A day in the life of an Emergency Department (ED) physician is anything but predictable. “You never know what your day will look like,” says Dr. Bernice Mitelman.
“But you do know you're going to be with an amazing team,” adds Dr. Roberta Hood.
With more than 30 years of combined experience at Oak Valley Health’s Markham Stouffville Hospital (MSH), Drs. Hood and Mitelman are grateful to lean on each other and their colleagues to provide care for more than 106,000 patients in the ED each year. “It's quite nice to work with like-minded people who will fix things when they see things need to be fixed,” Dr. Mitelman affirms.
On any given day, Drs. Hood and Mitelman navigate a fast-paced environment in the ED, managing everything from mild conditions like cuts and sprains, to life-threatening issues like cardiac arrest or seizures that might require resuscitation. No matter what comes through the ED’s doors, flexibility and compassion remain at the heart of their care.
“It's those little interactions we have with patients, where we have to sew somebody up and they're scared, and you talk them through it,” describes Dr. Mitelman.
“It’s such a privilege to be available for people when they need someone most,” reflects Dr. Hood.
In recent years, MSH’s dedicated ED staff have experienced a steady increase in patient volumes, highlighting the need for innovative solutions to support primary care providers and streamline services. “If Emergency is the heartbeat, family doctors are our souls that exist in the periphery and within the hospital,” says Dr. Mitelman. “Without them, this place can't run, so access to family medicine is key.”
Drs. Hood and Mitelman are grateful to be a part of a community that generously supports the ED’s optimization through contributions to the MSH Foundation. “The emergency department is a social safety net of society. Growing the infrastructure to meet the needs of our growing community is a need,” says Dr. Hood.
“We're always open. I always tell people we’re 7-Eleven,” adds Dr. Mitelman with a smile. “We're here to help. We're here to serve. And we're happy to do it.”
Both Drs. Mitelman and Hood were honoured and equally surprised to be named MSH Heroes for their roles, which has them delivering urgent care to patients they may only see once. “Some days we go home wondering how much of an impact we made, and to be recognized in this way really makes us feel like we are appreciated in what we do,” says Dr. Hood.
