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Emergency Medicine Physician

Healthcare

Make immediate medical decisions and act to prevent death or further disability. Provide immediate recognition, evaluation, care, stabilization, and disposition of patients. May direct emergency medical staff in an emergency department.

ScienceAllied Health

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Evaluate patients' vital signs or laboratory data to determine emergency intervention needs and priority of treatment.
  2. 2Perform emergency resuscitations on patients.
  3. 3Perform such medical procedures as emergent cricothyrotomy, endotracheal intubation, and emergency thoracotomy.
  4. 4Select, request, perform, or interpret diagnostic procedures, such as laboratory tests, electrocardiograms, emergency ultrasounds, and radiographs.
  5. 5Stabilize patients in critical condition.
  6. 6Analyze records, examination information, or test results to diagnose medical conditions.
  7. 7Consult with hospitalists and other professionals, such as social workers, regarding patients' hospital admission, continued observation, transition of care, or discharge.
  8. 8Communicate likely outcomes of medical diseases or traumatic conditions to patients or their representatives.
  9. 9Conduct primary patient assessments that include information from prior medical care.
  10. 10Monitor patients' conditions, and reevaluate treatments, as necessary.
  11. 11Direct and coordinate activities of nurses, assistants, specialists, residents, and other medical staff.
  12. 12Select and prescribe medications to address patient needs.
  13. 13Collect and record patient information, such as medical history or examination results, in electronic or handwritten medical records.
  14. 14Discuss patients' treatment plans with physicians and other medical professionals.
  15. 15Identify factors that may affect patient management, such as age, gender, barriers to communication, and underlying disease.
  16. 16Assess patients' pain levels or sedation requirements.
  17. 17Refer patients to specialists or other practitioners.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • MD
  • ED Doctor
  • ER Doctor
  • Physician
  • Intensivist
  • ED Physician
  • EM Physician
  • Emergency MD
  • ER Physician
  • Trauma Doctor

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. Typical entry

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationPost-doctoral training

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

BiologyDraws directly on Medicine and Dentistry — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
ChemistryDraws directly on Medicine and Dentistry — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional ScienceDraws directly on Biology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Sports ScienceDraws directly on Therapy and Counseling — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Medicine and Dentistry100%

    BiologyChemistry

  • English Language95%

    English

  • Biology89%

    BiologyAdditional Science

  • Psychology89%
  • Therapy and Counseling80%

    BiologySports Science

  • Customer and Personal Service79%

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
  • Leading or coordinating othersVery high
  • Handling conflict situationsEvery day
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentEvery day

Where this job is heading

Newer tasks O*NET has flagged for this occupation, a hint at how the role is changing.

  • Consult and direct other medical personnel on patient care.
  • Process patient transfers to and from other hospitals.

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

18%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Matriculation

One or two years, heavily subsidised with allowance. Competitive, quota-based entry.

12–24 months

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Emergency Medicine Physicians

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org