The million-dollar question… why did I choose Emergency Medicine?
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My interest in Emergency Medicine began as an undergraduate student at Arizona State University. Most of the volunteer opportunities were in the Emergency Department, so I received most of my early exposure then. The Emergency Medicine physicians that I have met throughout my pre-medical and medical school training were always enthusiastic, fun, and seemed to love their job. They made it tough for me to love another field of medicine.
That being said, I still planned to go into surgery all throughout medical school, up until it was time for me to apply for residency. I made a last minute career switch to Emergency Medicine when I realized I wasn’t excited about my lifestyle as a surgeon. Once I allowed that change to happen mentally, I was SO excited and happy for my future.
The role of an Emergency Medicine physician involves seeing each patient that checks into the Emergency Department, deciding what tests are necessary to rule out life threatening diagnoses, attempting to provide them with a diagnosis, and then a disposition- to admit them to the hospital or send them home. Of course that’s the black and white answer. There is a whole lot of grey… but we’ll discuss that elsewhere. Some Emergency Departments accept trauma patients (severe motor vehicle collisions, gunshot wounds, stabbings, severe falls, etc), and this depends on location and physician staffing. In these departments, the role of the ED physician may vary and range from a large amount of participation in management of the trauma patient to none. Of course, these patients can walk in the door of any emergency department, however the EMS system in each county tries to keep that from happening.
I noticed that when I started meeting more people in Emergency Medicine, and spending time in the department in medical school, I really felt like I fit in with the staff. This was extremely important to me, as I knew the days would be long and hard in residency. I hoped to find a career where my work colleagues were like family and I could lean on them during the stressful times. Emergency Medicine has never disappointed in that sense. I spend a lot of time laughing at work. Counter intuitive right? Considering I see many critically ill patients, you would think the laughter part would be lacking. The dynamic between my colleagues and myself is one for which I am so thankful. We tend to display a rather dry humor that reminds us we are lucky to be alive, and provides us energy to care for our patients.
Emergency Medicine provides a variety of patients- some sick and some healthy, some very alive and some dying. The field leaves nothing to the imagination. I see things you couldn’t even make up in your head; this is both entertaining and educational. I have the honor of seeing people at their most vulnerable and terrified moments, where I can delicately care for their psyche and emotions with my knowledge base and diagnostic skills. There are pediatric, middle-aged, and elderly patients, in large amounts! The ED is a bustling, fast-paced, busy environment that allows me to see up to 30 patients during one shift. Some days I am dead tired, and some days I am full of energy and motivation.
The best thing about Emergency Medicine by far- there is never a dull moment and I am never bored, due to its variety and my amazing colleagues.
So glad you finally finished! Can’t wait to read all you post, I hope to work as an emergency medicine physician one day!!!!
Your insta is def one of my top 3 faves…SO i I’m super EXCITED for your blog…you are so inspiring! Thank you for all that you do!
Thank you so much! You’re so sweet. I hope you continue to enjoy it!
Dear Doctor,
You are very clear about Emergency Medicine. Your Decision making is perfectly right which requires in your profession. All the Best.
Love this post! Am currently studying for my USMLE’s, with a goal of Emergency Medicine for residency, too. So funny, I also always thought surgery, and changed my mind to emerg for the same reasons as you. So happy I found you through Instagram! Love seeing mother doctor babes killing it!!!
@titaszlachetka
http://www.lifeoftita.com
Good luck my love! Go get those dreams!
Oops! I mean other doctor babes (not mother haha)
Tita xx
I have to say, your story to reaching EMERGENCY medicine is strikingly similar to mine!!! You are such an inspiration to me (I’m currently a 1st year Em resident). Thank you so much for all that you do!! 💙
I absolutely love hearing your story! It is so inspiring!!!
I love this! Trying to pick a spexialty now and This insight is helpful!
THANKS FOR This post! I am using this time to learn all I can about different specialties, so this was REALLY HELPFUL 🙂
Love this! Currently a Second year meDical student that worked as a scribe in the ED during undergrad. I rEally relate to the enthusiasm being FueleD from other emergency medicine physicians!
Love this post! As a student interested in pursuing emergency medicine, this has been extremely BENEFICIAL to hear working with coworkers brings you so much happiness. I look up to you so much!
@peytoncefalone
I have always connected with the ER, ever since I knew of it. I was born in india and moved here at the age of 11. There is no such thing as an “Emergency Room” in India and fortunately up until 2015, I hadn’t had the need to go to the ER. But when I did, it was all hell break lose. From going every month to going every week, the ER had become a second home. It was so routined (and yet I remember each one vividly); pt (my mom) and daughter (me) come to get the pt’s lungs tapped… up until the last visit. This was different. Each visit was filled w/ rollercoaster of emotions, primary one being scared. Scared of the multiple unknown.
Now as I experience the emergency department from the other shoe, as a Medical Scribe, I recollect my experience before every pt interaction. Though I am limited in my interaction, actions and a simple ‘thank you’ speaks volumes. I am going to be Starting medical school this fall and Pursuing to be an er physiciAn is defInitely on the top of my list.
Wow, what a story. I can imagine this will help you in your future endeavors should you choose to work in the Emergency Department!
Your posts are always so great. I am an MS1, and have been super interested in EM for so long now. I love following along with the pieces of your life that you share, because i feel like it helps me envision different aspects of my life when I finally get through to the other side.
Yes yes yes!! Working in the ER as a PA, and I relate so much to this got drawn into this specialty bc of the people and felt like my personality meshed well with the ER staff.
I used to scribe in the ED and I’m now a current medical student going through the same decision-making process as you; however, I always find myself still loving EM as I explore new options. Thank you for being a wonderful role model and transparently showing all aspects of your lifestyle.
Thank you for being a part of this special community!
I love rEading all your eD stories. Makes me feel like im not the only one experiencing the crazy involveD with working in the ER.
I am a first year medical studenT and torn between surgery and EM so this post really hit home with me. I defiNitely relate to being drawn towards the people who work with EM and Liking the lifestyle better. Thanks for your insight!
I’m an MS1 considering going into EM. I can’t wait to read all your new content!!
Yay! I hope you enjoy it all 🙂
You are such an insPiration to Women in healthcare! I’m a second year studying for step 1 right now and whenever i feel down i look to your insta! you’re proof that we can have iT all if we want to! #beautyandbrains
YES – these are all the reasons I love emergency medicine! During my first 2 years of medical school Ive been volunteering with an EM doc as “fun” time for me. Few things get me as excited as getting to do a shift with my favorite doctor. Another perk of emergency medicine for me is being able to move around easier! My fiance is active duty army and not a lot of fields offer as much flexibility to work with his schedule.
Love that relationship combo! Similar to C and I 🙂
I initially began following you when my husband was in med school and was pretty set on going into Emergency med. he ended up DECIDING To Go for internal medicine and is Finishing up his first year of residency yay! But, i love how relatable and fun your content is and enjoyed the read!
your website is really beautiful and thought out really well. 5/5 quality and so easy to navigate.
Just want to let you know that when i click on the box that says “save my name, email, and website in this browser…” And press submit it says “Error” (ive posted on a previous post and thought it would work since i checked the box but i have to still type my name and email. no biggie but thought id share.
Hi! Im so glad the website is easier to navigate and use. The last one was questionable! I will look into this issue regarding comments. Thank you for bringing it to my attention!
I am currently in my emergency MediCine module in pa school and am absolutely loving it. I hope to have a preceptor like you for my ed rotation to continue to learn and grow. Thank you for this Post! 🙂
I love how your last minute decision has led to so much joy and peace in your career. Im a current med student still trying to figure out what specialty i want to go intO, so its great to hear that going with your gut can work out!!
You are an inspIration to me as a female physician! I am startinG medical school this sUmmer. Grateful to hear your story!
as a current medical student, i love reading about your path through medicine! It is reassuring to know that switching plans up until applying for residency isn’t that uncommon. Thank you for sharing!
Your posts always excite me. I start PA school in september and emergency medicine is definitely in interest of mine after fOllowing you for years. Thank you!
Yes!! All thiS yes. I chose EM too and just matched to my number 1!
AMAZING! Congratulations!!
I’ve followed you for a while now and i always love hearing about why you chose emergency medicine. I’m almost finished with nursing school and pursuing the ED!
So inspirationnal. Thank you for sharing your journey!
I love the way that you describe Emergency medicine. i’m currently in pa school so im constantly considering which specialty i’ll choose after graduation. i was a scribe in the ed throughout undergrad and loved the dynamic that the ed had, especially between providers. you described it perfectly, from the thought process of diagnosing a patient to the humor between your coworkers. i’m thankful for my time in the ed as a scribe because I was able to see so many varying cases/complaints that i have been able to apply my experiences in pa school. i definitely love the ed for all of the same reasons that you do and it’s near the top of my list of possible future specialities. <3
So cool you are a scribe! It is seriously a great option to get your feet wet and immerse yourself in a cool learning environment. Good luck to you!
as a nursing student highly considering working in the Ed at a hospital with a level I trauma center, your passion for your work and how happy your job makes you is so inspiring!
Emergency medicine was one of my favorite rotations by far, because of the people i met during my training. They were so fun and so willing to teach, which made it such a comfortable eNvironment. The amount of teamwork in em is incredible!
i first started out my job as a scribe in the ed and loved it. this was pretty surprising to me since i was petrified about messing things up and the fast-paced environment. i’m currently a scribe in im and fm, but look fondly on my time in the ed. what i love about em is how unpredictable things are, how much i learn about the human experience, and how fast things move (the thing i was scared of initially!). i had to be ready to adapt to anything and stay motivated in order to keep things moving as smooth as possible. em is a definite possibility i will have to consider when i get to medical school.
thank you for all that you do Dr. majestic!
Yes!! And believe it or not, it becomes “normal” as you get used to it. 🙂 Good luck in your future endeavors!
This was Great. Its normally hard to understand what goes into emergency reSidency without seeing it in person, but you did a great Job immersing us in your thought process. Very helpful for those of us who are trying to figure out what path to foLlow.
Love that you laugh at work. Its so important to love what you do….especially in your line of work. Its so cool that EMERGENCY medicine chose you thats when you know YOU’RE where your meant to be. Im a special education teacher and never thought i would be doing thaT lol! ! Thank you for all you do!
Ps…Im a former sun devil tOo!
Yes!! Go Devils!
I love reading about why you love emergency medicine! I started out all my healthcare experience as an Emt for pa school, and naturally fell in love with emergency medicine. I loved the thrill of the unknown and helping people on their hardest day. So excited for your new weBsite! You go girl.
Im a third year hoping to match EM next year. I have loved following your journey, so inspirational ❤️
Soon to be EM intern and love reading your why emergency medicine every time I come across it! Thank you for everything you do!
Love my coworkers in the ED. People don’t get why I continue to work in school, but it’s because I feel like I’m hanging out with friends + work.
I am a PA student who is graduating this June. I am currently in my emergency medicine rotation which has gone completely online with COVID-19 restrictions. I am so disappointed to miss out on this opportunity, having been an ER Patient Care Tech prior to PA school, I was so excited to have the chance to see patients in the ED, comfort them in their time of need, learn so much, and of course practice all the procedures I’ve been learning about for 2 years. I am hoping there will be opportunity for hands on learning after graduation and hoping to work with mentors who can help me fill this deficit of experience. Learning online at home in simulated cases is so different!
I can imagine that was such a let down. I will be hoping for your life and clinical experiences to go back to normal soon!
I love emergency medicine! I’m currently in P.A school and Emergency Med is what my background is in prior to school. I worked for 3 years in an E.R in California and loved every minute of it. Hoping to get back into it once i graduate!!!
I work in the ER too and have to agree with you – every day is different and it’s never boring! Some days are amazing and so rewarding and others are grueling and drain the energy right out of you! I love hearing your stories from the ER and I’m so excited to read them on your new website!!
I’m a pharmacist and fell into it the same way you did. Saw my cousin enjoying her job so much and was jealous. I practice in the inpatient setting though at the hospital. Most people hear pharmacist and automatically think CVS or Rite Aid but is hospital pharmacists are working behind the scenes!
I think one of the the things that resonates with me the most about emergency medicine is definitely the teamwork, and it’s apparent in your post as well! I enjoy working with my colleagues (I’m only a year and a half into nursing!) and there’s never a shift that goes by that I don’t learn something. I’m constantly making mental notes for myself!
Love hearing your updates and I’m excited for what’s ahead!
I identify with this! I basically fell into becoming an ER nurse. It felt like home!
I’m a second year Pediatrics resident, and I really appreciate you being a role model for pre-meds, med students, and residents. I am working on my own blog now because of women physicians like you who inspire me! 🙂
Thank you! Good luck on your blog! Such a labor of love xo
I have been considering going into Emergency Medicine. Thank you for sharing a little bit about what it’s like!
Love this blog post! I’m an MS3 applying to EM this fall, and can’t wait to join this amazing speciality. Thank you for all that you do!
Love this. Worked as an ER scribe and loved it
This is so inspirational and interesting to read! I am writing my MCAT this summer and am hoping to go into emergency medicine one day as well. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Wonderful!
I strongly believe this field of medicine chose me as much as I chose it. I was most terrified for my rotation in EM tried to switch it out twice…..but moment I went in for my first I had the feeling of being alive and connected to “my people”. I found every opportunity to get back to the ED on other rotations throughout school. I love my job and also grateful to meet patients at some of their most vulnerable times with a warm smile, open ear for listening and taking action when needed.
Thank you for posting!
-Katie S.
Same! Everything that has come to me in life has “chosen” me per say. You just have to listen to those voices when they tell you to take a chance!
You are so inspiring! So blessed our country has a great doctor like you! Emergency medicine seems so interesting! I have thought about going into it, once I’m done with school. 💕
Thank you for your dedication to medicine and sharing such great content!
WOW. I also just made a relatively last minute decision to pursue EM instead of surgery in the 2021 Match! I had my heart set on surgery, but after rotating in the ED and experiencing the incredible team-oriented, supportive, high-energy environment… I was SOLD. While EM is certainly not a “lifestyle” specialty I totally see how it’s a specialty that works for multi-passionate women in medicine! I am so beyond excited about my life now that I have chosen Emergency Medicine and read some of your blog posts!!
Congratulations! I’m happy you found your calling in life, I know how that feels and I’m proud of you for listening to your gut!
I love your account! I’m currently waiting to hear back from some med schools. I’m interested in emergency medicine because of the flexibility after residency. Go buckeyes 🙂
Love reading your blog posts and seeing your IG posts about your career. It inspires so many of us, including me, and I can’t wait to practice EM!
Will be applying to medical school this cycle with hopes of becoming and EM. Love this and only confirms my decision!
Such an inspiring story. I loved working in the ED as a nurse tech!! I’m working towards becoming a NP right now and would love to work in the ED! The doctors are the best
I can’t wait for rotations to see what fits my personality the best! I love procedures and know that the ER has plenty of them!
I was exposed to the ER when I started scribing in my undergrad years, and I loved the energy and personality of the healthcare providers there! Like you said, it’s also great that every day is a new day with different challenges.
This is so inspirational💕
I love how you tell us about your medical aspect of life!! This blog is such an inspiration to those wanting to branch out into the medical field! Love it ❤
I’m so happy for you, you finally got to reveal your updated blog!! As a pre-med student you are such an inspiration to me and I look forward to your Instagram stories everyday!
I’m an emergency medicine PA and I definitely made the right decision! Love that you never know what’s going to walk through those doors
I am an OB/GYN nurse, so I love reading about the ED life ❤️
It’s so inspiring to hear about your journey and how you came to your choice of specialty. I am beginning medical school this fall and I am so excited to experience all the different specialties. I also worked as a scribe in the ED and I LOVED it. It’s true.. the doctors there are a different breed, just manage to make a joke about so many things in such stressful, intense situations and most of all, they really work as a team. I loved that the most!
Yes! It’s the only way to get through some of the dreary days in the Emergency Department. I love my ED family!
I love how you explained you felt like you fit in with the rest of the team in Emergency medicine! Thank you for sharing this!
Thanks so much for sharing! Picking a specialty seems so daunting as a current third year. It’s helpful to hear about how other people went through the process!
I wasn’t a fan of emergency medicine as a student but somehow ended up working in it and loving it!! So glad I was able to work with you despite the COVID mess 🙂
I love your content so much! It is very inspiring!
As a future medical student (starting this July 😨) I love to hear other physicians stories on how they picked their specialty! I have heard countless times, I was going into peds, derm, etc when I realized fam medicine, surgery, etc was actually my true calling! Aka always keep an open mind I guess, right? Love what you said about the dry humor in the ER. I’ve shadowed a few emergency med docs and for some reason they (and the other staff) tend to all carry a dry sense of humor that I enjoy and find very funny. I suppose the setting plays a large role, and attracts like minded people! As always, love the content 💓
Dr. Majestic,
Thanks for being such an inspiration! I’m in my second year of medical school and my top choice is EM. I was a scribe in undergrad and just fell in love with the atmosphere, people, and everything else in the emergency department. Most of the faculty in the ED at my school are males, so it’s so awesome to see a female physician in the field. Striving to be like you some day!
Thank you! You can be whatever you want to be. Listen to the little callings along the way and one day, I swear, you’ll wake up and think, “holy crap this is my dream life”! It takes work, of course, but anything is possible, ANYTHING!
So thankful for great EM doctors! As a former ED nurse now turned CC APP I have a new appreciation for the decisions you all have to make in a pretty timely manner. Thank you for everything you do!
Hi again,
I’m sure you would of been an amazing surgeon if you ended up in the field but I am glad you’re in the ER. I’m in nursing school and your instagram really inspires me. Sometimes I want to go to school to become an MD. My boyfriend currently works in the ER and he says it is never boring and loves the aspect of it being like a family as well. Thank you for sharing and telling us a little more about the world inside the ED!
Thanks for posting this! I’m trying to decide what route to take as a premed. I’m going into my junior year so this was super helpful to give me an insight into emergency medicine and what it’s like! 💛
I am currently in undergrad taking all of my prerequisites for PA school. I love following along & reading about your experiences in the emergency department. You are an inspiration!
That’s so awesome! I’ve always wanted to know more about emergency medicine!
I’m premed so I’m not even in med school yet but I’m already afraid I’m going to be super indecisive when my comes to decide! I’m currently most interested in surgery, EM, and OB/GYN but know to have an open mind regardless! Anyway, I love hearing every doctor’s story for choosing their specialty so thanks for sharing yours!
Ah Emergency Medicine! Being an ED nurse, I have similar thoughts to you as well. Like you said, never a dull moment and so much to learn, each and every shift! Us ED people are all so similar in a way, and it’s a totally different mindset than most of the other fields to go into. I love hearing about your love for the ED! Thanks for all you do, you are an inspiration! ❤️
Your blog is so inspiring! I love that you followed your passion! Can’t wait to read all of your posts!
Love hearing your insight on why you chose Emergency Medicine. I have always had a heart for Labor and Delivery, but have recently been considering the ER. Thanks for sharing <3
I love this!! ER holds a special place in my heart. I worked in ER as patient registration and loved it. The energy, environment, all the things. I so was amazed by the nurses and physicians. You all are rockstars. I met some of the best people in that time. I love seeing that incredible side of those individuals. I can’t thank you enough for what you do.