ACEP Now: Native Americans were the first to practice healing arts in America, yet they make up just 0.4 percent of physicians and 0.1 percent of emergency physicians. Does it surprise you that the number is so low?

DR. HALE: It’s extremely low, but it doesn’t surprise me. All three of us have the same story. There was nobody around to show us the way, maybe one person if we were lucky. I know most of the Native ER doctors in the country because there are so few of us. We’re just such a small population to begin with, so it makes sense that there aren’t many Native physicians.

ACEP Now: When it comes to patient care, what do you take from your heritage into the emergency department?

DR. POSTOAK: I think back to when I was younger. My grandma and great grandma would take herbs or jars from the back of the house when someone was sick. They’d not only give medicine, but also sit down and talk, trying to figure out what was really going on. That’s something I try to carry into the ER—looking beyond just the immediate complaint and seeing the whole person. A lot of times, especially for Native patients, the ER is their primary care because they can’t access other services. We’re not always the best fit for those issues, but we do our best to help, to figure out what’s really going on. It’s tough when you see your own people come in. Some are homeless or dealing with addiction, and it hurts to hear their stories. It’s a blessing to be able to treat them, but it’s also heavy.

DR. HALE: Yeah, we see a decent number of Native patients, and it’s always a different feeling. It’s special to be able to treat your own people, but it can also be heartbreaking because you know the deeper context behind their struggles.

ACEP Now: Why did you choose emergency medicine over other specialties?

DR. POSTOAK: I feel like emergency medicine found me. I was doing rotations, and when I tried emergency medicine, I loved it. I realized I could be functional in any setting: at a ball game, in the wilderness, wherever someone needed help. I wanted to be that jack of all trades. My dad was a mechanic, and he always had an answer when something went wrong. I wanted to be like that—a resource in any scenario.