During admission, you will be given a hospital gown and box of supplies, usually your own water cup, tissues, soap, toiletries, and other necessities. You will be expected to remove your clothes and put on the gown, for the ease of the staff who will be examining you and performing tests. Hospital gowns are open in the back but can be tied. If you plan to do a lot of walking outside your room, sometimes you can request a second gown to put on backward and tie in the front, for more coverage. If you are cold, you can wear your own robe over your gown, except during procedures. Sometimes, if you have your own similar, loose-fitting gown, you can wear that instead of the hospital gown. If the room temperature is not right, you can request additional blankets or have the thermostat adjusted.
If your hospital has both single and double rooms, you may be assigned a roommate even if you wanted a room to yourself. If this happens, ask the charge nurse if you can be placed on the waiting list for a single. One may open up before you’re discharged.
Shortly after your arrival, a nurse or nurse aide will come to check your vital signs (blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and breaths per minute). A nurse (usually a registered nurse, or “RN”) will perform a complete head-to-toe physical evaluation, then ask you what may seem like an endless list of questions about your medical history, lifestyle, and current symptoms. Even though you may have told this to your doctor or an ER nurse before your arrival on the floor, it is essential that your admitting nurse have this information documented, so please be patient.