A DAY IN THE LIFE
The Docs Who Wear Many Hats : Emergency Medicine
Aaron Kuzel , DO , University of Louisville Clinical Instructor of Emergency Medicine , posing with Airmethods Kentucky-7 EC 135
Helicopter after a scene flight to University of Louisville Hospital .
by AARON R . KUZEL , DO , MBA
Gently , I lay my coat at my station . I log into the EMR and mentally prepare myself for another shift . Before I have a chance to review my charts from the previous day ’ s labor or take a sip of my most precious caffeinated beverage , I am immediately thrust into action : a trauma , a crashing patient or an emergent procedure . This is the day in the life of emergency physicians , not only in Louisville , but across the nation , and moreover , the globe . We are built differently . As a gentle colleague from Oklahoma surmised , we are firefighters trapped in a burning building with a single fire extinguisher attempting to squelch fires in all directions . We try to hold the fire at bay or extinguish them rapidly . Emergency physicians flourish in chaos , we thrive in this environment . We are specialists in the unexpected , masters of the undifferentiated .
On shift , the emergency physician wears many hats already : the physician , the patient advocate , the educator , the clinic scheduler , the chaplain , the negotiator and the peacemaker . Sometimes , you have wonderful colleagues to assist you . Often , it ’ s up to you . Having these skills prepares a physician to be able to don many hats
6 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE within the hospital and community . The skills emergency physicians cultivate throughout their training and practice prepare them for a diversity of roles within medicine and the community . The practice of emergency medicine itself demands a diverse knowledge of medicine , but also requires the understanding of how outside forces place strain upon the health care system . We must navigate those quagmires to better provide for the community of patients served . As emergency medicine intersects the vast number of specialties in hospital medicine and some of those only in the outpatient setting , emergency physicians are required to understand the cohesiveness of the hospital community in addition to the demands for health care from the community . As such , you will find emergency physicians as assets in many aspects of medicine beyond the four walls of the hospital .
The specialty of emergency medicine is progressively expanding . What started as a “ resuscitationologist ” specialty has quickly expanded into newer fields of medicine in terms of leadership , prehospital care and health technology integration . It is not uncommon for emergency physicians to not only work in their emergency departments , but to also serve as medical directors for emergency medical services agencies , serving the community as school team physicians and advising political leaders regarding medical and
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