i spent 20 years answering a "hot line" at a VA hospital..
among other things..if i picked up the phone and you told me
that i would not even put the call thru to the RN who screens
the calls for the ER Doc..i would read the speech off a 3x5
card posted by the desk.."if you are having chest pains you
need to call 911 or go to the nearest ER,i can not answer
anymore questions.i am going to hang up now"..thats how
stone cold,no fooling around,deadly serious,the subject
of chest pains was taken...if you walked up to the urgent
care check in desk and told me that i would call for a RN
and a wheelchair on the overhead pager and you would be
hooked up too a ekg asap..if you were a new and not in
our computer i would "john doe" you untill things slowed
down enought to find out who you were..one of the guys i
worked with told me his 40 something lady friend called him
at work and wanted him to pick her up and he told her "911"
she had 2 heart stints put in that day..i took calls from
guys who wanted to kill themselves and i would chit-chat with
them untill the psych Dr came on the line..minutes sometimes..
i had guys call in that said they were in their house with
a gun and i would chit-chat untill we got the police there..
i was trained to do those things..
chest pain..911..goodby...