize in a specific field of medicine, must have a working knowledge of all fields of medicine. An ER doctor must be knowledgeable enough to refer a patient to a specialist if one is needed, which necessitates a wide range of medical knowledge.
Aside from practicing medicine, an emergency room physician must be able to delegate authority and collaborate with other members of the ER team. In an emergency room, nurses, technicians, and staff all play important roles, and they all look to the attending physician for direction. For example, once an ER doctor determines that a patient is not in immediate danger, he may delegate the patient’s care to one of the ER nurses or order diagnostic tests on the patient to be completed by a technician.