How to Prep for Your First ER Visit Like a Pro

Anytime someone is headed to the ER, it’s a scary time—whether it be yourself, a friend, or a roommate. But that won’t happen to you, so there’s no reason to worry about it, right? Well, I’ll tell you right now, you’ll be going to the ER (at least) once in your college career. 

Now, this doesn’t mean you should be constantly worried about every sneeze or cough around you, but you can prepare for it and hopefully that preparation will take some of that worry away if you do end up going. Here are some tips to deal with your first trip to the ER, organized into three concise, time-relevant sections, of course.

Packing and prep for a future situation

• One thing my parents (a Registered Nurse and an employee of United Healthcare) drilled into me when I first left for school was to always carry my insurance cards with me. If you don’t have a card, each insurance company has a different approach to getting one. It’s best to talk about this with the person who is on the insurance policy about getting one if you missed that while packing.
• You should also figure out exactly what is “in-network” for your insurance. This shouldn’t stop you from going somewhere close in an emergency, but if a hospital in La Crosse will be fully covered by your insurance and you can wait that long, it would be cheaper to go there. DO NOT PUT YOURSELF IN DANGER TO ACCESS A CHEAPER HOSPITAL. If you need to be taken to Winona Health for your safety, that takes priority over the price.
• If you take medications (or have allergies), write the name and dosage to the best of your ability in the notes folder in your phone, or add an “Allergy” note tab. For example, hormonal birth controls have different dosages depending on weight or other factors. So, in my notes tab, I have written: Levonorgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol Tablets, 0.15mg/0.03 mg. This depends on your prescription, but if you are unsure of yours, you can just put a mention that you are on the pill and maybe keep a picture. Here’s a photo of my notes tab:

• If you are feeling sick, always write down any over-the-counter medications you may take to alleviate symptoms in a new note. For example, if you take Ibuprofen (Advil) 200 mg tablet at noon, make sure you put the dosage and time taken in a note. This way you can avoid taking another too soon, as well as help yourself if you end up in the ER and the doctor needs to know what painkillers you took to avoid using the same ones.
• Know your family history. In my family, both my father and paternal grandmother had/have colon cancer, so this may affect how the doctor looks at things like intestinal pain should I need to visit the ER.

Getting to the nearest ER or Urgent Care

• Due to liability reasons, Resident Assistants (aka your RAs) can’t drive students anywhere. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t contact them if there is an emergency situation. Your RA can help you determine if you need to call an ambulance or if they could pull another (maybe older) resident aside and ask if they could drive you. (I have been the other resident for three crises as of four weeks into my sophomore year.)
• If you’re driving someone who is nauseous, you can save everybody a headache by bringing them a couple of plastic shopping bags, just in case your frenzied young-adult-driving makes them really want to hurl.

• If possible, acquaint yourself with the locations of nearby hospitals or have a third party in the car to navigate and take care of the sick person. Winona Health is just across from Target at 855 Mankato Ave, Winona, MN 55987.
• If it’s safe to do so, try to get the sick person talking. They’re just as scared as you are, and the discussion can help them feel a little more in control. Asking about pets and/or their major usually works for me, and they can go on about those topics for hours.

How to make sure you receive the proper care

• Once you get there, it starts to feel more than a little overwhelming. That’s why I recommend writing down any medications you are taking or show the nurse the picture of the bottle so they can add that to the chart and figure out which medications they can and can’t give you right away.
• Answer all questions honestly. If you’ve had unprotected sex recently, they really do need to know. They aren’t going to tell anyone, and they only ask to make sure you receive the best care possible. Same goes for drugs and alcohol. Many medications they could give you have adverse effects when combined with alcohol and other substances, so they really need to know.
• If you don’t understand what they’re doing, ask them until you do. You have the right to know about and request treatments. If you have been throwing up for days and can’t keep anything down, make sure they understand and suggest that they start an IV. Oral medications won’t help you if you can’t keep them down and you’re probably in desperate need of fluids to rehydrate you.
• Don’t be afraid to be “mean.” If it doesn’t seem like they’re taking you seriously, they aren’t doing their jobs. Women and minorities especially have this problem, as negative stereotypes can affect their care. If nurses or doctors refuse to run a test or give you something like an IV, I suggest saying, “Alright, then I want it noted in my chart that you CHOOSE not to run this test or give me IV fluids.” Nine times out of 10, they’ll run the test because they know you’re serious and that they need to get their act together.
• Get a phone number or hotline to call if your symptoms return at a similar intensity after your discharge from the hospital. Most places will give you a handout explaining your medications and any other directions for you to get better. Pay attention when the nurse explains this to you and make sure you ask questions until you fully understand. My mom likes to say that that’s why she and her other nurse friends are there. It is part of a nurse’s job to make sure you understand how to get better.

And remember, tt’s perfectly fine if you’re nervous in the ER! Not everybody can have Black Widow levels of calm in a time of crisis. If you need to cry in a corner after you hand off the care job to the professionals, go ahead and cry! All feelings are real, and you earned that cry with your stellar preparation and your can-do-spirit. Stay safe!

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• september
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