For an emergency physician, there is no “typical day.” The next patient could have appendicitis just as easily as a severe bone fracture. Life in the emergency room (ER)— more commonly known as the emergency department (ED) among physicians—is both unpredictable and fast-paced. But it’s not just the medical knowledge that doctors need to thrive in this environment, there are also a number of personal characteristics they need to display to keep patients in a safe and calm environment. Dr. Ninad Desai, an emergency medicine resident physician, and graduate of St. George’s University, Grenada, reflects on the traits that every emergency physician should display. 18
SEPTEMBER 2021
