Even if you are just at the beginning of your journey, looking for the best clinical opportunities for premed students, you should also start thinking about your future – who do you want to become? There are plenty of options, so in this article, we will focus on a particular one: emergency room physician. Is ER doctor a good job? Find out below.
What Does an ER Doctor Do?
ER doctors are responsible for assessing and attending patients in the emergency room. Their focus is on stabilizing patients (immediately or as quickly as possible) and deciding on a further course of action.
What ER doctors do, in fact, is treat multiple patients at once. They need to be able to quickly prioritize and provide care to those who need it the most. Additionally, the patients in emergency rooms come with various conditions, which can be related to any specialization, and an ER physician needs to be able to handle each of them.
Bear in mind that ER doctors are not emergency surgeons, but they may refer a patient to specialists if immediate surgery is required.
Is ER Doctor a Good Job?
To answer the question from the title, let’s look at the particular aspects of the job and decide whether an ER doctor is a good future job or not.
How Much is an ER Doctor Paid?
The first aspect we will delve into is the salary. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, an ER doctor is paid, on average, $ 152.21 per hour, which equals $ 316,600 per year. The Washington Post, on the other hand, claims that the average annual salary reaches $ 343,000. Nevertheless, it puts emergency physicians between the bottom and the middle of the ranking (when compared to other specializations), but one thing is worth pointing out here: they work fewer hours on average than most other physicians.
How Hard is an ER Doctor Job?
In terms of difficulty, it’s one of the most demanding medical jobs. People in emergencies panic and are under a lot of emotions and an ER doctor has to be able to control that and prevent chaos from wreaking havoc over the emergency room. Add to that the fact that they need to prioritize and treat several patients at once, and you can clearly see how stressful this job can be.
How Rewarding is an ER Doctor Job?
When it comes to the role, importance, and satisfaction, an ER job can be quite rewarding. Every saved life is a major success, and the gratitude of the families is something to be remembered.
Yet, an ER doctor needs to be prepared for situations when a patient doesn’t make it. This, unfortunately, is bound to happen, so as rewarding as this job may be, it’s for people who are strong emotionally and can handle heartbreaking moments.
The Takeaway
So, is ER doctor a good job? If you can work under heavy stress, make decisions quickly, and survive the saddest scenarios, it indeed is. The pay is decent, the hours are fine and the role of emergency physicians is pivotal, making it a worthwhile opportunity for those pursuing a medical career.
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