UC Davis Medical Center | Emergency Department

Parking

The latest parking info.

Visitor Policies

Guidelines for patients and visitors.

Waiting Area

When you first arrive in the waiting area, the first steps will be triage and registration. In a confidential space within the waiting room, the triage nurse will:

Ask you to further describe your condition
Assess your situation
May order initial tests or treatment for you

Registration may happen at any time after triage. You will be seen regardless of your ability to pay. At the registration window, your address and insurance information will be entered into the computer.

Waiting Time

We see the most seriously ill and injured patients in our emergency department — patients are seen by severity of medical need and not necessarily in order of arrival.

ER wait times infographic — Patients are seen by severity of medical need and not necessarily in order of arrival.

The person sitting next to you may be in worse condition than you, symptoms of illness are not always visible. We appreciate your patience and understanding if you are required to wait.

You may be called back every 2-4 hours to be reevaluated by the triage nurse while you wait to be seen in a treatment room.
Initial tests or treatments may be ordered based on the triage nurse’s assessment. Find test result times below.
You may also see a health care provider in the triage area and lab work or X-rays may be ordered.
A second doctor in the treatment area will discuss these results with you once you are placed in a treatment room.

info

Important

If you experience any change in your condition (such as increased pain or bleeding), please notify the triage nurse.

Example of Test Result Wait Times

Routine Blood Work

2 hours*

X-rays

2 hours*

CT Scans

4-5 hours*

*Actual times may vary, and can be longer during busy times.

Treatment

The Emergency Department team consists of doctors (interns, residents and attending physicians), nurses, technicians, and unit secretaries. Once in a treatment room, you will be:

Examined by a doctor or team of doctors who will make recommendations about your care.
Tests may be performed to learn more about your condition. You will remain in the treatment area while the tests are being run and your care team will let you know how long you can expect to wait before you get the results.
Once your tests are complete, your doctor will discuss your treatment options and plan the next steps with you.

After the Emergency Department

Discharge (Leaving the Emergency Department)

When you are discharged, your care team will give you instructions to follow on leaving the Emergency Department and answer any questions you may have about your follow-up care. It is important that you then follow up with a primary care physician.

Learn more about continuing your care at home

Admission to the Hospital (Moving to a Hospital Bed)

If a decision is made to admit you to the hospital, your Emergency Department nurse will care for you until your hospital bed is available. Your Emergency Department doctor will make arrangements for your care with the doctors and nurses in the hospital.

Learn more about your stay at the hospital

During Your Visit

Available services and resources during your visit.

For your safety and security, UC Davis patient safety officers are available 24 hours a day in the Emergency Department waiting room. UC Davis police officers are available upon request by calling 911 (landline) or 916-734-2555 (by cell phone).

Our cafeteria, the Pavilion Café, is located on the hospital’s first floor, is open seven days a week from:

6 a.m. – 8 p.m. 
11 p.m. – 12 a.m.
 1 – 4 a.m.

Learn more about the Pavillion Café

Log-in to join our free guest Wi‑Fi from your wireless device. You can do this by going into your settings, select Wi-Fi, select UCDHS-Guest, and accept the terms and conditions on the login page.

The Battistella Meditation Room/All Faith Chapel is available to patients and families. It is located in the first floor of the hospital's Davis Tower, in Room 1704. Follow wayfinding signage posted along public pathways, or use the Finding My Way app.

Chaplaincy services are also available daily to serve the needs of UC Davis Health patients and families. They can be contacted by any staff member or reached at 916-734-3657 or 916-816-7729. For more information, visit the Clinical Pastoral Services page.

Medical Interpreting Services offers a full range of oral interpretation services at UC Davis Medical Center in person, over the phone or via teleconferencing. Services may be accessed by calling 916-734-2321.

The UC Davis Patient Relations Department represents hospital administration and serves as a liaison between patients and their health care and service providers working to identify solutions to questions, concerns, or problems that may arise. To reach a patient relations coordinator, please call 916-734-9777 or 800-305-6540 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Please respect all patients’ and staff’s privacy during your visit.

Photography or recording that is undertaken by the patient or at the request of the patient is appropriate as long as the photography or recording does not interfere with the care of patients. Patient photography or recording cannot include other patients or employees (e.g., physicians, nurses, staff) without their consent. Patient photography or recording is limited to patient rooms and/or discrete patient treatment areas. If any policies or the privacy of other patients or employees is violated by patient photography or recording, the photography or recording must stop and Risk Management or Security should be contacted for further guidance, as appropriate.

Emergency Department