What is emergency medicine? When you cut your finger off, that’s a time for emergency medical services. In other words, when it is at least urgent, if not life threatening.
When Accidents Happen
Though the idea of an accident is not something you can necessarily plan for, hospitals do. When you or a loved one gets an acute injury or illness, you can turn to these medical centers to get the attention you need. If you’re hurt and you can’t turn to your cupboard for a bandaid or for that extra Percocet you’ve saved for such an occasion, there are medical experts who will help you in these facilities. Located in major cities and at all major hospitals, the emergency room is a place where you can be treated for any number of difficult problems, especially those which seem to have you stumped and unsure of what to do next. And at the very least, even if you’re not sure what you need to do about the blood or the cough, you can come to this medical center to see if you need to stay in the hospital for a while to get better. There are millions of emergency room visits per year.
Who’s On Call?
At an emergency room, you will encounter medical professionals who are trained in responding to acute medical emergencies. They still start by triaging the patients who come into the ER to see who the sickest person is. After the patients are triaged, then the patients are taken back to see a doctor who will then begin to diagnose the problem. Some problems might take just a look by a doctor while others might require extensive testing. In other cases, an illness or injury might require immediate surgical attention. When this is happening, the patient will be examined in the ER, but then they will be transferred to other parts of the hospital.
What is the Goal?
The emergency medicine specialists are trained in making sure that your bumps and bruises are nothing more than bumps and bruises. You will be treated immediately (well, hopefully) and then you will be instructed to follow up with a physician. If you don’t do this, then your problem might come back. In other issues, you might be treated when you’re at the ER, require a stay at the hospital, or need to be taken to another medical center with more advanced treatment or facilities. The goal, in the end, is to have each patient get on the path to recovery or at least to stop further damage from taking place as a result of a fast moving illness or an acute injury, like a car accident or other trauma.
You will find a number of different medical professionals in the ER: doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, interns, medical students, nurses, medical assistants, and others.
You can learn more about emergency room physicians and the American College Of Emergency Physicians here.
All will work together to ensure you’re ready to head back home as quickly as possible – and in one piece.