Commentary.
There seemed to be signs everywhere.
BE COURTEOUS
WAIT PATIENTLY
ZERO TOLERANCE FOR ALL FORMS OF VIOLENCE AND HARASSMENT
First-timers might think it to be a scary place, but it really wasn’t. The Joseph Brant Hospital Emergency Department waiting room was in fact clean and bright with TVs, comfy chairs, and nearby washrooms.
I arrived at 9:55 a.m. Monday thinking the worst. After all, one does hear frightening stories about ERs in general, but with only six people waiting, I thought I was off to a good start.
More good news. Just fifteen minutes later, I was called to the front desk, which is behind glass, and asked what brought me to the ER. Then, back to my seat to wait.
By 10:25 a.m., there were nine people in the waiting room.
At 10:50 a.m., the front desk lady called me behind the glass and took my blood pressure, oxygen level, and heart rate. Again, back to my seat to wait.
There were now twelve people in the waiting room.
At 11:05 a.m., another lady called me into one of the clinic rooms. She said her job was “demographics” and asked me all the usual questions, including phone number, email, emergency contact, etc. Back to my seat to wait.
As I waited, I checked out the nearby washroom. It was bright and clean, but the toilet seat needed tightening and, either I’m getting too old to operate some of the newer model paper towel dispensers or, the machine was empty.
Now, here’s the thing about this waiting room. It was noisy. First you have the lady behind the glass who uses a microphone and speaker to talk with patients and make announcements. It was loud, I guess understandably so, but the sound was somewhat distorted and aggravating. Then there was the public. Some folks were very loud whether on their cell phones or not. Finally, there was the smashing sound of metal and glass sliding doors as they banged open and closed when people left the clinic rooms. None of this was a big deal, but perhaps unnecessary.
At 11:15 a.m., I was invited behind the waiting room into the real ER. Lots of rooms, medical staff, and equipment. It was a bit of a maze and reminded me of the TV show Chicago Med.
A young man, presumably a nurse, asked me about my injury and said he would arrange for an X-ray. After a brief wait, another man took me to the X-ray area via a chair on casters.
The real stuff was about to happen. I met a technician named Judith who was very pleasant. She and I manipulated my poor arm into all kinds of positions to get the right view for the doctor. Judith clearly knew what she was doing.
Then, back to my private room to await the results. I stopped at the bathroom to wash my hands and encountered another one of those damn paper towel dispensers. Oh well.
An hour later, in came the doctor. She was very nice and pleasant, but got right down to business. She provided a diagnosis and explained what needed to be done both then and later.
The nurse returned almost immediately and wrapped my arm in a sling while explaining that it would cost me $26.00. Ha!
I left at 1:15 p.m. having had my vitals taken, been interviewed, diagnosed, and provided with a recovery plan. The entire episode took just over three hours. I can honestly say it was, overall, a satisfactory experience. I think I got my healthcare dollars’ worth. Thanks to the staff at Joseph Brant’s ER.
