The central location of the GW University Hospital ER and its easy accessibility for many DC residents, makes it seem like an ideal place to go in case of a medical emergency...until about your 5th hour in the waiting room, when you realize that you probably could have traveled to Richmond, been treated, returned, had your scripts filled, and be at home in bed by this time!!
I've been to the ER a handful of times in recent years and have learned that a) it is very common to wait 4 plus hours b) the more sick/hurt you are, the longer you will have to wait.
On one occasion, I went in because I had accidentally chopped off part of my fingertip. After 4.5 hours of waiting while losing more blood than I thought I had in my whole body, I finally got to see a doc and be properly bandaged and medicated.
Probably the worst experience was when I went in for what felt like a migraine in my entire body, and after roughly 4.5 hours, some sobbing, and many inquiries as to when I would be seen, I left without even being treated!
There are some very positive points to GW urgent car - metro accessible, parking, and good doctors are some. The staff is generally nice and understaing, but something in the management is definitely off.
Overall, I'd probably go back in an emergency because GW does offer high quality care, but I would definitely consider elsewhere for things like migraines that make it excruciating to sit in florescent lights, with people on speaker phone for hours and hours.
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