After Registration

After a patient is registered, the clerk will place an identification bracelet on his or her wrist. If a bed is not immediately available in the treatment area, the patient will be asked to have a seat in the waiting area.

How quickly a patient is placed in an exam room depends on many things including:

• Severity of illness or injury
• Severity of other patients' illnesses or injuries
• Number of patients being evaluated or treated at that particular time
• Number of patients arriving by ambulance

Once a patient has been evaluated in the treatment area, an Emergency department staff member may need to take the patient to another area of the hospital, such as the X-ray department. During busy hours, there could be a delay due to the needs of critical patients.

Patients who require the use of a special room (such as the eye, gynecology or cast rooms) may be seen out of order based on the availability of the room.