Emergency Room

The Emergency Room (More commonly referred to as "The Pit" or the "ER") is where patients are taken in following an emergency requiring medical treatment, including transfers from other neighbouring hospitals. The medical treatment required can be severe or minor, ranging from major surgery to a simple prescription.

The Seattle Grace ER is equipped with (at least) three trauma rooms, multiple cubicles and crash carts containing ALS (Advanced Life Support) drugs and equipment. There is an ambulance bay outside an entrance to the ER where staff will meet incoming ambulances.

The surgical staff at Seattle Grace who are on-call for the ER will usually remain in the ER, performing scut work (usually sutures) and conducting surgical consults when requested for and by ER physicians who will then sign off the patient to the surgical team if necessary.

The Chief of Trauma Surgery at Seattle Grace is Dr. Owen Hunt.

Grey's Anatomy

 * Winning a Battle, Losing the War: The Dead Baby Bike Race brings in multiple patients to the ER, notably Viper.
 * Into You Like a Train: A traumatic train accident brings in multiple cases for the ER, including an amputation and two patients impaled on a large metal spike.
 * Owner of a Lonely Heart: A woman in solitary confinement in prison swallows five razor blades to get a day out.
 * It's the End of the World/As We Know It: Meredith's nightmares come true as a bomb in a body cavity is brought in, leaving her in an awkward position, as well as Bailey's husband being brought in following a car accident while she's in labor.
 * Damage Case: A car crash brings in a serious case involving a pregnant woman and a surgical intern.
 * 17 Seconds/Deterioration of the Fight or Flight Response: Multiple gun shot wounds fill the ER, including Preston Burke.
 * Where the Boys Are: A pregnant woman in brought in with more than just a fractured wrist, as well as Harold O'Malley having more than just a fractured clavicle.
 * From a Whisper to a Scream: A car crash in a market brings in multiple patients to the ER.
 * Walk on Water/Drowning on Dry Land/Some Kind of Miracle: A ferry crash swamps the ER with cases, and a dispatch team is sent to the scene, but an unexpected patient is brought back from the scene.
 * A Change is Gonna Come: Another car crash brings in multiple patients to the ER, one of which is a deer.
 * Love/Addiction: Following an explosion in an apartment, patients are brought in with less than ideal habits.
 * Kung Fu Fighting: A competition for a wedding brings in the women scorned from the competition, both of which refuse to delay the competition.
 * Forever Young: A schoolbus crash brings in hoards of teenagers, including an old friend of Bailey's.
 * Crash Into Me, Part 1: An accident in the ambulance bay endangers the life of paramedics.
 * Lay Your Hands on Me: Bailey's son is brought into the ER following an accident at home.
 * Freedom, Part 1 and Freedom, Part 2: The fire department work with the doctors to resolve an issue of a man encased in hardening concrete.
 * Dream a Little Dream of Me: Icy conditions bring in serious injuries, including Major Owen Hunt.
 * These Ties That Bind: A homeless man crushed in a dump truck arrives as a human pretzel.

Notes and Trivia

 * It can be noted for a Level I Trauma Center, the ER at Seattle Grace is extremely small considering its size, reputation and classification, however there could be other areas of the ER that remain unseen on the show. (When considering set sizes for the show, the ER's relatively small size makes more sense)
 * There are conditions to maintain a Level 1 Trauma Center status including having the following specialties rounding in a 24-hour period.
 * Anesthesiologist
 * Emergency physician
 * General surgeon
 * Neurosurgeon
 * Orthopedic surgeon
 * Otolaryngologist
 * Plastic surgeon
 * Radiologist
 * Trauma surgeon
 * Traditionally, an emergency medicine chief/attending runs the ER, however, Dr. Owen Hunt, as the hospital's trauma chief, is the defacto leadership of the ER.
 * Miranda Bailey once told her interns that the ER interns did not know the ass from the esophagus.
 * When Izzie and Bailey had no patients in their clinic, Izzie, along with Alex stole patients from the ER.
 * Callie Torres signed up for extra shifts in the ER to get extra pay after she was cut off from her trust fund and her other money from her father after he found out that she was dating a woman. ("What a Difference a Day Makes")
 * Following Seattle Grace's transformation into Grey Sloan Memorial, the ER has upgraded into a state-of-the-art trauma center, infusing digital technology, new equipment, and better processes resulting in an efficient and timely in-take during a crisis.
 * Yellow trauma gowns are typically worn by doctors rotating in the ER.