What to Expect in the Emergency Room

Depending on your condition and the number of patients being treated, there may be a wait. Some of our Emergency Departments have designated areas for certain types of medical conditions. Patients with more serious or life-threatening conditions may be seen and treated before patients who arrived earlier. While you’re waiting, our team continues to monitor patients and reassess clinical needs. Please let the Triage Nurse know if your symptoms change. 

You’ll be seen by a provider (physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant) who will evaluate your condition, ask questions, and develop a care plan with you.

You may need tests such as blood work, imaging (X-ray, CT scan), or other diagnostics. Treatment may begin while results are pending. Tests and specialist consultations can affect how long a patient spends in the emergency room (ER). ER doctors may order blood tests, X-rays, scans, or other tests to find out what is causing a patient’s symptoms. Some patients may also need to be seen by a specialist for expert advice. Waiting for test results, specialist evaluations, or treatment decisions can take extra time. Because of this, patients who need more tests or specialist care may spend longer in the ER before they can go home or be admitted to the hospital.

Your provider will review your results with you, explain your condition, and discuss next steps.

• If you’re well enough to go home, you’ll receive discharge instructions, prescriptions (if needed), and follow-up guidance.
• If you need further care, your provider will discuss next steps.

During your stay in the Emergency Department, please do not eat or drink anything before checking with your nurse or doctor. Eating and drinking can interfere with tests, delay any needed procedures, or even make you worse.

As part of your assessment, your care team may order blood tests, x-rays, or other imaging studies. The time to get those results will depend on the number of tests ordered and their complexity. In general, most common blood tests will be back in 90 minutes or less. Imaging tests generally take longer (sometimes a few hours) depending on the type of test and what we are looking for.

To see your results, download the MyChart app on your phone. Remember, you may see your results before your provider. It is very important to wait to review those with the provider. Learn more here about MyChart.

Not feeling well, being in a strange place with different types of flooring, medications, and bedside medical equipment can increase your risk of falling. You may receive a special band on your wrist to alert staff you are at a higher risk of falling and may need extra help. We encourage all patients to:

• Use your call bell to ask for help
• Do not get up without asking for help

Help is available for anyone who does not speak English, is deaf, or has difficulty hearing.

We are here for you and we want you involved in your care. At any point if you have questions, ask a care team member for help. We understand that family members want to stay informed about their loved one’s care. If you are calling from outside the hospital, please contact the Emergency Department (ED), and our staff will help connect you with the appropriate care team member. If you are already in the ED, feel free to speak with any staff member, and they will make sure the right person is notified to provide an update or address any questions or concerns.

If you don’t need to stay in the hospital, you will be discharged. During that process, you will be given written instructions on how to care for your illness or injury, along with prescriptions for any medicines you will need. If you have questions about the instructions, please ask. We are here for you.