What is an emergency medicine specialist and what do they do?
Emergency medicine specialists, also called emergency physicians
or emergency room (ER) doctors, are trained in acute illnesses
or injuries that need immediate medical attention. They diagnose
and treat a variety of illnesses and stabilize patients to
prepare them for additional care (such as surgery) or for
release after treatment. Emergency medicine doctors typically
practice in hospital emergency rooms or other emergency-care
facilities, as well as urgent care facilities. The knowledge
base of emergency medicine specialists is very broad, as they
need vast education and training in aspects of anesthesiology,
cardiology, surgery, plastic surgery, orthopedics and other
specialties. Their training, however, emphasizes stabilization
of the critically ill patient. Education includes four years of
medical school followed by 3-5 years of specialty training. They
are certified after an examination administered by the American
Board of Emergency Medicine