694 - Going to the Emergency Room

If you have an accident and need to go to the hospital, you’ll probably go to the emergency room. Learn more in this episode.
Slow dialogue: 1:11
Explanations: 3:38
Fast dialogue: 19:19
Saturday, 9:35 p.m.
I arrive in the emergency room. I had been at a party earlier in the evening when I accidentally cut my finger. My finger wasn’t severed, but it did have a very deep cut and I thought I might need stitches. I check in at the admissions desk and I’m told to take a seat and wait.
Saturday, 10:40 p.m.
I’m still waiting to see a doctor. The waiting room is filled to capacity and I expect it to be a long night.
Saturday, 11:15 p.m.
Several ambulances pull up to the door and EMTs wheel in several people on stretchers. I hear that there had been a pileup on Freeway 215 and these were the victims. I can see a doctor performing triage and the most critical cases are taken into exam rooms and maybe directly into surgery.
Sunday, 1:25 p.m.
I decide to give up and go home. If I hadn’t bled to death by that time, I could probably wait until Monday to see my regular physician.
My evening in the emergency room wasn’t a total loss, though. I learned a valuable lesson: Never voluntarily go to the emergency room!

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse