I meet them in the ED and wait with them in the line for triage. There’s an odd mixture of embarrassment and urgency when you wait in line in your own ED. You don’t want to be noticed, even though you are dressed in normal clothes and there isn’t a sign over your head saying ‘I work here!’, but that being said, you know what’s going on; you know there’s a real chance your loved one is sick and your ED will be able to care for them.
Watch Dr Joe-Anthony Rotella re-tell Through the curtain:
Through the curtain by Dr Joe-Anthony Rotella appears in EMERGENCY: Real Stories from Australia’s ED Doctors, available now from Penguin Books Australia.
Dr Joe-Anthony Rotella
Dr. Joe Rotella is an Emergency Medicine Registrar in the final year of his advanced training. He has a broad array of interests relating to Emergency Medicine including but not limited to medical leadership, communication and education. He is an active member of the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine and is looking positively towards the future.
Real ED Stories 