Is Emergency Medicine Right for Me?

Jason Liebzeit, MDAssistant Professor of Emergency Medicine

Emory University School of Medicine

Medical Student SymposiumSAEM 2011

Disclosures

I have no commercial financial relationships to disclose.

Disclosures

I cannot tell you if Emergency Medicine is right for you.

Objectives

1. Describe your career goals

2. Appraise your unique personal characteristics

3. Analyze how those characteristics interplay with the unique aspects of EM practice

4. Develop a plan to maximize long-term career satisfaction

What do you want?

• Schedule flexibility• Earning potential• Social prestige• Time with family• Scholarship• Independence• Organizational power• Academic vs.

community practice

• Procedural expertise• Constant stimulation• Challenging clinical

environment• Problem solving• Wide spectrum of

illness & injury• Serve the public• Treat social ills

What did I want? Schedule flexibility Earning potential Social prestige• Time with family• Scholarship• Independence• Organizational power Academic vs.

community practice

Procedural expertise Constant stimulation Challenging clinical

environment Problem solving Wide spectrum of

illness & injury Serve the public Treat social ills

What do I want now?Schedule flexibility Earning potential• Social prestige Time with family Scholarship• Independence Organizational power Academic vs.

community practice

• Procedural expertise• Constant stimulation• Challenging clinical

environment Problem solving Wide spectrum of

illness & injury• Serve the public Treat social ills

Why are you here?

Emergency Medicine

Benefits Downsides

SWOT Analysis

• Evaluates Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats

– Specify the objective

– Identify internal and external factors favorable and unfavorable to achieving that objective

Objective:A Career in Emergency Medicine

Helpful to a long-term successful career in EM

Harmful to a long-term successful career in EM

Internal factors STRENGTHSI like …

I don’t like …

I’m good at …

WEAKNESSESI like …

I don’t like …

I’m not good at …

External factors OPPORTUNITIESThe practice of EM will …

THREATSThe practice of EM will …

Objective: A Career in Emergency Medicine

Helpful to a long-term successful career in EM

Harmful to a long-term successful career in EM

Internal factors STRENGTHSI like …Critical care, quick encounters, the team in the ED

I don’t like …primary care, long-term follow-up, the same disease/organ/process over and over

I’m good at … establishing trust quickly, procedures, being thorough but speedy

WEAKNESSESI like … spending time with friends on weekends; sleeping at night; being an expert

I don’t like…conflict, constant interruption

I’m not good at …hiding what I’m thinking, deadlines, doing anything after a night shift

External factors OPPORTUNITIESThe practice of EM will …allow me time to teach, keep me well-compensated, keep me interested in my patients

THREATSThe practice of EM will …complicate teaching & attending meetings, interfere with having a “normal” life on weekends & holidays

Will you last?

• 65.4% EPs reported high career satisfaction– 12.4% EPs reported low career satisfaction (n =

515)

• 1/3rd of respondents (33% in 1994, 32% in 1999, 31% in 2004) reported that burnout was significant

Cydulka & Korte; 2007 – Acad. EMED - Abstract

Not impacting satisfaction

• General uncertainty

• Difficulty in disclosing uncertainty to patients

• Admitting errors to other physicians

Kuhn et al: Annals EM: Feb 09

So what does impact satisfaction?

High anxiety caused by concern for bad outcomes (odds ratio=6.35) was the

strongest predictor of burnout

Kuhn et al: Annals EM: Feb 09

I CAN get satisfaction!

• Teaching settings• Research & publication• Leadership positions• Belonging to medical

organizations/participating in medical politics

Cydulka & Korte; 2008 – Acad. EMED – June 2008

So…

is Emergency Medicine right for you?

Final Thoughts

• Think about what you want

• The perfect partner doesn’t exist, but you should wake up happy every morning

• Satisfaction doesn’t occur by chance

jliebze@emory.edu