How to begin a career in emergency medicine

Are you a person who is driven to help others, and thrives on challenges and a relentless pace? If so, you might be considering a career in Emergency Medicine. Doctors that work in emergency medicine make split second, life or death decisions on a daily basis. An emergency medicine physician gets a chance to be a real hero, solving medical mysteries quickly and deciding on the right course of action. The chaotic environment of the emergency room makes this one of the most stressful careers in medicine, but it is also one of the most exciting and rewarding.

The path to a career as an emergency physician is a long one. First you must be accepted into a pre-med undergraduate program. As an undergrad, you must do well enough to be accepted into medical school, and you will spend at least four years there. During these years, the student trains to be an emergency physician. Part of your training includes taking rotations in a hospital emergency department.

After medical school, it’s time to find the right open residency positions and apply for them. A website such as this one is a great help, giving you thousands of residency openings. It’s the most comprehensive list of open residency programs available, and makes your search so much easier. Emergency medicine programs are three to four years long, and the residency review committee has to give their approval once you are finished.

Residencies in emergency medicine are fiercely competitive. Not only will you need fantastic grades, you will also need your professors’ recommendations. To increase your chances of being accepted, experts recommend medical students participate in an emergency medicine observership experience. Shadowing helps students learn more about the specialty, and sets them apart from other applicants.

During your residency, you will get training in life support and in all the emergency skills required for your career. Every day will be different, and every day will have exciting opportunities to improve your clinical skills. Once your residency is completed, you need to become board certified and pass both written and oral exams. Then you can enter an exciting, rewarding and challenging career in emergency medicine.