Emergency Care
The Emergency Department at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center provides 24-hour emergency care to patients all ages and is designed to treat severe injuries or illnesses. The department is a designated Level II Trauma Center and Primary Stroke Center.
What Emergency Service Do I Use?
Wondering whether to use the Emergency Department, an OSF PromptCare clinic or an OSF OnCall Urgent Care in-person clinic or virtual visit?
The Emergency Department is the best place for treating potentially severe and life-threatening conditions such as heart attack or stroke.
OSF PromptCare clinics can be used for urgent conditions that aren't life-threatening but need to be taken care of right away, such as sprains, skin rashes or a severe sore throat.
OSF OnCall Urgent care, with in-person and virtual visits, can also be used for minor illnesses and injuries. Virtual visits have the added convenience of being available 24/7 from wherever you are.
Triage
Patients who arrive at the Emergency Department are "triaged" or prioritized by the seriousness of the injury or illness. Patients with life-threatening conditions will receive care first. Our staff is well-trained to assess and determine the true severity of these conditions in order to prioritize them.
Once triaged, you may be asked to wait in the waiting area until the appropriate type of patient room becomes available.
Staff
The Emergency Department is staffed by board-certified physicians, physician extenders, and specially-trained nurses who are dedicated to providing quality health care to patients and their families.
What to Expect
A provider will examine you and decide what level of care, diagnostic tests, and treatment you will need.
The average length of stay in our Emergency Department varies with the type of illness or injury you have and testing required.
| Exam | Average Times |
|---|---|
| Labs | 1 to 1.5 hours |
| CT Scans | 1.5 hours or more, depending on preparation required |
| X-rays | 1 to 1.5 hours |
| Cultures | 2 to 3 days; you will be notified by phone. |
Medications & Prescriptions
Due to federal regulations, we cannot fill take-home prescriptions from the hospital's pharmacy.
Food & Drinks
Please do not eat or drink anything while waiting to see the physician. Doing so may interfere with your examination, testing, diagnosis, or treatment, especially if you require surgery.
Visitors
Visitors are welcome in the treatment room upon patient request. Because of the limited space in each room, we ask you to limit the number of visitors to TWO at any given time.
Cameras
Please do not bring cameras to the Emergency Department. Taking pictures and recording video is not allowed.
Hours & Location
The Emergency Department provides 24-hour emergency care to patients all ages. It has its own entrance near Entrance A on our campus.
Questions & Concerns
Always ask questions or make known any concerns you have when you talk with the physician or nurse treating you.
We want you to leave our Emergency Department confident about your diagnosis, treatment, and discharge instructions.
Please do not hesitate to remind us if we've forgotten to fulfill a request for you in a reasonable amount of time.
