What should EMS personnel do within 2 minutes of arrival at a hospital?

• A. Call the ED physician for orders.
• B. Notify security to clear the area.
• C. Interface with the charge nurse or designee to give a verbal report.
• D. Fill out transfer forms before seeing patient.

Answer: (C)

The key idea is to ensure a smooth, immediate handoff from EMS to hospital staff so the patient can be received without delay. Within two minutes of arriving, the EMS team should interface with the ED charge nurse or a designee to deliver a concise verbal report. The charge nurse is the designated point person for incoming patients and can quickly flag priorities, assign a bed or room, and alert the appropriate ED teams to expect the patient. A structured verbal handoff helps prevent information gaps and accelerates the initiation of appropriate care, including needed diagnostics, treatments, and monitoring.

Providing orders to an ED physician right away is not typically the fastest or most reliable path in the initial handoff, since the ED team needs to triage and prepare for the incoming patient first. Notifying security to clear the area and filling out transfer forms before seeing the patient do not address the immediate need for a timely, accurate report to the team that will receive and care for the patient.