doctor, teacher

In addition to an ER doc's daily task of treating and streeting the hordes of sick and injured patients that come through our door 24/7, we also have to be educators.
Todays young adults and children are the children and grandchildren of us "Boomers". Those of us who remember Ike, JFK, LBJ, Nam, MLK, etc were very aware that the world was competitive, and harsh. One needed to strive to succeed and sometimes just survive. We were taught to duck and cover because nuclear annihilation was a real possibility. Only the winners received trophies, the losers were admonished to try harder. When I applied to medical school in the early 70's only one in four applicants were accepted. 60,000 premeds for 15,000 first year spots.
Our progeny were raised with Mr Rogers telling them that they are special and unique. They were given trophies just for participating. They had far more distractions to entertain themselves. This has led to NCP's, non coping patients. They take an ambulance to the ER because they have the flu and don't feel well. Their child has a fever and they come to the ER so that we can give the child an antipyretic and give the parents reassurance. The constantly increasing number of ER visists is not just because of the population is getting older and sicker, but rather the lack of common sense and ability to cope with even minor discomfort. Yes I am aware of the lack of primary care, and other factors that also contribute to surge in ER usage.
So I teach. I instruct. I hand hold. "Fever is not a disease, it is how our body fights off infection.""Giving too little of both acetominophen and ibuprofen is less effective than giving the correct of dose of one or the other."
We are also morally and ethically obligated to teach the younger members of our ER team. PA's, nurses, ER techs, EMT's, paramedics and residents all can benefit from our experience and knowledge. Being a mentor to my colleagues, fresh their EM residencies has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my long career.
Lastly we need to be perpetual students. Medical knowledge doubles every five years. New technology, techniques, medications and diseases need to be assimilated into our aging brains. The fact that someone born at the time of rotary dial phones, TV's with black and white screens with 6 channels, and a stethoscope as the most useful medical instrument, now embraces the new, is difficult but necessary. Ultrasound, CT, MRI all need to be mastered. I use an electronic medical record, and am distressed when the system goes down and I have to resort to paper. This blog is testament to the imperative of "use it or lose it". Continue to grow intellectually and emotionally or become irrelevant.