Wait Times
UMC has board-certified Emergency Medicine physicians, Urgent Care physicians and specialized staff ready to care for you when you need it most.
Wait times at the UMC Emergency Center
If you have a life-threatening condition, call 9-1-1 immediately for treatment and/or to be transported to UMC via ambulance.
About EC Wait Times
EC wait times listed digitally on our website are approximate and provided for informational purposes only. The EC wait time represents the longest time a current EC patient has waited to see a qualified medical professional. Patient wait times are directly related to patient acuity. EC wait times are updated every 10 minutes.
About UC Wait Times
Urgent Care wait times listed digitally on our website are approximate and provided for informational purposes only. The Urgent Care wait time represents the time it takes to see a qualified medical professional. Urgent Care wait times represent a two-hour rolling average updated every 10 minutes.
Most urgent conditions: Critical
If a patient comes to the UMC Emergency Center suffering from symptoms related to one of the following conditions, they may have the shortest emergency room wait time and will be treated first:
- Loss of consciousness/unresponsiveness
- Heart attack (chest pain)
- Respiratory distress
Since these conditions can be life-threatening and potentially fatal, patients experiencing related symptoms will always be seen first, even if they arrive after a patient who is experiencing less severe symptoms.
Next most urgent conditions: Acute
If a patient comes to the UMC Emergency Center and shows signs related to one of these conditions, they will be seen after any patients suffering from the most urgent conditions:
- Altered mental status (confusion)
- Compound fractures
- Shortness of breath
The reason these conditions fall under the second most urgent category is because related symptoms could worsen quickly, leading to long-term health problems or injuries if not treated quickly. These are examples of acute conditions and not a complete list.
Third most serious conditions: Urgent
Sometimes patients come to the UMC Emergency Center with symptoms for non-life-threatening conditions. These conditions include:
- Abdominal pain
- Cuts requiring stitches
- Minor fractures
Symptoms related to these conditions often do not worsen over a short period of time, so patients can be seen after all critical and acute patients have been examined.
Non-urgent conditions treated last
If you are experiencing symptoms that may point to one of the conditions below, you may have the longest wait time, depending on how busy the UMC Emergency Center is and how many other patients with more urgent conditions there are.
- Second opinions
- Generalized aches and pains
- Fever that responds to over-the-counter medication
- Dental pain
- Earache
- Cough
- Sore throat
If you are experiencing the above symptoms, we highly encourage you visit an urgent care center, or a UMC clinic. View a list of clinics here or click here to schedule through WaitFromHome.com.
When to call 9-1-1
Sometimes life-threatening symptoms or conditions occur, and you do not have time to drive to the UMC Emergency Center. IF this happens, call 9-1-1 immediately. The following conditions may require calling 9-1-1:
- Heart attack (chest paint)
- Loss of consciousness/unresponsiveness
- Difficulty Breathing
- Head and neck injuries
- Severe bleeding
- Eye injuries
EMTALA (Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act) is a federal law that requires hospital emergency departments to medically screen every patient who seeks emergency care and to stabilize and transfer those with medical emergencies (when appropriate), regardless of health insurance status or ability to pay.