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The ER-isms Origin Story....
As an emergency room (ER) doctor for nearly 15 years, I’ve witnessed it all. The ER is a place where intensity meets humanity, a battlefield and a sanctuary rolled into one. Yet through it all, one thing remained constant: humor.
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In the face of life-and-death situations, laughter was more than a relief—it was a lifeline. It was the inside joke shared during a grueling 12-hour shift, the witty remark that eased a patient’s fear, or the unexpected one-liner from a nurse or patient that cut through the stress like a scalpel through tension. Humor wasn’t just present—it was essential.
A few years after residency, following one particularly exhausting shift, I found myself reflecting on how vital those moments of levity truly were. The ER is overflowing with stories—some heartbreaking, some extraordinary, and many laugh-out-loud funny. That night, it hit me: these moments weren’t just coping mechanisms; they were survival tools, deeply human and profoundly healing. That’s when the idea for ER-isms was born.
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I started jotting down the funniest, most outrageous, and truly unbelievable things I’d heard over the years—quotes from patients, fellow physicians, nurses and others. Sayings that had made me laugh, grin or shake my head in disbelief. ER-isms was created to share that spirit—raw, real and ridiculously funny—with the world.
At ER-isms, we make products that celebrate the heart of emergency medicine (EM). Our gear features some of the most hilarious ER quotes and inside jokes—relatable to anyone who’s ever worked in or visited an ER. But more than that, our mission is simple: to spread joy. So wear it with pride, smile wide, and embrace the chaos with a little humor. After all, at ER-isms, we stand by our motto:
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"Laughter is the Best Medicine!"
About Me
My name is Dr. David Heath—a red-headed country boy raised on a farm in the hills of East Tennessee. I’m also a board-certified EM physician completing my residency training through the Cleveland Clinic Health System in Northeast Ohio, and I've been practicing on the front lines of the ER ever since.
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ER-isms is a passion project....one of the most personal journeys I’ve ever taken. Every time I wrote down an ER-ism, it became a bookmark in my memory, a moment tied to a particular shift, a patient or a story that stuck with me. That’s why this project matters so much to me. It’s more than just humor—it’s history, reflection and healing.
Growing up in rural Appalachia meant summers spent throwing hay, splashing in the hog pen, milking cows and helping my family on the farm. That upbringing taught me the value of hard work, resilience and loyalty. My deepest influences come from my roots: my late grandfather, who passed in 2011; my grandmother, who is basically the "Appalachian Mother Teresa"; my father, a tireless Master logger who always puts family first; and my incredible wife who’s somehow managed to tolerate me for over 25 years.​
One of my earliest inspirations in medicine wasn’t a real-life doctor, but a fictional one: the wisecracking, deeply human Chief Surgeon Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce from M*A*S*H. As a kid, I admired him for his heart, his conscience, and his ability to find levity in the darkest moments. One quote of his has always stuck with me:
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“We have to use a mental anesthesia. Otherwise, you bleed for everybody else that's bleeding. If you get caught up in their misery too deeply, you get caught in a hole you cannot climb out of.”
— "Hawkeye" Pierce, MD
That "mental anesthesia" for me became humor. These ER-isms represent not just funny moments, but meaningful ones. I hope they make you laugh, nod in recognition, or even spark a memory of your own. This site was created for you—for anyone who’s worked in emergency medicine, been cared for in an ER, or just needs a reason to smile. I truly hope you enjoy the products and the stories behind them.​