How to Become an Emergency Physician in Usa

Emergency Physicians are primarily stationed in the emergency room of a hospital. In this space, they treat accident victims and patients dealing with acute illnesses. The situation in an emergency room (ER) tends to be serious and often life-threatening. As a result, emergency physicians have to take swift and decisive action in order to save lives.

As of 2019, more than 109,000 licensed Family Medicine Physicians have been operating in health facilities across America. This is as per data obtained from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. If you also want to become a medical practitioner, then this piece about becoming an Emergency Physician is for you.

Emergency Physician Schools Near Me

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics

As an Emergency Physician, you must have the ability to think on your feet and stay calm under pressure. Most of the time, you will have to quickly examine the medical condition of a patient and then make quick decisions with regard to appropriate treatment.

The process illustrated in this section will help you become an emergency physician in America.

1. Finish Your Bachelor’s Studies

Start with enrollment in a 4-year undergraduate program. You can pick any subject as a major but there might be some specific prerequisites that must be fulfilled to get into medical school. These usually include taking a few science-based courses (biology, kinesiology, physics, psychology, chemistry, etc.) among others.

Also, medical school admissions are known to be very competitive. So, you might want to do something extra that will enable you to get ahead. Volunteering at a health facility to gain patient care experience is one way of doing that.

2. Medical College Admission Test

Next up is the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test). Candidates usually take this exam during the third or fourth year of undergrad studies. Getting a good score is crucial for securing entry into a top-notch medical school.

3. Get Your Medical Degree

For the next 4 years, you will head to medical school to pursue a Doctor of Medicine (MD) or a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree.

4. Emergency Physician Residency Program

Upon the completion of your medical degree, you have to join an emergency physician residency program at a reputed health facility in your state. This normally lasts for 3 to 5 years. As a resident, you will work in various areas of emergency medicine like pediatric care and intensive care units. You will also learn different skills including chest pain evaluation, analyzing radiologic studies, etc.

5. Grab Your License

With the residency out of the way, you can apply for your state license. There are somewhat different requirements in different states. However, candidates usually have to qualify a standardized exam (such as the United States Medical Licensing Examination) in most places while also fulfilling some other criteria.

Between 2020 and 2030, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics expects jobs for Physicians and Surgeons to increase by 3%. This is a bit slower than the expected average rise in opportunities for most other professions.