“Me First, Others Later” A focused ethnography of ongoing cultural features of waiting in an Iranian emergency department

•This is one of a few researches studying the experience of waiting in an Iranian ED.•Individuals with lower or non-urgent priorities expecting to be treated urgently.•Self-seeking behaviors without caring about what happened to other people.•One’s priority-seeking behaviors triggered similar emotions and behaviors in others.•The mentality of ‘me first, others later’ contributed to a negative environment.