“What is the difference between Emergency Physicians and Trauma Surgeons?”
Just for my knowledge, I would like to understand that during any trauma or emergency cases, which specialists are normally attending the patient -- an emergency physician or a trauma physician? Are they both the same kind of doctor?
2 Answers
Emergency physicians are trained to treat and stabilize any type of patient that comes into the ER. For severe trauma cases, they may call a surgeon to come to the ER to assist in the care of the patient. It all depends on the injuries that were sustained by the patient. In general, surgeons work in the operating room. Emergency physicians in the ER. In a few hospitals, such as a level 1 trauma center such as Parkland in Dallas, they may have a trauma surgeon either in the ER 24/7 or always on call for them. A trauma surgeon is a general surgeon who has gone further in training, and requires doing a trauma fellowship. So, they specialized in trauma. Just like a plastic surgeon specializes in plastics. A general surgeon can take care of a certain level of trauma patients, but those patients who are still critical will usually get stabilized by the general surgeon and the ER doctor, then transferred to a level 1 trauma center. General surgeons typically operate on things like the gallbladder, appendix, and other standard operations. Emergency physicians are trained in trauma, but they are also trained in practically everything else: pediatrics, heart attacks, basically emergency medical conditions.
Emergency physicians do not do surgery. Trauma surgeons do surgery on patients that are injured and arrive in the ER.
Sam Kini, MD
Sam Kini, MD
