MY TRIP

TO THE

EMERGENCY
ROOM
By, Nora OConnell
MY TRIP
TO THE

EMERGENCY
ROOM
By, Nora OConnell
Designed & Illustrated by, Giovanni Lima
MY TRIP TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM

This book is written and formatted to teach patients

about being in the emergency room. It is designed as a
blank workbook without color so that whoever reads it
can add their own illustrations and express themselves.
There are activity suggestions throughout the book to
help the reader remain calm and entertained through-
out their hospital stay.

General tips for your emergency room visit:

We never know how long you might have to wait. It is

helpful to play games or complete activities to make the
time go faster. See pages 31x-40 for activities!

Write down and ask questions! There is a page in the

back of this book for patients and families to write down
their questions to ask the doctor when you see them.

3 4
MY TRIP TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM

Table of Contents

What is the Emergency Room?

. . . . . 7

Why am I here? . . . . . . . . . 11

Activity Page: Draw a picture . . . . . 14

Who will I meet here? . . . . . . . 15

What will I do here?

. . . . . . . . 21

Activity Page: Seek & Find; Hospital Items . . 31

Activity Page: Word Search

. . . . . . 33

Activity Page: Tic Tac Toe . . . . . . 35

Activity Page: Questions for the Doctor . . 37

5 6
MY TRIP TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM

This is the emergency room,

sometimes called the ER. Some
kids come by ambulance, and
some come by car. Some come
from near, and some come
from far.

7 8
MY TRIP TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM

The emergency room is open

seven days a week, and 24
hours a day. The staff is
here to help you when you
need help right away.

9 10
 MY TRIP TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM

The first thing you will do

is tell us why you are here.
That way, the doctors and
nurses can help you get bet-
ter and lessen your fear!

11 12
 Activity Page:
Draw a Picture

Draw a picture about why

youre here.

13 14
 MY TRIP TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM

In the emergency room you

will meet a lot of staff.
These are people to help you
get better and they might
even make you laugh!

15 16
 MY TRIP TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM
Nurse: Nurses are people that
check on you. They will make
sure you are comfortable and
monitor you, too.
17
Doctor: The doctor checks to
make sure that everything
works. He or she will use a
stethoscope, and we swear
that it wont hurt.
18
 MY TRIP TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM
PCA: A patient care assistant
will come in to check your vi-
tal signs. Height, weight, and
blood pressure is what theyll
look at to make sure you are
doing fine.
19
Child Life Specialist: A child
life specialist will bring the
fun to you. They help you
with procedures, and bring you
things to do!
20
 MY TRIP TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM

When you meet the nurse, he able, but it will give you med-
or she will do a lot of tests. icine or water to help you
These are to check how to feel better again.
get you back to your best.
One of the things they will
do is give you an IV. Before
they put it in, they might
count to three. It is a tiny
straw that goes into your
vein. It might feel uncomfort-
21 22
 MY TRIP TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM

Sometimes in the hospital you

need to have an x-ray. This
takes pictures of your body
to make sure your insides
are okay. There are places
outside of the hospital that
also have this test. Have you
been to the dentist? This is
something they might request!
23 24
 MY TRIP TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM

While you wait, you might not Draw your favorite food
be able to eat. This is
because there are tests to
complete. After they are done,
we will give you a treat!
What is your favorite snack
to eat?

25
 MY TRIP TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM

The doctor will decide what is

the best course for you. This
is to ensure that you feel
brand new. Some kids get
admitted, which means you
have to stay. Some kids go
home at the end of the day.

27 28
 MY TRIP TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM
No matter what happens, we
will take care of you here.
Make sure you ask questions
if something is not clear.
We want to make sure that
there is nothing to fear!
29
While you wait there will be
things to do. Both in this
book, and other things too! Flip
through the book for some ac-
tivity pages, They are fun
to do alone or with friends
and family of all ages!
30
 Activity Page:
Seek & Find;
Hospital Items

Stethoscope Blood Pressure

Cuff

Thermometer Pulse Oximeter

31 32
 Activity Page:
Word Search

CHILDLIFE PCA C V D J K N F K N N Y P L D G
DOCTOR SICK Y T Y O U S A F H D A Y C I U
P Z E R C Q A P A A R L P A O
EMERGENCY STAFF J A S Y C T T J Z T X G Q N V
FEAR TIRED E E U L C N O U E H S W E B V
D G S Z E N O R F E A R F I O
NURSE WAITING D A I I M X E N P Y Q V I Y Y
B S T B S U Q G A H J U L Q F
PARENT XRAY Y A D E R I T M R S W R D H P
PATIENT P W A I T I N G E E X N L I M
Y P S O G L F J N Z M Y I Z J
N D E K T Q C P T Z P E H K M
G O C V O A I G K L I Q C C G
W I P U L J Y E B J R M F D X
S E F G N U G T P B A Y N C Y
33 34
 Activity Page:
Tic Tac Toe

35 36
 Activity Page:
Questions for
the Doctor

?
?

?
37 38
Activity Page:
The road to
health

Who did I meet: What

What tests did
tests did
I have?
I have?:
Draw my ID
bracelet

How long did Did I get How do I feel?

I wait? an IV?
YES NO
MY TRIP TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM

This book was written for a Masters Thesis

project at Bank Street College of Education
to make the emergency room experience
easier for patients and their families. Special
thanks to the 2017 Child Life Cohort for your
support and to Giovanni Lima for making
my vision come to life!