Pros and cons of emergency medicine

Pros:

• I like fixing acute problems and seeing immediate results.
• The idea has always appealed to me of being a doctor who can ring the call button when the flight attendants ask if there's a doctor on board.
• I like the fast-paced ADHD environment.
• I like doing procedures.
• I get to wear pajamas (scrubs) to work everyday.
• I would be doing shift work, which would allow for a life outside of medicine.

Cons:

• I don't like dealing with the drunks and drug addicts; I can easily see myself getting disheartened by humanity at its worst.
• I've already decided that I don't want to do primary care, but too many people use the Emergency Department as their primary care physician.
• As a resident and attending, I would have to work a lot of overnight shifts. I can handle disruptions to my circadian rhythm, but I don't like it.
• I value the long-term physician-patient relationship, which Emergency Medicine lacks (except for the frequent flyers).