Hospital ER Nurse explains what to bring to the Hospital

Hey everyone

Now that I have been working in the emergency department for a while. I have learned a few things about how an emergency room functions and I thought it would be valuable sharing what I think people should consider before entering the emergency room.

Many of us will visit the emergency department at some point in time in our life. You probably know someone or you yourself have been to the ER for whatever reason. And remember, many people come to the emergency department from broken fingers to being resuscitated due to illnesses or accidents. This means there is such a broad demographic that the emergency department serves. Having said all of this, let’s talk about some things you should know if you have a family member or you yourself are coming to the emergency department!

If you are your loved one are coming to the emergency department, it is always wise to bring a list of medications you have been taking. Medication lists are important as they tell us a lot more about how the treatment of your disease or condition is being managed. There are certain modifications that may need to be considered if you are taking certain medications on a regular basis. These modification ranges from inserting an IV to the physician ordering certain tests. As a result it is always great to bring things like blister packs or your medication list to the hospital.

In addition to this, it is important for you to bring those medications with you. The emergency department is a place where anything can happen, which may delay your stay for longer than necessary. However physicians will typically make a judgement call on what they think is best for each and every single patient. This means that they will treat patients based on what they think is the most life threatening first. As a result of this, like I mentioned visits at the hospital may  be much longer than what you anticipate so it is always a great idea to bring your medications that you regularly take. However that is not to say that it is safe for you to take those medications when you come into the hospital. Like I said previously, sometimes medications you take may interact with certain tests procedures, lab work or may be the reason you are actually in the emergency department. With that being said, it is still a good idea to bring the medications and ask the nurse or the physician if it is safe to take the medications.

The last thing I want to mention you should have when you come into the emergency department is patience. There are a lot of situations that may not seem to make sense or why certain things are done in a way. However, the hospital has a lot of policies that are in place to protect every patient and make the experience in the hospital as efficient as possible. It gets complicated, but the point I am trying to make is that what may seem to be inefficient on the surface level may actually be the best decision for every patient and it goes beyond sometimes the providers levels of understanding why certain things are done the way they are being done. Therefore it is always important to be patient with the nurses and other healthcare professionals as we are trying our best to serve the public the safest and most time efficient way possible.

I hope this video has brought you any value. I would love to know if you are willing to share, any experiences you have had in the hospital and what recommendations you have for other patients! Thank you for watching and I will see you in the next video.

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