National Doctor’s Day: Dr. Hathorn

March 30^th is National Doctor’s Day, and Victoria ER wants to shine the spotlight on one of our amazing physicians. Dr. Joseph Hathorn is an emergency physician at Victoria ER and has been practicing emergency medicine in Texas for over 15 years. To learn more about Dr. Hathorn and his experience, we were able to ask him some questions about why working at an emergency facility like Victoria ER is so special.

1. Tell us about an average day in the life of an ER Doctor.

“I generally start the day by checking the patient log from the previous day. These are patients that I will need to do call backs on for that day. We call back all of our patients to follow-up with them and see how they are doing. I generally start calling patients from the previous day during the late morning or early afternoon hours. “After checking the patient log, I will eat breakfast and mentally prepare myself for the shift. Throughout the day, when there is down time, I will generally catch up on anything that I wasn’t able to take care of on the previous day.”

2. What is your favorite part of your day?

“I enjoy the early morning and late shifts the most, as strange as that might sound. Those are quieter times of day, when I can catch up on my patient files and make sure we’re ready for the rest of the day and night. It is relaxing!”

3. When did you know that you wanted to be a doctor?

“I knew in high school. I had a Physics teacher during my junior year, who told me to consider medicine as a career. Having that kind of encouragement had an effect on me, and early on gave me some direction. I found my passion for it in medical school when I got to connect with patients and start to really practice medicine, instead of just studying it.”

4. How do you think your work at your facility is making the healthcare industry better?

“Our goal is to make the ER more accessible for patients, and to focus on giving them the treatment they deserve. The idea is to place the highest value on their time by getting them treated quickly, and value them as individuals by giving them respect and dignity. Patients generally don’t get this in the hospital environment because of the overcrowding and sometimes inadequate resources.”

5. How has working in medicine changed your life?

“Medicine has made me appreciate things that most people may take for granted. This may be because of what I have seen over my almost 18 years of ER practice. The little day-to-day mishaps that may be trivial for some are having a bigger impact on others as I continue practicing emergency medicine. The importance of healthy living and taking care of yourself has become clear to me as a must for balance and success in life.”   Victoria ER is proud to have Dr. Hathorn practicing on our medical team. This National Doctor’s Day we appreciate and honor all that he does at our facility.

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Dr Hathorn obtained his medical degree from the University of California, Davis School of Medicine. He completed his Emergency Medicine Residency from the King Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA. Dr Hathorn has been in Emergency Medicine clinical practice for the past 17 years. Dr Hathorn is Board Certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine. He currently resides in Houston, TX. His wife is a Board Certified Ob-Gyn practicing in Houston, TX. They both have 2 children, ages 4 and 7.

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Nutex Health, Inc. supports you and your family’s health. Come visit Victoria ER or any one of our concierge-level freestanding facilities for the emergency care you deserve, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.