| It is winter in a level-2 emergency room. It is | | | | scrub pants decide to become ER personnel in the |
| busy and stressful, with novelty and surprises for | | | | first place. An elderly man in cardiopulmonary |
| both patients and staffers. The job of an | | | | arrest arrives. One doctor, three ER nurses and |
| emergency nurse is to help move the patient | | | | one ER tech jump to it. Half an hour into that |
| flow, to facilitate patient care, to troubleshoot | | | | code green another code green is called in. |
| when necessary, and basically to make it through | | | | Another patient in cardiac arrest arrives, and |
| the next twelve hours. Tonight the emergency | | | | another doctor, two more nurses, and another ER |
| nurse arrives to find four ambulances in the bay, | | | | tech hop to it to receive this patient. The first |
| with the emergency room and the waiting room | | | | patient is still struggling for his life. |
| packed with people. The nurse's station can be | | | | Other patients and families watch the scene of |
| likened to the deck of a ship and that night it was | | | | real life saving efforts taking place, while the |
| choppy water right off the top. Some other area | | | | families of the two critical patients huddle in the |
| hospitals were already on bypass (when an | | | | waiting room. In the end, both patients die. Their |
| emergency room which is fully occupied diverts | | | | families are told. This is an unpleasant and |
| ambulances to other hospitals). When other | | | | unavoidable part of work in the emergency room |
| nearby hospitals are on bypass, it doesn't take | | | | but it is all part of the job. A new patient comes |
| too long for one's own emergency room to | | | | into the ER in the wee hours to complain about a |
| become overloaded. After two hours, this ER | | | | cough he has had for several weeks and the |
| went on bypass as well. There was a waiting list | | | | patient gets upset at having to wait for four |
| for hospital beds and the main hospital wasn't | | | | hours to be examined. People can become |
| discharging enough patients to alleviate the | | | | abusive verbally, even have fits and throw things |
| congestion in the ER. With the ER beds full, people | | | | because they were not seen before dying |
| waiting for treatment in the ER have to wait | | | | patients. At times ER nurses in Koi uniforms |
| even longer. | | | | working a code are berated by patients because |
| Shortly after going on bypass a code green, an | | | | their dose of Tylenol was delayed. That night |
| extreme emergency, was called in. No matter | | | | eventually smoothed out and everyone made it |
| how full or occupied an emergency room is, even | | | | through the twelve-hour shift. Emergency room |
| on bypass, room must always be made for | | | | nurses and personnel go home, sleep, and come |
| extreme emergencies. Dealing with the adrenaline | | | | back for more the next day. There is always |
| rush of emergencies is why ER personnel in Koi | | | | more. |