Emergency Medicine Physician

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.

O*NET reports this occupation under titles such as: Attending Emergency Physician; Attending Physician; Emergency MD (Emergency Medicine Doctor); Emergency Medicine Physician (EM Physician); Emergency Physician; MD (Medical Doctor); Physician

Tasks

• 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.
• Collect and record patient information, such as medical history or examination results, in electronic or handwritten medical records.
• Discuss patients' treatment plans with physicians and other medical professionals.
• Identify factors that may affect patient management, such as age, gender, barriers to communication, and underlying disease.

Knowledge

• Medicine and Dentistry
• English Language
• Biology
• Psychology
• Therapy and Counseling
• Customer and Personal Service
• Education and Training
• Public Safety and Security
• Chemistry
• Mathematics

Skills

• Active Listening
• Critical Thinking
• Reading Comprehension
• Speaking
• Writing
• Monitoring
• Active Learning
• Learning Strategies
• Science

Abilities

• Oral Comprehension
• Written Comprehension
• Oral Expression
• Written Expression
• Problem Sensitivity
• Deductive Reasoning
• Inductive Reasoning
• Speech Recognition
• Speech Clarity
• Information Ordering
• Near Vision
• Flexibility of Closure
• Fluency of Ideas
• Originality
• Category Flexibility
• Selective Attention
• Speed of Closure
• Memorization
• Perceptual Speed
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
• Finger Dexterity
• Time Sharing
• Manual Dexterity
• Far Vision
• Multilimb Coordination
• Wrist-Finger Speed
• Visual Color Discrimination