They are trained to make fast and accurate decisions and know all the procedures necessary to keep patients stable until treatment is completed or a specialist is called in to take over the next level of care.

Deaconess Medical Center is here for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week with:

• the best doctors and nurses
  
• fast and advanced technology
  
• caregivers who are concerned with your well-being

As the "front door" to Deaconess Medical Center, the Emergency Department strives to provide prompt, courteous, and professional care to incoming patients and their families.

Deaconess Medical Center understands that saving lives is often measured in seconds - not minutes.

We off full radiology services, including CT scan and MRI, and comprehensive laboratory testing. More importantly, a number of state-of-the-art tools have been deployed to facilitate and expedite safe emergency care. A digital teleradiology system allows for any X-ray study to be promptly reviewed by both the radiologist and the emergency physician. Certain critical laboratory tests now can be conducted at the patient’s bedside, with results becoming available in a matter of seconds. A patient tracking system identifies the stage or intervention that is next in the care of any patient, allowing for prompt identification of preventable delays.

Our physicians are board-certified in emergency medicine, all of our registered nurses are trained in emergency medicine and many are certified in emergency nursing as well. All of our nursing staff is certified in advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), pediatric life support (PLS), neonatal resuscitation (NRP), emergency nursing pediatric program (ENCP), trauma nursing care course (TNCC), basic life support (BLS), critical care and emergency nursing. Board-certified pediatricians are also available for immediate consultations 24 hours a day for our younger patients

It is Deaconess Medical Center's policy to examine, stabilize, treat and/or transfer any who visit our ER.

The provision of emergency services and care shall not be based upon, nor affected by, the person's race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, citizenship, age, sex, pre-existing medical condition, physical or mental handicap, insurance status or ability to pay for medical services.

• severe abdominal or chest pain
  
• head or spine injury
  
• severe shortness of breath
  
• suicidal or homicidal tendencies
  
• sudden, severe pain
  
• severe, sudden loss of hearing
  
• disorientation
  
• severe bleeding
  
• loss of consciousness
  
• poisoning
  
• severe reaction to an insect bite
• A child under three months old with any temperature above normal should be taken to an emergency room immediately.

A visit to an emergency department (ED) can be a frightening time. Hospital EDs are fast-paced, and life-saving intervention by doctors and nurses is a constant occurrence. Rest assured that despite the high level of activity, there is a very systematic plan in place for greeting and assessing new patients when they arrive. Generally, here's what to expect:

• You will be asked to identify your emergency.
  
• A triage nurse will assess your condition.
  
• Depending on the severity of your illness or injury, and the occupancy level within the ED, you will be asked to wait or go immediately to an exam room.
  
• Once inside the exam room, a nurse will ask you a few questions and fill out paperwork for the doctor to review.
  
• A doctor will be in to see you as soon as possible.
  
• The doctor will examine you. Family/companions may be asked to leave the room during examinations and/or treatments.
  
• A doctor may order one or more tests to properly diagnose your condition.
  
• Tests are administered by specialists (for example should you need an X-ray, a radiology technician will perform that test).
  Tests such as X-rays, blood analysis and CT scans not only require a specialist to perform them, they also require a specialist to properly analyze them. For these reasons, it may take some time to get final results.
  
• The ED doctor will review your test results.
  
• The ED doctor will come back into your exam room and discuss your condition and treatment in more detail.
  
• An on-call specialist will be called in if necessary (e.g., a cardiologist, gastroenterologist or hand surgeon).
  
• Physicians and nurses will provide treatment.
  
• If appropriate, you may be treated in the ED and discharged with further treatment instructions. More severe cases may require admission to the hospital for additional tests, continuous observation or even surgery.
  
• If discharged home, you will be advised to follow up with your personal physician. If you do not have a regular physician, the ED will provide a referral for you.

Typically there are several patients requiring medical attention in the ED at one time. Patients are seen in order of the severity of their condition. For example, someone having a heart attack will be seen sooner than someone with a sprained ankle, regardless of arrival time. The medical staff has vast experience to ensure that you are treated quickly and competently. The goal is to get you feeling well again so that you can go back to enjoying life to the fullest.