Emergency Medicine Defined

The International Federation of Emergency Medicine defines the emergency medical specialty as a field of practice based in the knowledge and skills required for the prevention, diagnosis and management of acute and urgent aspects of illness and injury affecting patients of all age groups with a full spectrum of undifferentiated physical and behavioral disorders. Emergency medicine requires a vast, broad-based knowledge and procedural competence for many aspects of medicine and surgery. Emergency departments are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Emergency physicians are tasked with seeing a large number of patients, treating their illnesses and arranging for disposition through hospital admission or discharge from the Emergency Department after necessary treatment. In one decade — from 1996 to 2006 — the number of emergency patient visits rose from 90.3 million to 119.2 million — an increase of 32 percent or an average annual increase of nearly 3 million visits (2.9 million) per year. At the same time, the number of hospital emergency departments decreased from 4,019 to 3,833. When people believe they have conditions that threaten life or limb, they present to Emergency Departments. When people cannot obtain timely care from their primary care physicians, they too, often have no choice but to seek care in emergency departments.

If you look in my life and see what I’ve seen …
Back down memory lane… “Experiences in my third and fourth years of medical school have convinced me that the clinical setting is definitely the environment for me. These years have marked the beginning of my functioning in a capacity that I had previously only dreamed of. I thoroughly enjoyed the challenges of each rotation and could envision myself in every role – from psychiatrist to surgeon. Emergency Medicine appeals to me because of the action, variety and constant challenge the field offers. It is the one field that provides the potential for me play many roles in providing acute care and reinforces the concept of “well-rounded.” I also find the wide placement opportunities appealing… As for a future in the field of Emergency Medicine, I envision a significant number of career possibilities. Being a relatively new specialty, there is much room for expansion. With my experience in leadership, organization and creativity, I could see myself playing a vital role in establishing a residency program in an under-represented area. With my fondness for the clinical setting and skills to match, I could see myself taking on a strictly clinical career. I could also see myself expanding horizons through teaching and clinical research or even some combination of the above. Ultimately, my plans are to keep an open, flexible mind. So far, this has led to my making the best possible specialty choice for myself and I am convinced that it will lead to my making the best possible career choice…” — Pamela A. Ross, MD as written in 1991 application for Emergency Medicine Residency.

Did you know?

  • All Americans are legally entitled to receive emergency care.
  • Emergency care represents less than 2 percent (1.9 percent) of the $2.4 trillion spent on health care in the United States.
  • 95% of emergency room patients had a regular medical provider at the time of their most recent ER visit. Of those, 85% believed they could not have waited to see their regular medical provider first.
  • In July 2012, the NIH (National Institutes of Health) announced the creation of a new Office of Emergency Care Research (OECR) in order to help improve outcomes of patients who require Emergency Care. The OECR will coordinate and foster research and training in the Emergency setting.

I believe…

  • Emergency Medicine is an ESSENTIAL public service.
  • In the twinkling of an eye – you could develop a life threatening medical or surgical emergency. At any given time, you are just one heartbeat away.
  • There is nothing more inspiring (and sometimes funny) than the “real life stories” of the people whose lives intersect in Emergency Departments.
  • Good health for a nation cannot exist without good Emergency Departments – fully funded and supported.

Favorite Quotes

  • The Institute of Medicine has declared a state of emergency for the nation’s Emergency Departments. –Authur Kellerman, MD, FACEP
  • No Shirt? No shoes? No problem, Emergency Physicians stand ready to care for you under any circumstance. –Larry Bedard, MD, FACEP
  • All of us who are concerned for peace and triumph of reason and justice must be keenly aware how small an influence reason and honest good will exert upon events in the political field. — Albert Einstein
  • Do or do NOT – there is no try. —Yoda