Confessions.*

There are a few things that many EM docs don't openly discuss 'else they subject themselves to criticism and judgment. Here are few of my confessions -I think leaving acute patients to 'see quickies' in an attempt to clear out the waiting room contradicts the very essence of emergency medicine...and I don't do it.In every emergency department there is (supposed to be) some sort of triage process. Where sick people are seen first, and not-so-sick people...wait. Well, our nursing staff (as wonderful as they are), will frequently ask me if I would 'come out and see some of the quickie, non-sick people, to clear out the waiting room.' If I'm sitting around surfing the net...then sure. But I'm never not busy at work. Never, ever. I rarely get to go urinate, much less grab a bite to eat. So, I don't do it. I can't justify in my mind, leaving my sick patients to go see not sick patients. And all to "clear out the waiting room?"That's really not my goal. My goal is to keep people who shouldn't die, from dying...and to get the rest to their proper destinations. When my shift is over...I leave. Waiting room full...or not. Why should my goal be to clear the waiting room? If I valued an empty waiting room...emergency medicine would be a poor choice of specialty.I think that speeding thru patients, and subsequently rewarded for it, is a bad idea.It annoys me when doctors brag about their half-ass workups in an attempt to seek reward for speeding thru patient encounters. Our patients wait,...
Source: EM Physician - Backstage Pass - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Source Type: blogs