A hospital is a medical organization offering patient treatment by highly specialized and experienced medical staff and devoted medical personnel. It is usually a public or private organization and is committed to providing comprehensive medical services. The term hospital can also be used for a single hospital, which is usually a complex structure housing several medical departments. Most hospitals have a central administration and a number of departments. These departments normally include admission, emergency, outpatient, rehabilitation, psychosocial and clinical departments.
The most common hospitals in the United States are general and major surgery hospitals, acute care hospitals, geriatric, and rehabilitation hospitals. The treatment provided by hospital personnel is focused on preventing illness as well as treating and managing any illness that patients may have. A hospital may employ a single general practitioner, an entire department of nurses, and a team of medical specialists who provide a variety of medical services. If you have a particular specialty of medicine that is not provided at the hospital, you may work at a specialty hospital such as an infection control hospital, an allergy or immunology hospital, a cancer hospital, or a gastroenterology hospital.
When looking for a hospital that provides quality patient care, you should consider whether or not it is fully accredited by your state’s medical board and if it has established itself as a reputable health care provider. You should also find out if the hospital has established an emergency department that is ready to respond to emergency cases within hours. A good hospital also should have an emergency transportation system that can send patients to the hospital’s main outpatient facility or to another hospital that can treat their specific needs. A good hospital should also have an emergency room where all patients receive comprehensive initial evaluation and care. This should also include an operating room where all procedures to cure and sustain life are carried out under the supervision of fully trained and experienced doctors.