While ambulances in China are becoming better equipped with machines such as defibrillators, there is a major shortage of ER doctors to treat patients when they arrive at the hospital, said Chen Xin, associate president of Nanjing First Hospital, Jiangsu Province, and deputy to the National People’s Congress.
Emergency work is labor intense, with high risk and high responsibility, but their salaries are often lower than other hospital doctors, and there are fewer chances of promotion.
Chen suggested medical schools should establish courses specializing in emergency medicine, and graduates could be directly employed by hospitals. He also suggested there should be incentives for emergency physicians which would lead to career advancement.
Additionally, there should be psychological help offered to ER doctors, as they are under more pressure than other hospital doctors due to the nature of their work.
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