In just over six months it will become the main entry point for many coming to Canberra Hospital but a mammoth effort is required before the new emergency department opens for patients.
A larger emergency department in the new critical services building at Canberra Hospital is expected to open in August.
While the builders are nearing the end of their work on the new building, the hard work is just getting started for the health authorities.
Canberra Hospital emergency department clinical director Sam Scanlan said it was a "very daunting but exciting phase".
"We're coming to a pretty amazing building with an increase in the footprint," he said.
The whole department will have to move into the new building and a variety of simulations will have to take place to familiarise staff with the new, bigger emergency department.
"Our whole team are moving house, which means all of our team will be working in an emergency department that they have not worked in before," Dr Scanlan said.
"So our real focus at the moment is on two things. One is around recruitment, so ongoing recruitment of staff, building our team up.
"The second thing is now working through an education plan to make sure that we've got access to the building, the team can come to me we can run simulation scenarios, and get used to the layout and get used to how we're operating in department."
There is a big recruitment drive at the moment to ensure the new building will have enough staff. Authorities and government are hopeful the new building can assist in recruitment efforts but they know a lot more needs to be done.
There has been staffing shortages at Canberra Hospital over recent years and well-known cultural issues have not helped matters.
Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said the government was exploring engagement and recruitment incentives to lure more staff to the hospital.
"We already have among the most competitive, the best remuneration in the country," she said.
"It's not all about money, it's also about ensuring those staff have a fantastic place to work and state-of-the-art equipment to work with. The opening of the critical services building will deliver a fantastic place for people to work with state-of-the-art equipment."
The government is also in the process of enterprise bargaining negotiations with health staff at the moment, which has already resulted in industrial action from radiographers and radiation therapists.
Ms Stephen-Smith said negotiations were nearing the end for nursing and midwifery staff and other professions but indicated more was needed for doctors.
Ms Stephen-Smith and Chief Minister Andrew Barr on Monday announced an extra $17 million to expand emergency services at the new emergency department.
The money will go towards new triage points in the hospital, a dedicated behavioural assessment unit in the hospital to assess patients in psychological distress and an expanded emergency team.
The Canberra Hospital expansion was first promised by the government ahead of the 2016 election and Labor's 10-year health plan initially planned for it to be open in 2022.
Ms Stephen-Smith on Monday said the government was hoping the critical services building will open in August.
"We're looking at opening in August and Canberra Health Services is working really closely with staff about exactly what that transition looks like," she said.
