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Lovvvvvve hippa- maybe we could get our own type of witness protection program at triage...

I'm in the same boat - minnesota to florida - you guys may think I'm crazy but I'm not thrilled with the idea of no seasons - and I don't particularly like humidity - what can ya do when the hubby is a pilot and is going to fly for spirit out of ft. lauderdale. I am an ED RN with 16 yrs exp, been in a level one trauma center for the last 6 years, have a 5 yr old and 1 1/2 yr old little boy - looking for decent hospitals in ft laud or north, good places to live with kids, how bad are schools, ect. Any info? Thanks!

I am doing some research for HCMC in Minneapolis, we are looking to streamline our triage process, and are looking at how other busy hospitals do things. We are a level one trauma center, and triage about 200 or more people a day. We presently have 3 nurses at triage during the day, a secretary or an aide in the center putting in names, ect. We are getting extremely backed up with interviews, Sometimes there is a 40 minute wait to interview patients. A 3-4 hour wait with 40 plus patients in triage is not unusual. Also we triage express care (urgent care) patients before sending them over there. We are so busy trying to place patients, sometimes just finding them, and also directing a great deal of traffic that comes to the ED that doesn't necessarily belong there.Our triage area is open, there is a security desk at the door but when they enter they first see the nurses desk with windows but also wide openings, so people are constantly in your face asking questions or how long or if you called their namewhile you are interviewing other patients, although there is a sign saying to start in the middle. We only have 2 closed rooms in triage to allow patients to lie down or to get EKG's. Our ED has 14 acute monitored beds, 12 semi-acute beds with 2 pelvic rooms and 4 designated ortho rooms as well as a couple of monitored rooms, and a 12 bed pediatric area which is also used for less acute adults also. We have a 4 bay stabilization room for traumas and critical cases. And to top it all off we have a 12 bed (or more if the hallways are full) area for intoxicated patients. Beds are usually all full, patients waiting for admits have to be moved to the hall frequently to accomodate ambulances or stat placements.Our computerized system is EPIC.At our busiest time of day we have 20 nurses and 5 or 6 nursing assistants in the department.Charge nurse is far too busy to take an assignment but tries to help out when able. We are a teaching hospital. Did I leave anything out? Also, any ideas about how to page patients for interviews or room placement without violating HIPPA? I welcome any info about how hospitals anywhere in the country do things...... Thanks!