Quote:
Originally Posted by tld221
I have a question about. Emergency rooms.
I've spent many of nights (and days) in ER's for illnesses that, in the grande sceme of things, aren't emergencies, but do require immediate care (it can take weeks to get an appt). The doctor who staffs the ER patients-what are they doing? Patients wait hours to be seen by a doctor who only spends 10 mins with them. There are people who've say they've been here from 430pm and still haven't been seen.
I went to an ER where I was literally the only patient waiting to be seen. It still took a half hour to triage and another 2 hours to be seen. What gives?
I would think that the hospital would want to get patients out asap. Why do we wait hours on end? Are ER's a big joke to doctors/nurses? Are yall just lmao-ing behind that registration plexiglass?
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I'm not really sure where you went, but I did a rotation at the CHLA ED for a month, and people waited a long time because there were just a lot of people to be seen, and the medical staff were going as quickly as they could through the list. Most of the patients, like you, didn't have true emergencies, and they waited longer than people who had more serious illnesses. The nurses would color-code the patients (red, yellow, blue, green) based on urgency and the docs would take whomever was next on the list based on color/urgency and time of arrival. Wait times were variable once they got into a room - could be 30 min, could be 4 hours.
A clinic or an after-hours urgent care center will probably be faster and easier for you. I recommend establishing relationship with a regular primary care doctor as well, perhaps there is someone with a more flexible schedule near you? Many GP's/internists can fit you in same-day or next-day if you are ill, and may be able to telephone in Rx's for you without an appointment (although I believe this depends on individual state laws). It will likely be cheaper for you too to find a clinic -- ED visits are expensive.
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