Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physician |
Career OverviewA pediatric emergency medicine physician is a specialist trained to recognize a child’s emergency medical problems and then evaluate the child or infant’s needs. These physicians then care for and stabilize the patient’s medical condition due to accidental injury or acute illness in an emergency room setting.
A trained pediatric emergency medicine physician makes fast evaluations and then concentrates on quick and accurate decision-making. This is necessary to prevent further disability or even death in an infant or child.
They also direct and give advice to emergency medical technicians in a pre-hospital setting when necessary and in the emergency room in a hospital. A pediatric emergency medicine physician has the special qualifications needed to manage and deal with emergencies in children and infants.
A pediatric emergency medicine physician provides the proper injury care, disease diagnosis and treatment required to ensure the health of the child. Many physicians work extremely long hours, up to sixty hours per week and often work on a rotating shift with another pediatric emergency physician. Some physicians remain on-call. They often call a pediatric emergency medicine physician anytime during the day or night, to come into the hospital when a pediatric emergency happens.
A pediatrician often calls in a pediatric emergency medicine physician if a child is severely injured, sick or has health care needs requiring urgent attention. Because of their training, pediatric emergency physicians deal with and are experts in:
- Medical emergencies requiring special procedures and techniques
- Detecting and diagnosing problems in children that are uncooperative or impatient
- Help families dealing with the anxiety and pain of a medical emergency
- A pediatric emergency medicine physician is qualified to treat an infant’s unique medical needs. They also treat the needs of children and young adults and use special equipment and medication when required.
- Education and research in emergency pediatric medicine.
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Career RequirementsThe training and educational requirements to become a pediatric emergency medicine physician is extremely demanding. They must have four years of medical school along with three or more years in residency training in either emergency or pediatric medicine completed by an additional two years in pediatric emergency medicine.
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Job OutlookAccording to studies, they need to increase the number of pediatric emergency physicians working in hospital emergency departments. With more young patients going to emergency seeking treatment, the need for pediatric emergency medicine physician continues to grow. They are always in demand especially in low income and rural areas.
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Career TrackA pediatric emergency medicine physician has several options to advance or change their career. After working in emergency medicine, a pediatric emergency medicine physician may choose to further his or her education to become a pediatric emergency surgeon or pediatric surgeon.
In addition, some physicians choose to work on research projects or teach at colleges and universities. Physicians may also become senior staff members on treatment teams or enter into management positions.
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CompensationThe annual salary for emergency medicine physicians ranges from $235,600 to $290,240. Those in larger hospitals or more communities may make more than this depending on their years of experience or area of specialization.
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