|
PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE
What does a Pediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM) physician do?
What are the career opportunities?
What Board, if any, certifies a PEM program graduate?
What is the lifestyle of a PEM physician?
What is the compensation of a PEM physician?
How do I become a PEM physician?
Where do I find out about available programs?
When do I apply?
Why should I choose to become a PEM physician ?
What does a Pediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM) physician do?
PEM trained physicians may serve in a variety of capacities. In the
clinical realm, they provide care for critically ill and injured
children in an Emergency Department setting. In addition to
knowledge that is obtained during their pediatric or emergency
medicine residency training, PEM physicians have an increased fund
of knowledge in areas such as neonatology, critical care, and
forensic pediatrics. On any given day, a PEM physician may provide
care for a child struck by an automobile, a patient with a
metabolic disorder that is not responding to therapy, a child with
an asthma attack, a victim of child abuse, a jaundiced newborn with
a fever and a hypothermic child after a near-drowning episode.
Beyond the clinical realm, PEM physicians may have multiple roles
in the emergency department, hospital, healthcare system and
community. These include contributing to the education of
residents, medical or other health care students, paramedics or
community members. PEM physicians may also become involved in
hospital committees that examine the quality of pediatric emergency
care or work with local, regional or national politicians to
discuss specific issues of child health, including disaster
planning. There are a variety of ways to champion the cause of
children within PEM. Further information may be found at Society
for Academic Emergency Medicine website
What are the career opportunities?
PEM physicians may work in
either an academic or community emergency department, but roles
outside of the clinical care are numerous. For clinical careers,
the majority of opportunities exist in tertiary care children's
hospitals. However, PEM physicians may work in a hospital with an
emergency medicine residency where their specific pediatric
expertise is needed or in a community hospital that evaluates a
significant number of children. Beyond clinical opportunities,
there are openings within administration, research, education,
simulation or injury prevention. The Future of Pediatric Education
II PEM data is a descriptive survey of PEM practitioners, and may
be accessed at AAP Future of PEM.
What Board, if any, certifies a PEM program graduate?
Both the American Board of Pediatrics and the American Board of
Emergency Medicine certify graduates from their respective primary
residencies. After passing primary residency boards, and meeting
both the ACGME and specific fellowship requirements for board
eligibility, a fellowship graduate will take a one-day written
examination.
What is the lifestyle of a PEM physician?
On average,
PEM physicians spend 65% of their time in clinical care, with the
balance being spent (in descending order) in administrative,
teaching and research roles. Children have a tendency to be seen in
the emergency department during hours when they are not in school,
so PEM physician clinical time will be concentrated during
afternoon, evenings, holidays and weekends. The number of shifts
will vary significantly within facilities and between different
facilities depending on other non-clinical roles the practitioner
plays.
What is the compensation of a PEM physician?
PEM physicians
generally receive higher compensation then general pediatricians,
and somewhat less then emergency physicians, depending on the type
of practice.
How do I become a PEM physician?
Following successful
completion of a residency in either Pediatrics or Emergency
Medicine, applicants will complete an additional two years of
fellowship (EM residency graduates) or three years (Pediatric
residency graduates). Irrespective of the type of residency,
selection of fellows is through the Pediatric Specialties Fall
Match administered by the NRMP.
Where do I find out about available
programs?
Information about programs is available through ERAS
Fellowships, FREIDA and the ACGME (depending upon the residency,
select either Emergency Medicine/Pediatric emergency medicine or
Pediatrics/Pediatric emergency medicine). In addition, the Society
for Academic Emergency Medicine has a listing of Pediatric
Emergency Medicine fellowships on its website.
When do I apply?
Applications are accepted beginning in mid-summer (11 months prior
to matriculation) utilizing ERAS (for both types of residencies).
Interviews generally begin in late summer through the fall, and
match results are reported the first week of December. For match
statistics, click here.
Why should I choose to become a PEM physician?
Combining the best of general Pediatrics with the best
of the critical care specialties, Pediatric Emergency Medicine is a
good fit for calm, curious physicians who enjoy both the
intellectual and procedural challenge of resuscitations as well as
the joy of interacting with minimally ill children during an exam.
As one of the younger specialties within Pediatrics, and the first
subspecialty within Emergency Medicine, there are areas of
significant growth and the ongoing potential for significant,
clinically relevant research that will significantly affect the
care of children.
For more information about Pediatric Emergency Medicine, visit these websites:
Pediatric Emergency Medicine Database
American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medicine
American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Emergency Medicine
American College of Emergency Physicians Pediatric Emergency Medicine Section
ACGME
Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
Subspecialty journals
Pediatric Emergency Care
Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Practice Pediatric Emergency Medicine
|
