When we get seriously hurt, fall ill, or have some other medical emergency, there’s a good chance that we may end up in the emergency room. For many who have never been to an emergency room, this is a very scary and anxiety producing thought.

Television shows and movies depict emergency rooms as frantic chaos filled dens, with doctors, nurses, and orderlies running to and fro trying to prevent critically injured patients from dying. They always understaffed and low on vital resources. With this visual in mind most people are petrified of going to the ER room.

The reality is that emergency rooms can get chaotic at times. They have to be on call for medical emergencies no matter how many people it may include and what those medical emergencies entail. But what is important to note is that the staffs in an emergency room are trained for these situations. They are experts at dealing with multiple health crises simultaneously. Further, emergency rooms are some of the most fully outfitted areas of a hospital. These departments possess every device necessary in order to deliver quality care to a patient.  They also have an excellent record for saving lives, and stabilizing patients in crisis.

A Visit to the Emergency Room

A visit to an emergency room starts with a call to 911 typically. An operator will assess the medical emergency and if appropriate, let the person calling know that they are sending an ambulance.

When the ambulance arrives, depending on the severity of the emergency it will take you to either the nearest emergency room, or a medical facility you selects.

When you arrive in the emergency room, you will almost immediately be assessed by a triage nurse. Her job is to get your medical history, understand your symptoms, and take your vital signs. Depending upon what she discovers, she will either provide immediate treatment by directing an emergency room doctor to you, order tests relating to your medical condition, or put you in the queue to be treated by the first available doctor.

Those with the Most Urgent Need Get tended to First

You should be aware that emergency rooms are designed to cater to those in need of care most. If there is a crisis situation that comes in behind you, that person or persons will be treated ahead of you. Unless of course you are in a crisis situation as well in which case you will be treated immediately when you arrive at the ER.

Have Your Insurance Card Ready

The emergency room staff will want to understand the type of insurance that you have. In other words what procedures does your insurance cover. This is an important topic particularly if you do not have life threatening symptoms. An emergency room has to serve everyone. If you arrive and are in a crisis they cannot deny you medical attention because your insurance does not cover it or because you do not have insurance. However, they will limit their care to only those things that remove you from a medical crisis. At that point you will have to make clear how you will pay your medical bills for the remainder of your care. If your medical visit requires a hospital stay and you do not have the insurance to cover that stay or another means to pay, you will be transported to a government hospital that must take all patients. If of course you are in a government hospital, then they must admit you.

So it is important that you understand your insurance situation and bring your insurance card and any medical information regarding your insurance with you to the emergency room or have someone bring it while you are there.

Emergency rooms are designed to deal with medical emergencies no matter what they are. The staff is expert at doing this job, and they are employed because they do their jobs well.

When you are in the emergency room, do your best to stay calm, and follow the instructions of the doctors and nurses, and you will be back on your feet in no time.