Making a difference — inside and out of the nighttime emergency department.
Chaos. Diversity. The element of surprise.
This is a normal day in the life of Dr. Jared Goldberg, an emergency physician balancing night shifts at Inova Alexandria Hospital and life as a husband and father of three.
Content with the idea that a “normal day at the office” will never be normal, Goldberg was drawn to the field of medicine where all the action happens.
“I like not knowing what my day is going to look like, or who I’m going to interact with,” says Goldberg, an 11-year member of the Virginia College of Emergency Physicians. “In emergency rooms, physicians often have to make a diagnosis with limited background on a patient. I love a challenge—especially ones like this, where I am constantly required to be on my toes and think critically. This combined with being a source of comfort for patients and their families is why I love what I do. There’s never a dull moment.”
Another aspect Goldberg enjoys about the specialty is — believe it or not — his nighttime schedule. Although working three overnight shifts a week sounds hectic with a house full of growing children, Goldberg says the shifts give him a consistent routine. That’s not the case for daytime emergency physicians, whose regular schedules are not always promised.
“To any resident thinking of going the overnight route, I’d say go for it,” Goldberg says. “You have to be comfortable with having less resources, and sometimes being the only doctor in the unit, but I think in some ways, that makes you a more confident care provider. You also have to welcome a healthy work-life balance. Be willing work hard, but also appreciate time off and find things that fuel you and make you happy outside of work.”
In addition to family and work, Goldberg is a member of the VACEP board, meeting with other emergency physicians from around Virginia to discuss and strategize ways to advocate for emergency medicine issues. Although he’s rather new to lobbying and legislation, Goldberg is learning the value of engaging in VACEP and supporting issues that matter to him.
“Protecting patients and their access to quality care is a top concern for me,” says Goldberg, who fights for issues such as care for those affected by opioids, clarifying rules surrounding surprise billing, and the issue of Nurse Practitioners opening independent practices.
After being in the field for more than 13 years, Dr. Goldberg knows where his priorities stand in emergency medicine: Protecting patients, physicians and emergency departments, as well as speaking up and fighting for what he believes in.
“It’s really important for physicians to be vocal about the issues that are happening in our world right now,” he says. “Fighting for these issues are very complex and take a lot of time, but if you aren’t engaged and advocating for your beliefs, then you have no control of the decisions that others, maybe less informed, will be making for you.
