From an outsider's perspective, leadership seems glamorous, with a high status, getting the lion's share of departmental benefits, and working leisurely, but the responsibilities on their shoulders are significant. When things happen, they must charge forward without hesitation.
For instance, when a patient needs resuscitation, it's often the highest-ranked doctor who bears the main responsibility.
This includes directing on-site medical staff to immediately perform life-saving measures on the patient, personally taking action, coordinating with other specialist doctors to assist, and so on. If there are issues during the resuscitation, the first to be held accountable is not the medical staff involved but the department head responsible for leadership.
On a regular day, there are incidents of medical staff in the Emergency Department being hit by family members or patients, but it's extremely rare for a leader to be beaten to the point of fracture.
