When you arrive to the Prairie Lakes Emergency Room (ER), you are likely in pain, scared, confused, anxious, overwhelmed, or a combination of these emotions and others. The Emergency Care team at Prairie Lakes is trained and prepared to help you navigate the process of receiving emergency care with experienced doctors, nurses, and medical professionals.
Here are some of things you can expect when you seek emergency care:
Arrival 
- You will be greeted by a member of our registration staff
- An ER nurse will be called to briefly access you
- It's important to note that patients with the most severe emergencies receive treatment first, even if they have arrived after you
- Registration staff will gather information for your record and obtain your consent for treatment
- Your wait time to be seen may be very short or long depending on the severity of your emergency and the other patients in the ER
- This is part of our triage process that sorts and organizes patients to be seen in order of critical to non-critical
Treatment Room
- Every patient will see either a physician or an advanced practice provider (APP)
- Depending on your illness or injury, you may receive an IV, laboratory studies, or x-rays to help assess your condition
- Tests results can be available within 1-2 hours, however, some results take longer
- During your treatment, emergency department staff will care for you making sure you are comfortable and informed
Re-evaluation
- Your condition will be re-evaluated after test results come back because the results may give the provider additional insight into the type of treatment you need
- How you feel and the symptoms you are experiencing are just as important as your test results, so be sure to let physicians or nurses know about any pain or discomfort you have
Discharge
- Our Emergency Department offers you initial treatment, but that is just the first step in care
- You may need to follow up within a certain time frame with your primary care doctor for further diagnostic testing or a check-up
- You will receive discharge instructions in writing upon leaving
- Please ask any questions before you leave so you are informed and confident with the information you received
If you think you need emergency care, don’t hesitate to go to the ER. The Prairie Lakes Emergency Department is fully equipped to provide a high standard of emergent care. We are here for you every hour of the day, every day of the week.