It’s Surgery Day: What to Expect

On the day of your procedure you should park in the Surgery Parking Lot and enter through the Surgery Entrance. You can access a campus map here.

One family member may stay with your loved one until he or she is taken to surgery. We limit the number of guests in the patient room, in order to enable the nursing staff to provide the patient the privacy and attention they deserve. Two visitors are permitted to wait in the surgery waiting area during your procedure. Visitors must be over the age of 12.

Once your loved one has been taken to surgery, you are asked to check in with the  Surgery Waiting Area team. You will receive a pager so that you can be reached if you leave. (Please note the pager will not work outside the hospital).

If you leave the hospital, we ask that you tell a member of the waiting area team so we can get a cell phone number to update you on any communication from the surgery team. We ask that you keep at least one family member in the waiting area for emergency purposes.

The Surgery nurse will provide updates to our team to share with you during the surgery, about every hour. Once your loved one is in the Recovery Room, a nurse will contact you to give you updates on his/her condition.

We recognize the pastor’s role in the care of our patients. We suggest that pastors see patients 1 1/2 to 2 hours before the scheduled surgery time. If your pastor is not available, you can request a Parkwest Chaplain to visit with you by simply inquiring with our staff. Parkwest also has a quiet Chapel located on the second floor. Please ask one of our team members to direct you.

After surgery, one of our team members will accompany family/friends to one of our private consultation rooms where they will be able to speak directly with the Surgeon. Afterwards, family/friends should return to Surgery Waiting while the patient is in the Recovery Room. Following surgery, most patients will go to the Recovery Room for approximately one-to-two hours; however, this may vary for each patient.

During the evening and weekend hours, waiting room team members may not be present; during these times you will be assisted by members of the surgical services staff. You may be asked to wait in one of our private consultation rooms so that we know where to contact you while your loved one is having surgery. There is a phone located in the consultation rooms so the surgical nurse can update you hourly, and your surgeon will come to this room to update you after surgery.

Waiting for a loved one to come out of surgery at a hospital can be very difficult for some children. They may be more comfortable staying at home with family or friends. If it is necessary for you to bring children, we ask that you be considerate of other families who are also waiting.

Please keep your children with you at all times and do not allow them to wander freely in the Surgery Waiting Room or hallways out of respect for others. Please ask your children to keep their voices low and provide them with quiet activities to entertain them while they are waiting. Children under 12 are not permitted to visit patients in the pre-surgical area.

Yes, Crux coffee shop is located adjacent to the Surgery Waiting Room. They serve a variety of Starbucks beverages and bottled beverages. They also have snacks and warm options for breakfast and lunch. There is also a vending machine located in the locker room in Surgery Waiting.

Begin from the Volunteer Information Desk on the 1st floor (just inside Dogwood Tower with your back to the front entrance).

• Follow the hallway straight in front of you towards the Main Lobby
• Follow signs to “Main Entrance & Lobby”
• When you arrive in the lobby, turn left
• Stairs down to the cafeteria are to your right or elevators (Riverstone) are available straight ahead on the left (to LL)

We are a tobacco-free campus. You must leave campus or return to your private vehicle to use any tobacco product.

In addition to our team members keeping you notified of your loved one’s progress, you can also track their progress by viewing our Patient Tracking Board(s) located in our Surgery Waiting Area. You will be given a unique case identifier which will be shown on the tracking board in one of many colors. The colors allow you to track your loved one’s progress throughout surgery. If you have any questions, please ask one of our team members in surgery waiting.

We realize that having someone you love undergo surgery can cause anxiety. Often, you have questions in mind for the surgeon but are unable to recall them during the surgeon’s visit. This is normal, and to ensure that you and your loved one receive excellent care, we suggest writing these questions or concerns down ahead of time.