Our Services
Emergency Department
The emergency department at T.J. Samson
Community Hospital is open 24 hours a day to serve the emergency
medical needs of those in south central Kentucky. T.J. Samson’s
emergency room physicians and nurses are certified in emergency
procedures, such as advanced trauma life support, advanced
cardiac life support, pediatric advanced life support and
neonatal resuscitation.
A wide range of specialists are also available on-call, including physicians
specializing in cardiology, orthopedics, family practice, OB/GYN, general surgery,
pediatrics, oncology and radiology.
T.J. Samson Community Hospital is the current home of the Louisville Medical Center’s Statcare Air Ambulance Service, which provides comprehensive medical transportation.
What to expect at the emergency department
The emergency department at T.J. Samson Community Hospital is
a busy place, with peak hours ranging from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Weekends and holidays
also tend to have increased traffic when physicians’ offices are closed. The emergency room staff work hard to ensure that all patients are seen in a timely manner and wait times are kept to a minimum.
Upon arrival, each patient will go through triage. Triage
is the process of sorting patients into groups based upon
their current needs. A registered nurse will ask questions about the patient’s illness or injury, medical history, and current medications. If given the opportunity, it is a good idea to bring a list of your current medications with you to the emergency department. Once that is completed, a nurse will perform a brief exam to determine the severity of the condition. Please realize that the emergency department physicians will see patients with the most critical conditions first.
After checking in, the admitting staff will ask for additional
information to start a patient record. The triage nurse may
begin treatment and certain x-rays can also be ordered at
this time.
Once the patient is taken to an emergency department bed,
a nurse will continue with a bedside exam to obtain a more
complete history of the reason for the visit. After the
physician examines the patient, additional tests or treatments
may be ordered, which may lengthen the patient's stay in
the emergency department. Based on the test results and the
patient’s current condition, the physician will make a decision to either discharge or admit the patient. The patient’s primary care physician may be called to assist in this decision.
Please remember that the examination and treatment in the
emergency department is on an emergency basis only and does
not substitute for definitive and ongoing evaluation and
medical care. Instructions for follow-up care will be provided.
It is essential to make arrangements for follow-up care as
instructed. Report any new or remaining problems at that
time, since it is impossible to recognize and treat all elements
of injury or disease in a single emergency room visit. The
emergency department can provide a list of physicians in
the area that can give follow-up treatment to those who do
not already have a primary care physician.
