Over some drinks at the Eastern Orthopaedic Association Inc meeting, the issue of ER call came up, and there were certainly some strong opinions. Now in my 12th year of practice, I still take ER call, but not to the frequency that I did a decade ago. Instead of formal call 10-15 days/month, and unofficially covering the group 24-7, I'm now just another name on the schedule. Some colleagues no longer take call, and others are as hungry as ever. Some positives of ER call: taking care of the community, providing a service, keeping up general skills, fun cases, bringing in new patients to the office, building a practice, call pay (if applicable), keeping up hospital involvement, mixing it up... Some negatives of ER call: disruption of life, disruption of office/OR, uncomfortable taking care of the breadth of cases, indigent population, having to go to the hospital... Thoughts??? Every day on-call is an adventure. It's real. There are real cases and real people who need help. Oftentimes you never know what's going to roll into the ER. Someone that I look up to once said: "it's an opportunity to take care of the community."
I’m currently the only one in my group (which includes 7 peds orthopods, among others) taking ER pediatric call. The rest of the hospital pediatric ER call are handled by a local adult group. There’s no requirement for me to be on call, but I genuinely enjoy the cases and the chance to serve the community. Financially, it doesn’t add up—the rate is hilariously low and most patients don’t have an insurance I accept. The disruption to life and the planning needed for these cases, especially considering my typical elective cases, is pretty tough. But being early in my career, I see the value and importance in staying involved. Maybe Lauren Hariharan will give us her thoughts?!
Bro you went to a conference? Good stuff…that home run screw is money!💰
Charlton Stucken I completely relate to your perspective. Now in my 14th year of practice, I’ve become the “shoulder disaster guy” in my group. While these cases can be demanding, they push me to stay sharp and constantly refine my skills. ER call feels much the same—disruptive but rewarding. It keeps me connected to the broader scope of orthopedics, offers opportunities to serve the community, and challenges me with real cases that require adaptability. Despite the difficulties, the mix of unpredictability and purpose makes it worthwhile. Your thoughts capture this balance perfectly.
Orthopedic Surgeon | Hip, Knee, Shoulder Arthroscopy | Sports Medicine
1moAfter 25 years in practice, I’ve done my time in the emergency room and feel I still can help the community from the office. One thing I can say about Call, it has become an abusive system. The amount of garbage consult that we orthopedics get that take us away from real patients is insane. A lot of it is defensive medicine. A lot of of it is laziness upon Hospital physicians. People are admitted way too often for silly things. Patient sometimes demand to stay over the hospital because they are in pain and no one takes the time to explain to them that they could be treated as an outpatient much more efficiently. I still get to see tons of patients who went to the emergency room, placed in a brace or splint, and I get to take care of them during the daylight hours when I’m at work and doesn’t ruin me for the next day.