Emergency Medicine as Theatre?

Kenneth Schultheis, DO, FACEP
Chief Medical Officer

Have you ever thought of yourself as an actor, and your stage as the emergency department; and your ‘audience' as your patients, their family and friends, including the medical and nursing staff, technical staff, EMS professionals and administrative staff?

How we present, relate and interact with our ‘audience' is very important in our success as emergency physicians. Also, ultimately our acceptance, professional growth, personal satisfaction and our patients' well being are largely predicated on our performance as players on the emergency department stage. Fundamental in our quest for personal and professional fulfillment is our unwavering respect for and commitment to our patients.

Some of the qualities I look for in an emergency physician include appearance and attire. If you are neat in appearance, cleanly groomed, appropriately and professionally attired and, thus "look and act like a doctor" as our patients and others expect, then you're half-way there.

Also, the manner in which we relate to our ‘audience' is terribly important. At all times our remarks must be appropriate and professional. This includes avoidance of off-color, demeaning or other inappropriate commentary which might be considered offensive to any or all. How we conduct ourselves in the presence of our ‘audience' is also important. Horsing around, inappropriate interactions with staff or demeanor generally deemed in poor taste should be strictly avoided.

As an emergency physician we must be team players. The "I Doctor, I God" personality is unacceptable and just won't work in an emergency department. Whenever a nurse, patient or other individual has a question, offers advice or requests our assistance, such requests should be addressed in an appropriate, supportive and professional manner. Whenever a nurse says to me, "Dr. Schultheis, are you sure this is what you want me to do for your patient?" I'd better be receptive to such questioning. Not being open to addressing these issues can place our patients at risk, and in the event of an untoward occurrence, could very well become medico-legally problematic.

No matter what the challenge, from minor to major, benign to critical, how we perform in our roles as emergency physicians is extremely important not only for our personal and professional fulfillment, but more importantly for our patients. It has always been my objective that when a patient has been cared for in my emergency department, that they leave with the feeling that their needs were appropriately addressed, that the staff and I demonstrated a true concern for their welfare, and that we met their expectations. Although we can't always be successful this should not deter us from this goal. Like so many of life's challenges, how we conduct ourselves and how we interact with the other players on life's stage is ultimately the true test and measure of our success!