You will first be greeted by one of our Customer Service Representatives who will gather your name, date of birth, and why you came to the Emergency Department. If a Customer Service Representative isn’t available, a registered nurse will take this information. You will then be triaged by a registered nurse. You will have your vital signs taken as well as asked multiple questions about your visit.
After being initially triaged, you will either be taken back to a treatment room, or asked to wait in the waiting room until a treatment room becomes available. If you are asked to wait in the waiting room, you will be registered by one of our registration personnel. If you are taken straight back to a treatment room, the registration personnel will gather that information in the treatment room.
Please note, that the priority that patients are taken back to rooms comes from a multitude of factors. We first will provide rooms to the patient that has been identified as the sickest (highest acuity). If all patients are deemed to be of equal acuity (equally sick) they will be taken to a room in the order in which they arrived. Also, note that there are other factors that contribute to wait times. Our department is constantly getting patients from emergency medical service ambulances that you will not see come through the front door.
After you are in a room, you will be assessed by a registered nurse and either an emergency physician or physicians assistant. The medical provider will order any appropriate blood tests, x-rays or other tests you may need. They will also order any treatments for your condition such as medications, intravenous therapy, or other various treatments. Once your test results are back (most are completed within 1 hour of being performed), and your treatments have been implemented, the physician will determine whether you may go home or need admission to the hospital.
The length of time you are in the emergency department can vary greatly depending on your illness or injury and the tests or treatments you require. On average, the length of stay is around 2 ½ to 3 hours.