Two-Day Course
Comments

"Absolutely, positively awesome course!"

"The instructors are dynamite!"

"Their knowledge base, expertise, and professionalism clearly shine through."

"Triage First's course will greatly add to my nursing practice. I sincerely thank you for that!"

"Everything covered was nurse-driven – this class is for nurses, by nurses."

"Two-day course is real world knowledge – now I can't wait to go to the Triage Specialist Course."

Something beautiful...

Triage Specialist Course
Comprehensive Training for the Triage Educator

December 3-7, 2007
Asheville, NC
Now accepting applications

More info

Triage Specialist Course Comments

"The Triage Specialist Course was a wonderful complement to the 2-day course...taking triage concepts to new heights."

"The best course I have ever taken – I have been a nurse for 39 years, 30 of them in the ED. At last we have a course that teaches a methodical method for triage!"

"I have spent 30 of the last 32 years in emergency nursing. I've learned more from this course than any other course I've taken."

"It offers practical situations and solutions to our real life emergency departments."

"I feel it will positively impact our practice."

"The course was excellent, realistic and applicable."



Triage First, Inc.

Email
info@triagefirst.com

Website
www.triagefirst.com

Call toll-free
(866) 369-8029

Ask the Experts

"How long will the wait be?"

Question: I know it is not a good idea to tell patients in the waiting room how long the wait will be, but what can I say when patients ask how much longer it’s going to be?

Answer: There are two reasons it is always risky to tell patients or their significant others a specific length of time they will be waiting to see the physician. The first is that no matter how experienced we are, we cannot predict what emergency may come through the doors that will result in a slow-down or standstill of the throughput process. The second reason is that providing a specific time or indicating in some way that the wait will be lengthy could be interpreted as an EMTALA (Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act) violation if it influences the patient to leave the facility.

In responding to patients asking how much longer the wait will be, it is first important to recognize it is the patient’s perception of the waiting time that is the largest determinant of patient satisfaction, not the actual wait. When patients or their families become angry, they are often not interested in the actual wait time but are in reality asking: Do you know they are still there, do you care they are still there, and are you doing everything you can to get them into the treatment area? Responding with these needs in mind and clearly communicating that you are their nurse until the responsibility for their care is assumed in the treatment area goes a long way toward decreasing hostility that may be directed at you.

While there is no perfect “script,” there are statements to avoid, such as “the department is very busy,” “we’ll get to you as soon as we can,” or “you’ll just have to wait—we don’t have any beds right now.” A more effective response would be, “I am sorry for your wait, we will continue to monitor your condition while you are waiting, is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?” “Please let me know if you start to feel worse in any way.”

Ask the Experts a question by clicking here.

Copyright 2007 Triage First, Inc.