1. Emergency Care
  2. What to Expect in our Emergency Rooms

What to Expect in our Emergency Rooms

Knowing our process can ease your mind.

When it comes to an ER visit, we want you to know what to expect when you visit. Here are a few processes we use to assist you and your loved ones when you need medical attention at Novant Health.  

Check in

After you arrive and check in, a triage nurse will evaluate your situation to determine the urgency of your condition. At most of our locations, you will be taken to a treatment room where an experienced physician will examine you. 

We may also offer you support from an interpreter, social worker or chaplain during your time in the emergency room. We see everyone as quickly as possible. However, we do treat the most critically ill patients first.  

A Novant Health registered nurse (RN) is at a computer charting patient information.

Treatment

While in the treatment room, a team of professionals works together to assess your medical need. They may need to order or perform laboratory tests, X-rays, CTs, MRIs or other tests to help diagnose and treat your condition. The tests may take time to complete.  

We welcome visitors to the emergency room. However, we ask that no more than two individuals at a time visit with a patient. 

A Novant Health nurse is standing next to a male patient as they smile at one another and prepare for infusion treatment

Hospital Admission

If your emergency team decides you need a higher level of care, you will be admitted to the hospital. We will work with your primary care physician to coordinate your care in the hospital and after discharge. 

If you are discharged from the emergency room, we will provide test results, treatment plan and a medical diagnosis to guide follow up care by your physician.  

Novant Health critical care transport team members assisting and supporting a woman on stretcher.

 

Novant Health provides treatment in a medical emergency, regardless of insurance status or the ability to pay.  

Emergency Room Services

All Novant Health emergency rooms offer care and treatment to newborns, toddlers, children and teenagers.  

Two locations specialize in emergency care for children and adolescents. They include our specialized Children's Emergency Department at Novant Health Hemby Children's Hospital in Charlotte, located within Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center, and the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation Children's Emergency Services room at Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center.  

Hemby Children’s Hospital’s emergency room offers leading-edge medical services for infants and children delivered by some of the most skilled pediatric experts in the region in a child-friendly environment. The MTJF Children’s Emergency Services room helps make your child’s experience more inviting and reassuring.  

A young child is lying in a hospital bed talking with a health care provider.

Our multidisciplinary teams at Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center in Charlotte and Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem give older adult patients exemplary care. Both emergency rooms are accredited and certified as Level 3 geriatric facilities with the highest standard of care for older adults. 

A Novant Health nurse is at the bedside of a senior patient. The nurse is smiling and talking with the patient as she holders a large medical devce in her hand.

We are prepared to care for patients experiencing mental health crises by providing a safe, therapeutic environment. Our priority is keeping our patients safe and connecting those in crisis with our network of capable and board-certified mental health clinical team members. 

A male patient is talking with a Novant Health nurse in a clinic exam room.

All patients examined in our emergency rooms are screened for warning signs of domestic violence. Because these questions must be asked in private, parents or guardians will be asked to leave the room during this brief conversation. This screening is vital in helping us protect victims of domestic violence.  

A Novant Health Registered Nurse (RN) is talking with a young child. The RN has a hand placed on the childs face as she talks and looks them in the eye.

Metal detection screening

Your safety is our top priority. We have a robust protection plan for safety in our emergency rooms, including security officers, metal detection, and innovative Fast Pass technology, our electronic visitor management system. 

We are committed to providing the best care, welfare, safety and security to all patients and team members while they work and receive care at our emergency departments. Metal detection screening is a proven way to prevent persons from entering the facility with a dangerous weapon and is just one of many tools that our public safety team is using to help ensure a safe environment for everyone.