By Allison Eatough
Don’t ever say it’s a slow night in the emergency department at Baltimore Washington Medical Center.
Just uttering—or some say even just thinking—those words almost always leads to a wave of patients.
Like the child suffering an allergic reaction to peanut butter after another student smeared it on her face, or the toddler who hasn’t pooped in five days, despite eating mandarin orange after mandarin orange.
You never know who you’re going to treat on any given night, says Dr. Elizabeth Fronc, associate chairwoman of the hospital’s pediatrics department.
That’s part of the job’s appeal, says Fronc, who has worked at the hospital since 2003.
While she also works with children who are admitted to the hospital’s inpatient unit, Fronc’s passion is working the night shift in the emergency department’s four-bed pediatric unit. She typically works from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., four nights a week.
“It’s busy, it’s challenging, it’s interesting,” she says. “I have time to interface with families and have teachable moments.”
Chesapeake Family recently spent half a night with Fronc to see first-hand just how busy and challenging it can get.
