Undergrad Institution; Degree and Major:
Emory University, BS – Anthropology & Human Biology
Medical School:
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
In practice since:
2006
Your Specialty:
Emergency Medicine
Where and for how many years did you train AFTER medical school:
Northwestern University, four years (Emergency Medicine is either 3 or 4 years; NW is a 4-year program)
How did you choose your specialty?
Emergency Medicine "felt" the best – the people, the pace of care, the environment, the genuine team-based approach to care, the immediate gratification
What do you like MOST, and like LEAST, about your specialty?
- Most: variety & constant cognitive stimulation. The fact that we care for anyone, anywhere, at any time for anything without regard for age, sex, gender, resources, housing status, language, national origin, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, employment status, etc…
- Least: Constant interruption (see above), nights & weekends, lack of consistency re: schedule
In your opinion, what attributes are important in anyone choosing this specialty?
- Flexibility & adaptability
- Comfort with uncertainty
- Ability to see beyond yourself and realize that the ED functions because of the team, not "the doctor;"
- A thick skin