Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Working in the ED has made me a better parent

Jared Pelo, MD
Physician
July 16, 2017
Share
Tweet
Share

How applicable are the lessons we learn in the hospital to other areas of our personal and professional lives? Over the past eight years in the emergency department, I have learned most about people. These lessons have been crucial to my success in the ER and as a father to my teenage children.

These are my top 5 insights:

1. Clear communication is key and overly clear communication is even better. It is easy to forget that what is obvious to me is not always so apparent to others. When I ask for 0.3 mg of epinephrine to be injected during an anaphylactic reaction, I need to specify IM. I learned that lesson the hard way when I was too slow to stop a nurse from pushing it IV. Miscommunication in the ED is dangerous. This lesson applies to everyday encounters with my children, family, and co-workers.  Being open, clear, and communicative prevents unnecessary conflict at work and at home.

2. Let go of results and instead focus on processes. You can control actions but not outcomes. I want to save every code patient that comes into my ED, but the fact of the matter is, most will die. I can do everything perfectly and still lose a patient. I have learned over time that I have to focus on what I can control. Does that guarantee my success? No, but it allows us to do everything we can, and that gives us the best shot. I can control my knowledge, my actions, and the cohesion of my team to make sure we get better every day.

3. These are cliches for a reason: Time is precious or YOLO or be happy now. This is one of those lessons that is easy to say and harder to put into practice. In the ED, we are constantly reminded of just how precious life is. This hits hardest with the death of a child or a serious injury from a car accident. Some patients have time to process a diagnosis. On the other hand, a patient in a car accident is fine one moment, and in an instant, fighting for their life. I watch people cope with loss often. Thus, I have grown to truly appreciate each day of life. I remind my children and co-workers that every moment is precious. It creates dedicated teams that want to change the world today.

4. Everyday hassles do not have to be serious. I have highly entertaining situations enter my ED. We see everything from zipper mishaps to the strange things people ingest or get stuck in orifices. The list goes on and on. I am more effective when I can help someone laugh instead of cry. If I can make my team members laugh when appropriate, our team is more effective.

5. Blame accomplishes nothing. In the ED, it takes a team to get through each shift. I had some rocky experiences working my way through residency. I never forgot when one of my attendings stood up for me when he could have thrown me under the bus. I have tried throughout my career to have my coworkers’ backs as well. If you lift up team members instead of blaming them, you will have better relationships, better trust, and better outcomes.

Working in the ED has made me a better parent. Being a parent has made me a better doctor.

Jared Pelo is an emergency physician.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Finding the right words for my patients' hard questions

July 16, 2017 Kevin 0
…
Next

The demand for innovative patient follow-up

July 16, 2017 Kevin 5
…

Tagged as: Emergency Medicine

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Finding the right words for my patients' hard questions
Next Post >
The demand for innovative patient follow-up

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Jared Pelo, MD

  • Expert Q&A: Dr. Jared Pelo, ambient clinical pioneer, explains how Dragon Copilot helps clinicians deliver better care

    Jared Pelo, MD & Microsoft & Nuance Communications
  • The Nuance Dragon Ambient eXperience (DAX)

    The rise of telehealth: How to overcome provider burnout while making a quick shift in health care delivery

    Jared Pelo, MD & Microsoft & Nuance Communications

Related Posts

  • Advocating for a sick parent by confronting physician bias

    Erin Paterson
  • A physician’s addiction to social media

    Amanda Xi, MD
  • Denying payment for emergency care: a physician defends insurers

    Michael Kirsch, MD
  • A prayer from an emergency physician

    Edwin Leap, MD
  • The climate crisis as viewed by an emergency physician

    Elizabeth M. Barreras-Rivest, MD
  • The journey of being a parent in medical school

    Amy Zhang, MD

More in Physician

  • Adriana Smith’s story: a medical tragedy under heartbeat laws

    Nicole M. King, MD
  • Why U.S. health care pricing is so confusing—and how to fix it

    Ashish Mandavia, MD
  • From survival to sovereignty: What 35 years in the ER taught me about identity, mortality, and redemption

    Kenneth Ro, MD
  • When doctors forget how to examine: the danger of lost clinical skills

    Mike Stillman, MD
  • When the white coats become gatekeepers: How a quiet cartel strangles America’s health

    Anonymous
  • The man in seat 11A survived, but why don’t our patients?

    Dr. Vivek Podder
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Why male fertility needs to be part of every health conversation

      Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian | Conditions
    • How home-based AI can reduce health inequities in underserved communities [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Inside human trafficking: a guide to recognizing and preventing it [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Graduating from medical school without family: a story of strength and survival

      Anonymous | Education
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • My journey from misdiagnosis to living fully with APBD

      Jeff Cooper | Conditions
    • Addressing the physician shortage: How AI can help, not replace

      Amelia Mercado | Tech
    • Why does rifaximin cost 95 percent more in the U.S. than in Asia?

      Jai Kumar, MD, Brian Nohomovich, DO, PhD and Leonid Shamban, DO | Meds
  • Recent Posts

    • How home-based AI can reduce health inequities in underserved communities [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Adriana Smith’s story: a medical tragedy under heartbeat laws

      Nicole M. King, MD | Physician
    • What if medicine had an exit interview?

      Lynn McComas, DNP, ANP-C | Conditions
    • Why U.S. health care pricing is so confusing—and how to fix it

      Ashish Mandavia, MD | Physician
    • From survival to sovereignty: What 35 years in the ER taught me about identity, mortality, and redemption

      Kenneth Ro, MD | Physician
    • When doctors forget how to examine: the danger of lost clinical skills

      Mike Stillman, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Why male fertility needs to be part of every health conversation

      Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian | Conditions
    • How home-based AI can reduce health inequities in underserved communities [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Inside human trafficking: a guide to recognizing and preventing it [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Graduating from medical school without family: a story of strength and survival

      Anonymous | Education
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • My journey from misdiagnosis to living fully with APBD

      Jeff Cooper | Conditions
    • Addressing the physician shortage: How AI can help, not replace

      Amelia Mercado | Tech
    • Why does rifaximin cost 95 percent more in the U.S. than in Asia?

      Jai Kumar, MD, Brian Nohomovich, DO, PhD and Leonid Shamban, DO | Meds
  • Recent Posts

    • How home-based AI can reduce health inequities in underserved communities [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Adriana Smith’s story: a medical tragedy under heartbeat laws

      Nicole M. King, MD | Physician
    • What if medicine had an exit interview?

      Lynn McComas, DNP, ANP-C | Conditions
    • Why U.S. health care pricing is so confusing—and how to fix it

      Ashish Mandavia, MD | Physician
    • From survival to sovereignty: What 35 years in the ER taught me about identity, mortality, and redemption

      Kenneth Ro, MD | Physician
    • When doctors forget how to examine: the danger of lost clinical skills

      Mike Stillman, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...