We were recommended by a nurse in the family to go to the ER. I wanted to go to an urgent care place. We were advised that we wouldn't get a Doctor at the urgent care place and would at the ER. The advice we got IMO was derived from panic.
We never would have seen a doctor at either location. Our problem was just not that serious.
Were about to get real friendly with the PCP of our choice and go to their recommend after hour emergency / urgency location.

 

I have been to a few walk in clinics and was not impressed. Staff was definitely not top tier and in one case sent me on to a clinic associated with a hospital for some stitches in a smashed finger.
I wonder how much health care varies by state? Washington state is pretty good, though I am in a more rural area and I'm sure people are more stacked up in Seattle er. The local hospital rooms are all single occupancy. This morning I had an unscheduled blood draw and it took less than 15 minutes though I arrived before the faxed order did.

 

I spent years working ER's. Horrible places... Unless it's broken bone or major lac, or I'm being brought in by ambulance, I'm avoiding the ER. If it's not serious to get me into a treatment room right away, I'm not going there.

Primary care physician, or urgent care provider, always a better bet.

 

We have definitely found a gaping hole in our preps. New Obama Care insurance just picked my Girlfriend a primary care physician. We didn't even know where this physician office was located.
Did a Google search and this physician pops up a clinic praised as an Aids clinic. This is not the specialty were looking for.
Were calling our preferred doctor and getting a list of affordable insurance options which they accept.
We got a referral to a cardiologist but were not sure if this is a referral or a recommendation since we got this statement from a Nurse at the ER.

 

Wow... 6+ hours in the waiting room with no crisis in the city. Now imagine that some bad event had happened. If that don't make a person seriously consider how to prepare for some situations and avoid the herd.

I am not saying the OP could have avoided the visit, just that in case there was an event I want to be no where near an ER.

 

Thankfully, our hospital is small (they begged my FIL to let them do his gallbladder surgery because they were slow that night) so our wait times are very short, usually.

The hospital in the next county is the only hospital in the county so they have lllllooooonnnnngggg wait times.

Thankfully, we aren't sick much but our family doc has been teaching me things I can do at home instead of taking the kids in (what certain illnesses cause what symptoms, how to treat at home, what supplies I need on hand, etc) plus it helps that her family preps (new AR for Christmas for her and hubs, kids got 22s).

 

6.5 hours later and we're trying to get a referral to a specialist and discharged.
I can hear cries and wimpers in the other rooms. I could only imagine if this was a little more chaotic. A major emergency would be incredible.

I'm in shape but I'm going to lay off the cheese burgers for a while.

 

hahahahahahha!

 

I was dubbed a 'flight risk" once, had a back surgery , for some reason, when i am feeling no pain, i tend to wander around, I guess i had wandered outside, when the sheriff picked me up and brought me back he said he found me wandering down the side of I-26 with tha back of the gown wide ass open, long row of still leaky staples down the middle, said he stopped , opened tha door, and i got in like i knew him.,

 

I was in the ER with a friends kid earlier this week. Im sure we may still ended up in the hospital but if we new the kids blood oxygen level we would have not used an ambulance.

Found a highly reviewed and rated meter for 20 bucks on amazon. Adding these to my next three amazon orders.

 

3 hours in a waiting room still waiting..

Im about to buy my own medical equipment.

 

That's a big part of why I prep meds and equipment for the medical emergancies that happen to me and mine- 7+ hours waiting after dropping a manhole cover on my foot, realy drove that waiting sucks home.

 

I tried wearing one of those hospital gowns backwards.... it didn't work so well, they could see my concealed weapon- it was even called a sub-compact.

 

The serious side of me want to mention you also might look like an easy target....

but I also used to say I would face the apocalypse in a hospital gown (open to the rear) and trailing a 6 foot piece of "hazmat/ quarantine" tape off of one foot.
A little coughing and nasal drip should sell it.................

 

Don't forget to be pushing a full shopping cart while wearing one, swaggering & mumbling. An AR + ammo + bedroll, tarp & supplies fits in well a shopping cart. :