Reply to Perhaps I'm not meant to work in the ER?

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[quote=Anonymous]OP you're not going to get a ton of sympathy on DCUM, but I think I get what you're saying.

I'm an NP, was an ICU nurse for many years before I became one.  In the ICU you will have a few truly sick patients, some not-so-sick patients, and many stable-sick patients.  For many of those, most of the care involved is meeting with their families to discuss options and end-of-life care.  I know many MDs who love critical care but I found it to be very depressing.  It also involves the same hours and shifts you're doing now.

I now work in an outpatient specialty clinic and while I agree with you that the hours are much better, outpatient care is a LOT of worried well with a few more interesting cases thrown in.  I do not mind worried well visits and in fact feel like it's a huge relief when I can spend 20 minutes reassuring someone and then move on. But I know many of the MDs I work with find it frustrating to handle cases of those who are not truly sick, which is what they trained for.

Remember that in primary care you will have hours and hours of non-reimbursed time that you spend on phone calls, refills, and general follow-up, plus will have to take call.

All of that to say, the grass might always be greener.  You must know some other doctors practicing in other areas--what do they like/dislike about their jobs?  I have found that when I'm unhappy with where I am professionally it is really helpful to get a feel for what else is going on out there.[/quote]

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