Emergency Medicine Physicians

What the job really is

Make immediate medical decisions and act to prevent death or further disability. Provide immediate recognition, evaluation, care, stabilization, and disposition of patients. May direct emergency medical staff in an emergency department.

At a glance

• Sector: Healthcare Practitioners
• O*NET-SOC code: 29-1214
• O*NET job zone: 5 — extensive preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 2

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Select, request, perform, or interpret diagnostic procedures, such as laboratory tests, electrocardiograms, emergency ultrasounds, and radiographs.
• Evaluate patients' vital signs or laboratory data to determine emergency intervention needs and priority of treatment.
• Perform emergency resuscitations on patients.
• Stabilize patients in critical condition.
• Perform such medical procedures as emergent cricothyrotomy, endotracheal intubation, and emergency thoracotomy.
• Analyze records, examination information, or test results to diagnose medical conditions.
• Consult with hospitalists and other professionals, such as social workers, regarding patients' hospital admission, continued observation, transition of care, or discharge.
• Conduct primary patient assessments that include information from prior medical care.
• Communicate likely outcomes of medical diseases or traumatic conditions to patients or their representatives.
• Monitor patients' conditions, and reevaluate treatments, as necessary.
• Direct and coordinate activities of nurses, assistants, specialists, residents, and other medical staff.
• Select and prescribe medications to address patient needs.

Tools and technology

Epic Systems, MEDITECH software

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Paramedics
• Pediatric Surgeons
• Family Medicine Physicians
• General Internal Medicine Physicians
• Physician Assistants
• Pediatricians, General
• Anesthesiologists
• Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 5 (extensive preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

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Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Emergency Medicine Physicians — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.