Emergency Department

The Triage Process

During the ED triage process, patients who need immediate life-saving attention are brought back to a room ahead of others. Everyone else is seen according to the severity of his or her symptoms. The triage RN may perform limited nursing care before the patient is taken to the ED or RTA. The triage RN can perform basic wound care for lacerations, obtain strep/flu swabs, and the patient may be asked to provide a urine collection while in triage to expedite patient care.

Rapid Triage Assessment (RTA) Provider

The TMC ED offers our patients access to an RTA Provider (during our busier hours; these hours can vary) for patients with non-urgent medical complaints. The RTA Provider assesses a patient in a private room located off the ED waiting room. The Triage Registered Nurse (RN) assesses ALL patients and determines which area of the ED will provide the best care for their current medical complaint. Patients that are seen by the RTA provider are treated and discharged home by the RTA provider. This process helps decrease ED wait times and provides more efficient and quality care for all of our patients.

Wait Times

Unless your condition is serious or life-threatening, you may have to wait to see an ED Provider. The Triage RN assesses all patients and determines the severity of their complaint based on their presentation and vital signs. If your condition changes while you are waiting in the lobby, please notify the Triage RN. We value all patients at TMC and are dedicated to providing you quality care as soon as possible.

Eating and Drinking in the ED

If you are a patient in the ED, please do not eat or drink anything until you are seen and cleared by an ED Provider. Often, tests and procedures that are done in the ED require the patient has not consumed anything by mouth. If you are nauseated, often eating or drinking will make this worse. Prior to eating or drinking anything, please ask the ED Provider or RN if you are cleared to have food or drink.

If you do eat or drink anything prior to being cleared by an MD, you may further delay important tests and lab work that are important in identifying your health problem.

Patient Information

We value your privacy and are prohibited by Federal Laws to give out any information about our patients without the patient’s consent. Please understand, if you call the ED requesting information about your loved one, we cannot give you any information about their condition. It is best to contact the patient or other family members directly.

Telephone Medical Advice

Our ED staff cannot give medical advice over the telephone. If you have any health concerns, it is better to err on the side of safety and seek medical care at one of TMC’s clinics or the ED.