The Emergency
Department (ED) is a community hospital emergency treatment facility
which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is fully staffed
with licensed physicians, physician assistants, registered nurses
and ED technicians.
The
department provides:
• evaluation and treatment to patients of various ages and
varying levels of illness from minor to critical;
• triage initial assessment of patients to determine treatment
urgency and placement within the ED based on the Emergency Severity
Index (ESI), which is five tiered triage system;
• patient evaluation for response to treatment and admission
to Civista or discharged with follow-up instructions as appropriate;
• a Fast Track system in order to evaluate and treat minor
illnesses and injuries. The Fast Track is operational from 9 a.m.-11
p.m. and staffed by a Physician Assistant, ED RN and ED Technician;
The
department is staffed with registered nurses licensed in the State
of Maryland who are certified in B.L.S. and A.C.L.S. Nursing staff
must perform in-depth assessments on patients presenting to the
Emergency Department and provide a wide variety of interventions.
R.N.s must demonstrate competency in the performance of specialized
Emergency Department skills on an annual basis. Several of the RNs
have national certification in Emergency Nursing.
Civista
Medical Center’s Emergency Department is also the county’s
designated Sexual Assault Center and staffed by a Forensic Nurse
Examiner (FNE) Program which provides complete evidentiary examinations
to all victims of sexual violence, dependent person victims of physical
violence, and to those accused of violent crimes in Charles County
in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team. Victims are brought
to the Emergency Department, or referred to the program, by law
enforcement officers who request the exam as part of their investigation.
The program provides the medical-forensic examination to victims
of all ages and gender, by a FNE practicing under protocols approved
by the Emergency Department Medical Director. Any victim requiring
medical treatment not covered in the protocols is referred to the
ED physician.
The
program provides coverage 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, on a
rotating on-call basis, by, RNs with emergency nursing experience
that have successfully completed an approved Forensic Nurse Examiner
course, maintain competency in the area of Forensic Nursing, and
be certified by the Maryland Board of Nursing as a Forensic Nurse
Examiner.
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