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DEFINING THE HEART OF CMC: Emergency Room
                       By John Jeffrey G. Guiam, RN

         The Emergency Room is the most misunderstood unit in every hospital especially at Capitol Medical Center. Mere mention of the word launch images of chaos mixed with the unfamiliar. The robotic notion that once you enter the ER you only have three exit points, you get a quick fix, you get admitted, or you go to the morgue is basically a true programmed view of the ER. The reality is that the ER is the heart of the hospital, with its four chambers, the  Departments of  Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics  and  OB-Gynecology pumping in patients from all walks of life into the healing body of CMC. The ER Staff, always try to outdo their selves to be the best in providing prompt care in the most critical times of our patients’ lives.
         The ER universe is a melting pot for patients of limitless variety. At times their concept of emergency is not attuned with how the ER staff views it, sometimes patients under magnify their health condition but oftentimes they tend to exaggerate just to get the quick fix that they need. The fact of the matter is that ER patients (and their relatives) are not just seeking health intervention; they are mentally and emotionally stressed as well. That is how an ER staff holistically views a patient. Knowing this the staff tries to be fast in addressing their health dilemma, be precise in treating them, and must possess a lot of tolerance and understanding especially when patients and/or their relatives behave badly. Fast, accurate and able to care amidst a health crisis are the words that best describes the Doctors, Nurses and Orderlies at the Emergency Room. 
         It is natural for people to fear what they don’t understand and more often than not, give a wrong impression of what they cannot grasp. The ambiance of the ER is often wrongly viewed as all death and gloom, where time seems to be caught in suspended animation, and the staff, accustomed to this everyday monotony will eventually evolve into a callous worker. But amidst this dark depiction of the unit a ray of light shines, birth also happens where death seems to reside. For every baby born at the ER, a mother smiles, and it gives the staff meaning for residing in the unit.
         For every life we saved, we have our lives changed. For every grateful patient who utters the magic word “thank you”, we have our hearts filled. Life at the ER is not that bad as others think.  We take risks, and the choices we make echo to the hearts of the many that we’ve cared and saved. The hour of crisis for our patients’ lives is the golden hour of the Emergency Room –  it defines WHO WE ARE! So the next time you walk amidst the halls of the CMC Emergency Department, take time to realize the 40 years of saving and changing lives, the history and vision of Capitol Medical Center is embedded  in its halls and will still aspire for excellence. The heart of our institution will tirelessly continue to care and serve – to be a bridge to life. Any toxic day is just any ordinary day for the extraordinary Doctors, Nurses, and Orderlies of the ER. We thrive on this.