Edwin Corral, MD
Please share with us where you attended medical school and tell us about why it made the top of your list.
I attended medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin. The student body and administration were very welcoming and were generally happy, so it was easy to see myself in that type of environment. Also, if you’ve ever been to Milwaukee, there is a fantastic craft brewery scene and I still think about the cheese curds!
Please share with us where you completed residency and how/why you ended up choosing that location.
I also did my residency in Milwaukee at the Medical College of Wisconsin. I did rotations in the ED during my 3rd and 4th years of medical school, I looked at how competent the graduating residents were, and I knew that the program would put me in a place to be a successful emergency physician. I also loved that the main site was a tertiary care site which ensured that I’d see diverse pathology during my training.
Tell us more about how you came to choose the field of medicine.
Medicine allows me to bring together my love for helping people and my love for science. It also allows us to make an impact on so many lives which I find fulfilling.
What about becoming a physician was attractive?
Medicine is a team sport with so many moving parts required to care for a patient. The most attractive part of being a physician is that it’s like being a quarterback, we make decisions that impact the whole team as we all work towards our common goal of patient care.
How did you choose Emergency Medicine as your specialty?
Emergency Medicine is great in that we have the opportunity to see the most exciting 15 minutes of each specialty. Emergency physicians need to have a wide breadth of knowledge and be prepared to take care of any pathology that may walk through the door. I enjoy that our specialty is a good mix of procedural and cerebral. I also love a well-managed resuscitation of a critical patient.
What do you enjoy most about your day-to-day practice?
I love that we get to meet and interact with so many different people from so many different walks of life. I like that no two days are the same and I like the camaraderie of working in an emergency department with nursing and ancillary staff.
What led you to practice with MEMA?
I enjoyed meeting and interacting with the physicians on my interview day. Everyone I met was very friendly and welcoming. Additionally, I’ve worked at hospital employed groups, small and large corporate medical groups, and the prospect of working with and becoming a partner in a well-established democratic group like MEMA was too good to pass up.
Has there been one patient, staff member, or caregiver story that has stuck with you?
Yes, when I was practicing in southern Missouri, I took care of a very sick child who was significantly injured in an MVC, we performed multiple bedside procedures prior to getting them to the OR for a craniectomy. The reason this case sticks out is because they followed up months later with pictures of the child progressing very well to let me know how they were doing. It’s not often we get follow up, let alone positive follow up of very sick patients.
What are some of the biggest challenges of your practice, for a clinician practicing in the emergency department?
One of the biggest challenges is that we, as emergency physicians, have such a short time to build a rapport with patients. Accordingly, it’s not always easy when we tell patients that they don’t need antibiotics for their viral process, or they don’t need emergent management of their asymptomatic hypertension. I will however continue to try to educate patients, as we do occasionally get some buy in and subsequently the patients get a better understanding of their disease.
Are you a member of any associations, societies, or organizations?
American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)
American Medical Association
Who/what did you want to be as a child?
When I was a child, I always wanted to be a physician. I always had a passion for science and math and wanted to have a future helping people. When I learned how practicing medicine is essentially performing science experiments in the human body, I knew that medicine is what I wanted to do.
What about Charlotte excites you?
I’m excited to be relocating to Charlotte from the suburbs of Houston, TX. What intrigues me most about Charlotte is how much more walkable it is compared to Houston. My soon-to-be wife and I are looking forward to experiencing all four seasons again, as well as enjoying the city’s close proximity to both the mountains and the beach. We’re also thrilled about exploring the many fantastic dining options the Charlotte area has to offer.
Do you have any hobbies, interests, or secret powers that are unique to you?
I love traveling and getting to know different cultures and trying different cuisines. I enjoy watching college basketball and college football, you will often see me cheering for my alma mater, the University of Illinois.