Defining the Job Description of an Emergency Physician

Originally approved September 2022

As an adjunct to this policy statement, ACEP has prepared a Policy Resource and Education Paper (PREP) titled “Physical and Cognitive Skills Required for the Practice of Clinical Emergency Medicine” 

Emergency physicians may undertake various roles within the field of emergency medicine, including, but not limited to, clinical care, administration, oversight, leadership, education, research, quality, and patient safety. However, the fundamental role and definition of an emergency physician relies on an individual’s capability to actively provide clinical care, potentially deploying a full range of physical and cognitive skills to provide emergency medical care. A qualified emergency physician may be able to perform these essential functions with reasonable accommodations, as long as they do not pose a significant risk of substantial harm to the health or safety of the individual or others that cannot be eliminated. In addition, such accommodations should not pose an undue hardship on the provision of emergency medical care.

For more information, see ACEP’s Policy Resource and Education Paper (PREP) “Physical and Cognitive Skills Required for the Practice of Clinical Emergency Medicine.”