The Daily Bustle of the Emergency Room

The mornings at the start of the week can be intense in the Emergency Room of a pediatric hospital. Much more so when winter approaches with its low temperatures, causing a higher morbidity of respiratory diseases in pediatric patients.

Of that tension and bustle in this stage of the year, Carlos Rafael López Ramos, head of the Emergency Room of the Pediatric Hospital for 20 years, knows well.

To his vast experience in these hospital endeavors are added his status as a Licentiate in Nursing and his teaching category, which is why he assumes his responsibility with great mastery, because, as he says, «in the Emergency Room of this hospital, all the personnel know their work to a T and we act united.»

In each 24-hour shift, two nurses, five doctors, and three triage staff remain, who guide the family to which consultation or department to go to.

The arrival of fifth- and sixth-year students as part of their professional practice represents considerable support, notes the experienced nurse.

Carlos Rafael does not believe it possible for there to be congestion in the Emergency Room, because among his functions as area head he must ensure precisely that each demanded service flows from a prior organizational design.

«Sometimes the arrival of one or several emergencies may demand the attention of part of the team, but every means will always be used to avoid congestion in this space. We have the necessary personnel,» he assures.

In advance, the arrival of referrals from the municipalities and the specialist in charge of attending the case is known, he explains, to which he adds and reiterates the support of the students who rotate through the hospital as part of their training.

Added to this are also the triage staff, who also practice nursing and always attend solicitously to any need of the Emergency Room.