What is the role of an emergency room (ER) doctor?

Emergency room doctors see and treat everything from infections to injuries. Watch David Heller, DO, from Portsmouth Regional Hospital, explain more.

Emergency doctors are experts trained in the most life-threatening aspects of medicine so that they’re always ready. Watch Jayson Tappan, MD, of Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center, explain more.

Emergency doctors focus on determining if an illness is life-threatening in a short amount of time, says Justin Williams, MD, of Methodist Stone Oak Hospital. Watch this video to learn more about emergency room doctors.

Emergency room doctors provide general care to patients. In this video, Gabriel Rodriguez, MD of Metropolitan Methodist Hospital explains how ER doctors care for the patients they see.

Emergency doctors are jacks-of-all-trades who see everyone from birth to 110 years old, says Michael Dodd, MD, from Frankfort Regional Medical Center. Learn what that entails in this video.

Emergency room physicians are trained to take care of any illness or injury that needs immediate care. Watch Pamela Miller, of Fawcett Memorial Hospital, discuss the variety of services offered in the emergency room. 

Emergency room (ER) doctors are typically the first doctors to see a patient visiting a hospital. They assess medical conditions and determine if that person can be treated from the ER and sent home or if they need to be admitted to stay longer for further work-up and treatment. There are many conditions that doctors treat in the ER, such as acute infections and minor injuries. They also serve a very important role in stabilizing critical patients (such as trauma patients or patients with immediate, life-threatening conditions) before admitting them into the hospital. Emergency medicine is a specialty that some doctors are trained in after medical school.