Intensivist

You are the doctor who cares for the sickest patients in the hospital. As an intensivist, also called a critical care physician, you manage patients in the intensive care unit whose lives depend on close, minute-to-minute attention. Day to day, you oversee mechanical ventilators, adjust powerful medications, interpret a constant stream of monitors and lab results, and make fast, high-stakes decisions. You lead a team of nurses, respiratory therapists, and other specialists, coordinate complex care, and often talk with families during frightening moments. It is demanding, intense work where your skill and calm can make the difference between life and death.