Below is a conversation with an anonymous intern at an emergency medicine residency program. This post is part of our interview series with residents across various medical specialties to help medical students decide which path is right for them. Let’s dive in!
For a side-by-side comparison of each medical specialty, check out this FREE Medical Specialties Breakdown download including required exam scores, salaries, and more!
What drew you to emergency medicine residency?
The excitement! You really never know what’s going to happen in the ED at any given moment, and you’re never bored. I also appreciated how emergency medicine was all shift work. When you’re off the clock, you’re off the clock. No pages, no being on call. This was really important to me and my work-life balance.
Beyond that, there are so many other things I love about emergency medicine. It’s a privilege to be the first point of contact for a patient coming into the hospital, who’s potentially very nervous and scared. I love being there for my patients—talking to them, helping care for them, coming up with a management plan and advocating for them. I’ve seen so many different types of people and heard all different types of stories in my short time in emergency medicine residency and look forward to this lifelong career.
Were you considering any other fields?
I considered a lot of different fields, but mostly surgery or OB/GYN. I really love procedures and being hands-on, so that’s why I was initially drawn to surgical fields. But by the time I finished my surgery rotations, I was exhausted and even though I loved it, it just was not for me personally.
I was a bit lost about what to do until I had my EM rotation at the very beginning of my fourth year and completely fell in love. I hadn’t had much exposure to EM throughout medical school, as typically most schools save EM for fourth year.
EM residents are trained in a lot of procedures, so you get to be very hands-on but at the same time you can have a balanced lifestyle, which is much more difficult to maintain in a surgical residency. I will say it can be difficult flip-flopping between days and nights, but emergency medicine residency programs implement strategies to make these transitions easier.
As a side note, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with considering lifestyle in your decision-making process for the career you will be doing for the rest of your life. Some people look down on considering lifestyle factors in medicine, but times are changing, and people are paying more attention to burn out and wellness factors across all specialties in graduate medical education. Everyone is different in what they can handle and what they value, and you have to choose the best and most sustainable career for yourself.
Are you happy in your emergency medicine residency?
Yes, absolutely. We work really hard during our shifts and it can be stressful and overwhelming at times, but I love working really hard and helping my patients. I also love being relieved of my responsibilities knowing I’m entrusting the care of my patient to another amazing resident coming on shift!
Like I mentioned before, I love the work-life balance of EM—I get random days off during the week to run errands. Having the day off on a Tuesday is wonderful! Everything is open, there’s no traffic, and places aren’t busy during business hours. This is a (very small) definite perk for me. Don’t take the little things for granted!
What fellowships can you pursue after residency? Are you considering any?
I’m considering a critical care fellowship! There are plenty of other fellowships that you can do out of EM like ultrasound, wilderness medicine (how cool is that), toxicology, peds EM, hyperbaric and undersea medicine (again, how cool), emergency medical services (EMS) and disaster medicine, even hospice and palliative care medicine. There are really a lot of different routes you can take, which is great.
What advice do you have for medical students interested in emergency medicine?
It’s difficult to assess your interest in EM because like I mentioned earlier, at most medical schools, EM is a fourth-year rotation. However, I encourage you to get out there and shadow! Ask your school if it would be possible for you to shadow in the ED for a shift or two. It’s not the same as actually rotating, but it can give you a bit of a taste so you can see if it is something you’re interested in. Best of luck on your journey!
Want to hear more from other residents across various medical specialties? Check out these other interviews on the Blueprint Med School blog!
