Are patients treated first-come, first serve?
Patients are treated based on their conditions. We must care for critical patients first. If you have a less severe illness or injury, you may have to wait while sicker or more severely injured patients are seen first. If our triage nurse determines that your condition is less serious, you may be seen in our Fast Track area, which typically has a shorter waiting time. Sometimes there is no wait at all for Fast Track. Once I have been placed in a bed, how long will I be there? Your stay will depend on symptoms, illness, and whether you will be admitted to the hospital as in inpatient. Minor problems can often be handled in a couple hours or less. Patients with complex illnesses may remain in the ER for several hours. The time of day and day of the week may also determine how busy the emergency department is. Typically, we are busiest between 1 pm and 10 pm. Weekends and Mondays are usually the busiest days of the week.
