I just finished a string of 5 nine-hour shifts, and kept track of every patient I saw, every admission, all diagnoses, all procedures, who I suspected COVID in, etc. This is a thread simply reporting what I saw so people can see what a week in the life of an ER doc is like

/1

On these 5 shifts I cared for 103 patients and admitted 39, not including psych admits. This 38% admission rate is up from baseline, but average for the past few months. I admitted 10 to the ICU (9.7%) and one patient died in the ED.

/2

I took care of
-7 patients with major trauma
-7 patients with chest pain
-20 patients with respiratory distress
-5 psych patients (admitted)
-22 patients with known or suspected COVID (21% of my patients overall)

/3

My diagnoses included
-lightning strike
-STEMI
-NSTEMI
-gunshot wound
-taser wound
-bear spray exposure
-traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage
-episcleritis
-septic arthritis
-3rd cranial nerve palsy
-Fournier's gangrene

/4

I performed or supervised the following:
-3 codes
-4 intubations
-2 fracture reductions
-4 splints
-1 laceration
-1 paracentesis
-1 arthrocentesis
-1 subclavian line
-end of life discussions

/5

I discussed cases with
-hospitalists
-trauma surgeons
-neurologists
-intensivists
-toxicologists
-orthopedists
-cardiologists
-general surgeons
-psychiatrists
-otolaryngologists
-gastroenterologists

/6

I supervised and participated in teams consisting of
-nurses
-med students
-residents
-PA students
-respiratory therapists
-chaplains
-techs
-paramedics
-pharmacists
-social workers
-case manager
-security

/7

This is what I love about emergency medicine -- the acuity, variety, breadth, stories, and non-stop excitement. And I know if I picked another random 5 days, this list would look completely different.

/end