June 21 is Father’s Day, a time to honor the men we call dad. With so many family get-togethers, we think it’s time to get serious about grilling safety! According to the U.S. Fire Administration, approximately 5700 grill fires take place on residential property every year, most caused by malfunctioning gas grills. Thousands of people […]
Tag: emergency department

Nurse Tech Receives Sepsis Alliance Recognition
Yentel Newsome, NAII, (WakeMed Children’s Emergency Department) received the Erin’s Campaign for Kids Nursing Award through the Sepsis Alliance. Named in honor of Erin Kay Flatley, who died from sepsis at age 23, Erin’s Campaign for Kids aims to combat the high incidence and mortality rates of sepsis among children. The campaign creates awards and […]

Have a Blast This 4th of July: Safety Tips & More
Download a printable version of this blog post. Each year, emergency departments in the United States treat approximately 7,000 patients for injuries caused by fireworks. Injuries from fireworks can range from burns to more serious medical problems like cuts and amputations. In severe cases, consequences from fireworks use can result in death. Protect yourself and your family by […]

Prioritizing Patient Care in WakeMed Emergency Departments
Download a printable version of this blog post. I immediately volunteered to assist Christopher Fortin, (director of Emergency Services at WakeMed North Hospital) with the implementation of the Nurse First admission process when he joined the WakeMed team in September of 2017. What is the ‘Nurse First’ Approach? In Nurse First approach (sometimes referred to […]

Emergency Department vs. Urgent Care vs. Primary Care
Sometimes, it’s obvious when to head to the emergency room, but other times, it can be more difficult to tell. The following are some tips to help you decide whether you need to head to the emergency room, the nearest urgent care location or your primary care doctor. Conditions Typically Treated by a Primary Care […]

Secondary Drowning – How Real is the Risk?
As families are packing up their beach bags and jump into pools, oceans, rivers and lakes this summer, many parents are concerned about a swimming risk that’s gotten a lot of recent media attention. It’s called secondary drowning (also known as dry drowning). Here at the WakeMed Children’s Emergency Department, we have seen an influx […]

WakeMed North Admits First Male Patient
I was watching the Super Bowl when I passed out. No, it wasn’t because my Patriots had fallen behind (I’m a Boston native)—it was due to a few weeks of bronchitis that I couldn’t shake and unbeknownst to me, had turned into the flu. A Trip to the Emergency Department A visit to the emergency […]
Happy Birthday WakeMed North Emergency Department!
Happy Birthday WakeMed North Emergency Department! Today the WakeMed North Emergency Department turns 10 years old. The North Emergency Department was WakeMed’s first standalone ED and has seen over 320,000 patients during the past decade! Also, WakeMed North Women’s Hospital celebrated its 100th birth this week! Thank you to the all the physicians and staff […]
It’s Snakebite Season
Warm weather means it is snakebite season in the Raleigh/Durham area. Our state actually leads the nation in snakebite cases per capita every year! North Carolina is home to many different species of snakes; most are harmless, but some can give venomous bites to humans. In the WakeMed system, we see about 100 snakebites per […]
The Dangers of a Swallowed Battery
What did you get for Christmas this year? Chances are your family received a lot of toys that take batteries. Batteries are amazing, small capsules of power, but they can also be extremely dangerous. Wake County Safe Kids and Energizer remind you to take extra precautions with batteries, because they can cause irreversable health problems or […]