Emergency medicine is a dynamic, team-oriented, and rewarding medical specialty that focuses on the prompt evaluation and treatment of unforeseen and urgent conditions or injuries affecting patients across all age groups. What makes this specialty unique is that it doesn’t involve a specific routine or expected patient list for the day.
Let’s get a better insight into emergency medicine by learning about some of the functions of an emergency medicine physician as well as the various settings it is practiced in.
What Exactly Does an Emergency Medicine Physician Do?
An emergency medicine physician specializes in the evaluation, treatment, and disposition of patients suffering from a broad spectrum of acute conditions and injuries with varying degrees of severity— ranging from minor injuries to severe, life-threatening conditions.
Some of the most common conditions and injuries treated by an emergency medicine physician include:
- Anaphylaxis (life-threatening allergic reaction)
- Chest pain
- Diarrhea
- Fractures
- Heart attack
- Lacerations
- Loss of consciousness
- Multiple injuries
- Overdoses
- Pregnancy-related emergencies
- Profuse bleeding
- Self-harm due to mental illness
- Severe burns
- Severe vomiting
- Sprains and strains
- Stroke
An emergency medicine physician is deemed a jack-of-all-trades, as they can pull from a knowledge base that encompasses various medical specialties, including cardiology, psychiatric, neurology, gastroenterology, and nephrology.
An emergency medicine physician is also adept at making split-second decisions and taking quick action and is highly trained to stabilize patients, such as by resuscitating them, immobilizing their fractures, and controlling their hemorrhage.
After launching the initial workup and management of a patient’s condition or injury, an emergency medicine physician decides whether the patient should be confined in the hospital or sent home.
It is worth noting that while emergency medicine physicians are typically stationed in emergency departments and intensive care units of hospitals, they can also work in a variety of other settings, such as in freestanding emergency departments, disaster sites, and urgent care facilities.
Seeking Emergency Medicine Services in an Urgent Care Facility
If your medical problem is not life-threatening or severe, but you feel it still warrants prompt intervention, consider seeking emergency medicine services in an urgent care facility instead of going to the ER.
Here are some conditions/injuries treated in an urgent care clinic:
- Asthma
- Diarrhea, vomiting, stomachache, and other gastric complaints
- Ear infections and respiratory tract infections (e.g., the flu, tonsilitis, cough, common cold, etc.)
- Lacerations
- Migraine headaches
- Minor burns (covering only a small area)
- Rashes
- Shallow cuts and abrasions
- Skin lesions
- Strains and sprains
- Uncomplicated fractures
- Urinary tract infections
Emergency Medicine Near Me in Rochester, NY
At Cornerstone Urgent Care Center, our emergency medicine healthcare providers constantly strive to provide high-quality, comprehensive care while ensuring our patients are seen, treated, and released in the quickest time possible. We offer a wide range of on-site diagnostic services such as digital X-rays, EKG, and blood tests, so you can get everything taken care of under one roof.
For more information, you may reach us at (585) 207-0888 or (585) 207-0092 or send us a message online. Our doors are always open to serve you!
