[Music] Hi, I'm Gina Marie Rodriguez at the Atlantic Health Clark Pavilion to learn more about their advanced urgent care for today's Clark conversations.
I'm here with Dr. Dr. Jane Sennet, the medical director at Advanced Urgent Care, and I would love to talk to you about the patient experience because for me, even just being in this facility right now is making me a little bit nervous. So, for the patients who are nervous to go see doctors or visit a
hospital-like setting, how do you ease their nerves? >> Well, first it starts when you come in. So when you come to our waiting area, our front desk is very uh open and very pleasant and they try to make your experience because registration itself can be very frustrating. So we try to
bring that to a more calming uh atmosphere for you. And then when we bring you in, we're all, you know, ER trained, so we're used to the stress that people experience in the ER. We want to bring it down. So when you're in the urgent care, we know that you're sick. We know that you need attention, but we also know it's probably not how
you planned your day. You know, most people had other things they wanted to do besides show up at urgent care and we understand that. So, we want to understand that you have some stress and some questions and we want to be there to answer your questions. So, we make the time. We sit down and we answer your questions and we like to check back too.
So, if you come and you still have questions, when we're done, we'll answer them again. And you can also call us. So, that's part of our experience, too. Call us if you have some questions and we'll be happy to answer them. But we want to try and treat you, but we want you to feel comfortable as much as you can. I mean, obviously, if you're with
an ankle sprain, but we will try to make you as comfortable as possible. I don't know if that's No, that's great. Honestly, that makes me feel better. And like I said, just just being here makes me anxious. So, I love talking to you because you are a soothing presence. So, thank you. Um I mean, come see Dr.
Senate. She's awesome. But you you did mention there an experience with emergency medicine. So, I want to know how that translates to working at an advanced urgent care. How does that benefit your patients? >> Well, first off, because we're all trained with emergency medicine, we're able to handle really severe injuries
and really critical patients. Um, so we're able to look and say this is the right place or we're able to look and say you need you need higher care and get you to the emergency department when you need to. But because you know only 20 to 30% of the people in emergency
actually get admitted, we can do that other 70 to 80% stuff here as far as working you up for abdominal pain. Um you know giving you um fluids if you need it, doing blood work, all those kind of things that most people get really pushed behind in the ER and
waited for. And we can all do that here, which is exciting. But because we're trained, we know, you know, um, what's critical, what's not, but we also know if I was going to send you to the ER, um, what would I do there? And if I can do it here, I'm going to keep you here and take care of you. So, it's a quicker
process in, >> right? And, and you mentioned that you obviously know whether someone needs higher care or not, but for the patients who aren't feeling well and might not be in the best headsp space, how do they know, do I have to get right to an emergency room or can I go to to
advanced care? Is there a symptom that they should look out for that they know this this requires higher care? >> I mean, that's a great question, Jaden, because a lot of people don't know what we call triage, don't know how to triage themselves. Um, but there are life-threatening things that need to go right to the ER. Uh, the simple heart
attack symptoms like crushing chest pain, raining down your left arm, breaking in a sweat, severe shortness of breath, if you can't breathe, you're having trouble wheezing, your throat's closing, your tongue is swelling, like with allergic reaction. um if you suddenly you know can't move your arm or
you have some weakness that's going right to the emergency department and the reason being is um you need to have that emerent treatment that's there for like for strokes and hearts like the calaps and the tpa and coming here would be a delay of that treatment
if there's ever a question it's not a life-threatening you can always call but we'll also triage you we've gone out to the waiting room real quickly grabbed you in stabilized you and got you to the to the ER we'll call 911 right away. So, we are trained again having the ER base,
we are trained to say this person needs emergent chair that we can't, you know, take care of here. So, >> I know that, you know, but that's it. >> No, that answers the question. It's just the faces I'm making are because it makes me nervous to think about it. Like I said, >> but that's why we're here watch like we
know we can look and go, "Yes, we need to get you somewhere else or hey, I can take care of that. I've done that in the ER. I can do it here. I have the equipment. I have what I need." Thank God. I you mentioned um symptoms of a heart attack, but I wanted to ask you since we're both women here, the
symptoms tend to be different in females. So, do what should women be looking out for if they think they're having a heart? >> If there's any qu again, usually crushing chest pain, shortness of breath, sweaty will cross over. >> Um again, sometimes it is hard. The studies were done on a white male
population, so everybody else didn't quite follow the same. Um, but if there's any question, you come, we do a quick EKG. You're coming in with some kind of complaint. We're concerned, we're going to get an EKG right away. If we see anything suspicious, right off, you know. So,
>> um, I want to understand for myself the difference between your standard urgent care and advanced urgent care, as I keep saying, advanced. So, can you break that down for us? >> Sure, I'd love to, because that's that's the exciting part of all this. In your standard urgent care, you usually see
either a physician or a um a advanced practitioner. Um they may or may not have x-rays. Usually do not have cat scans. Some may have point of care labs um like for strep and for COVID flu. Um but they
don't have the the full blood work, right? Most of them. Um here at Advanced, we have a lab. We're going to have a full lab. Um, and we have access in this particular building. Very exciting. We're right next to the Atlantic Radiology. So, we have access
to to our entire shift X-rays and CAT scans. So, that is key. So, that you can't get in a standard. Um, and sometimes we're able to do other studies if if they have space next door. Um, so that's exciting. Again, having a full lab when that's up and running, it's so
exciting because then we can do that CBC, we can do your chemistry, we can rule out those kind of things that you'd be waiting in the ER for almost 6 hours for sometimes. Um, we can give IV fluids. Uh, we also have cardiac monitors, which you're not going to find, um, if you see back here, but we
have, um, cardiac monitors, which you're not going to find in standard urgent care. So, we can monitor your heart, see if you're having like if you're having palpitations, see what's causing that. Um, also if we need to give medications that uh, you know, for high blood pressure or for rapid heart rate, we
could also monitor. You can't do that in regular urgent care, you know, and that's where the ER training comes in as well because this is something we're used to doing in the emergency department. So, uh, those are, I guess, the really big things, you know, >> so that's what makes it exciting. I'm excited about that because we we can do
so much that we can't. So, >> I love that. I mean, just talking to you right now has already like soothed my anxieties being in, you know, a medical space. Um, and I love seeing your excitement and your passion for the work. So, thank you for all that you're doing. I want to know, is there a
certain age group, a demographic that you best serve here, or is it, you know, zero to 100? >> Well, or or whatever. Yeah. >> Technic, you know, in all honesty, we we are trained as ER physicians um to take
newborn to almost end of life kind of deal. So, um so we are trained with all that. Um if we find that when you're here you need another specialty that we need to refer you to then we'll uh um work you up see what needs and then refer as needed. Um you know the idea of
also knowing what you can do and what you can't do and what's best for the patient. That's the number one thing. you know, if someone else, you know, within our facility and we have a great networking, so we can get people where they need to go, then we get them where they need to go. >> I love that. And thank you for pointing
out that life does not necessarily end at 100. You can as long as you stay healthy, guys. >> Um, can you can you expand a little on the continuity of care here? >> Oh, I'd love to. So, we're part of the Atlantic Health, which means we have access to transferring to hospitals as
well as other urgent carees. But in addition um we have within our building we have cardiology, orthopedics, um neurology, uh surgical oncology, physical therapy, um and a great radiology center. Um but within
that we also have a whole network. So we can refer patients who come to us uh for urgent care. A lot don't have primary care. We have an incredible network of primary care physicians very skilled that I feel very comfortable referring patients to and as well as our orthopedist and we have a whole system
for referrals so we can get people to where they need to be and I I think that's one of the key parts about being part of a a larger system like in learning health which provides that. >> That's so fantastic. Honestly, this whole conversation has been really reassuring. Like I said, I am someone
who is nervous to to be in medical facilities. So >> I hope we can make you comfortable. Yeah, >> you've been wonderful. I want you to be my new doctor. You've been Oh, don't tell my doctor that. >> No, you've been really great. Thank you so much. I appreciate this. >> I appreciate you coming to talk to us
again. I like to very excited about our facility and what we have to offer. So, I'm I'm glad I was able to share that with you. >> Of course. Thank you so much. >> Thanks. [Music]