Description
I came into the hospital about a week ago after falling and seriously hurting my left knee. I arrived at 930 pm and waited very patiently until my turn to get into the emergency room at 3:30 am. Once there not once did a nurse come in and ask me how I was doing. I waited in the actual emergency room until 530 in the morning. Still hadnt spoken to a nurse or a doctor. Finally after becoming irritated I stood up put on my jacket and hobbled to my vehicle and went home. I am sure that they could have asked me if there was anything that they could do to help make me feel more comfortable. The triage nurse reported me as Semi-Urgent on the triage form. It is to the point know that going to the hospital in Prince Albert only does one thing... and that is stops you from recieving a full night of sleep.
95 Comments
Tim (Registered User)
Sorry to have to point this out....It is an Emergency Room, there are PRIORITY cases.
Furthermore, it could not have been bad enough to warrant an emergency room visit if you:
"stood up put on my jacket and hobbled to my vehicle and went home."
yoyo (Guest)
upset mother (Guest)
Bo (Guest)
gramma (Guest)
fed up too (Guest)
black and white (Guest)
Agnas (Guest)
jmacgregor (Guest)
K (Guest)
I have had so many bad experiences with this hospital ER also.. and I am speaking as a caregiver in this city..What ever happened to all the changes to improve procedures.. Why bother waste $ then not follow through with recommendations..
Rbbtsp (Guest)
guest (Guest)
Rbbtsp (Guest)
grr (Guest)
Rbbtsp (Guest)
Can't be fixed without REAL ideas (Guest)
Reopened Geronimo (Guest)
Gypsy (Guest)
momma of 4 (Guest)
sick of it (Guest)
@ guest. you were better off going to a walk in clinic. if need be they send you to emerg with drs orders.
people are abusing the ER then complain about it when they're waiting for 10+ hours, when they could of went to a walk in clinic!
the truth (Guest)
this is a joke these people are complaining for nothing i can say i think these people are jealous of people who work in the health care field maybe a few of these so called care experts should get into school and take the course the nurses take or maybe even become a doctor and show the staff here how it should be done.now complainers either put up or quit your crying and give some respect to the people who have saved more lives than anyone of you people on here complaining.YOU HAVE JUST BEEN TOLD THE TRUTH
Boston Fern (Guest)
not impressed (Guest)
rural nurse (Guest)
Secondly, many people treat the ER as a walk in clinic. It is not a walk in clinic, people with serious problems are seen and it takes TIME to sort these people out, not everyone is 'in and out' and if you feel that your problem is simple and in and out, perhaps you can use your common sence that I certainly hope you have and wait to see your family physician or walk in clinc. I do realize that when things happen in the middle of the night, there are no other options, and i hope that the nurses in PA realize that as well.
Thirdly, ER nursing is draining. We work under staffed with seriously ill pt's all the time. recruitment and retention is very hard. I myself have 10 years of nursing experiance and work with nurses whom have just graduated. I would love to have more experiance where I work, but unfortunately not many experianced nurses want to stay in the ER, due to fatigue. We work hard, long hours and rarely get appropriate breaks.
lastly, I call on all of you to take the time to think about the real reason behind the wait times, and lack of nurses approaching your room when you are in the dept? Think about what else is going on in the dept!
As for the comments about the nurses putting on their lip gloss, wearing white pants with a 'thong' hanging out..get a grip.. are these the things that are bothering you the most? You can leave out your ignorance out!
Diablo (Guest)
RN (Guest)
jb stallock (Guest)
Gues (Guest)
Mosby (Guest)
Mosby (Guest)
Mosby (Guest)
McDreamy (Guest)
concerned (Guest)
jeeez (Guest)
If you are hurt, you will get seen in an appropriate time frame. MINIOR injuries take up tons of the nurses, docs, lab, x-ray peoples time. If you have a minor injury got to minor emerg. I will bet that even though the minor injuries had to wait, they were treated with the utmost care.
If you dont like this, please, drive to Saskatoon, Edmonton, I am sure you'll be seen right away, LMAO. They have the same problems with wait times as we do. And If you injury is serious, what would you do by yourself on the highway? Hmmm, seems better to wait at the hospital, right?
Or lets try this: I think we should have Private ER's. That's a great option. It would weed out the minor injuries that a little rest, ice, advil would take care of anyways!!!
Diablo (Guest)
Diablo (Guest)
Steph (Guest)
stinky chair (Guest)
wgibbons (Guest)
transplant (Guest)
Where I'm from there is NO minor emerg clinics, The only way for you to be seen by a doctor is to either wait for 3+months for an appointment to see your family Doctor, or go to emerg. I've waited in the ER dept there for 12++ hours with an appendix that was inflamed because there was no where else to go!
I think the VIC does a great job. One physician in particular though should have his licence removed. but thats just me
Good servise (Guest)
C Taylor (Guest)
good idea (Guest)
jbstallock (Guest)
Find your MLA's and MP's web site and swamp it with e-mails to add more seats to our RN program and re-open the diploma to degree program and employ more LPNs, doctors, techs and RNs, get us an MRI in PA.
Talk about a 2 tier system, look at all the money PA people had to put into this hospital to make it better place and that's only a drop in the bucket. Don't you think taking private money from private people and private companies is privatization? I do!
in reply to good idea (Guest)
jojo (Guest)
I have read many stupid comments on this web page.. why don't you people who want to complain take a min to complain to someone who maybe..but prob not,., will care about and potentionally do something in the long run about them?!! ie: your mla.. and not waste your time on this site? I am just giving you an educated opinion!!!!!!!!!!
Julie (Guest)
PAGuy (Registered User)
Julie,
I apprecate the fact that some people do actually perform work at the hospital. However the fact remains that there is no actual work being conducted late at night as the Nurses sip on their double doubles and look at pictures of dogs on Google images. I am disgusted with the lack of respect that these nurses give people. Maybe nurses working at the Victoria Hospital need a refresher course on beside manners and how to treat the patients because if it werent for us patients you nurses would be unemployed.
The night in question that I was at the hospital the emergency room was practically empty. 2 beds being used and the rest of the ward empty. The volume in which these "STAFF" spoke was increadible. For being so late at night you would think that they would also be respectufl that there are sick people sleeping. Maybe its time for Hospital Management to crawl out of their lazy-boy recliners and start actually working the units at night.
Dr. Evil (Guest)
Boomer (Guest)
PAGuy (Registered User)
Also for those people who keep insisting that I should have gone to a walk-in clinic, the reason I went to the hosptial in the first place was that I had dislocated my knee which I have been scheduled for surgery for.
I am not a criminal, nor a drug user not am I a part of the population who abuses the hospital. I was a patient needing medical attention which I had not received.
A walk in clinc would have only sent me to the hospital to see a doctor and in order to get xrays.
I think that the nurses need to settle down instead of getting angry and posting rude comments. Was it you ladies that were working that ngiht?.
Come on!
megan (Registered User)
McDreamy (Guest)
In reply to PA tuff guy (Guest)
havesomerespect (Guest)
PAGuy (Registered User)
Boomer,
I must ask... how exactly do they "sacrifice their lives"??.
PAGuy (Registered User)
jbstallock (Guest)
Boomer (Guest)
Black cat (Guest)
Tim (Registered User)
mdalton89 mentioned that we should be responding with solutions....so, here ya go.
Possible solution:
- Keep a minor emergency unit open at the hospital 24 / 7 (or at least cover the hours that the other minor emergency clinics are not open.)
- During the hours that the minor emergency clinics are open, send the non-life threatening injuries to these clinics.
This would allow the emergency room to function as intended (or at least better than people are posting about.)
I am aware that this will cost money or possible legal issues, but what price do you put on your lives?
havesomerespect (Guest)
jbstallock (Guest)
PAGUY (Guest)
I would just like to say, although I do agree we need to work on the patient care in our Vic ER, like many others here I've had several very bad experiences at the ER. I don't think this forum will change anything.
On another note...my nick is PAGUY (all caps).... I do not wish to be associated with the PAguy who created this thread! ;o)
the truth (Guest)
PAGuy
you say these people were on a computer looking at dogs not sure how you would be able to see this from a room and since your knee was dislocated i am sure you were not able to walk or stand to see this really happening.you also mention that they were drinking coffee well why should they not be allowed to have a coffee i know most other jobs allow you to have a coffee so why are the medical people different and just so you know the nurses have to get orders from the doctors.you also mention bedside manner well if you only knew of how these people are treated when they try to help you would know that they are spit at and called all different types of names but yet they still help those people just because they did not kiss your you know what you are mad.you also mention without the patients they would not have a job,well without these medical people you would get no care and probaly would be laid up or maybe even dead.
carey (Guest)
nfh (Guest)
Concerned (Guest)
JayT (Guest)
Joe (Guest)
jbstallock (Guest)
In general I've noticed in almost every profession that the new generation just doesn't want to work. That may be ok at the car wash, but it's not ok in a hospital.
havesomerespect (Guest)
Tired (Guest)
havesomerespect (Guest)
momma of 4 (Guest)
one? I gave up my position as RN when I had my children. and the last 4 graduating classes have NOT found jobs in PA? why? its because theres NO JOBS! or so they say. they hired the 200+ filipino nurses (which is fine by me) I have nothing bad to say about the filipino nurses. they know their stuff. In my opinion more so than SOME of the Canadian nurses. There is alot of people that are abusing the ER in PA. and Its not the nurses or doctors faults. theres only so many beds, and if 3/4 of them are full of drunks, who benefits from this? thats why they built the new detox center, send them down there! theres also other places in PA that one can to go to in order to have x-rays during the day, why go to the hospital when you can go to a walk-in then go on over to Associate radioligists?
Minus 1 appendix (Guest)
megan (Registered User)
- Keep a minor emergency unit open at the hospital 24 / 7 (or at least cover the hours that the other minor emergency clinics are not open.)
- During the hours that the minor emergency clinics are open, send the non-life threatening injuries to these clinics.
This would allow the emergency room to function as intended (or at least better than people are posting about.)
I am aware that this will cost money or possible legal issues, but what price do you put on your lives?
Sad (Guest)
jojo (Guest)
There are NO jobs. Until the government realizes that it is costing them twice as much in overtime, and start allowing the health region to create more jobs.. there will cont to be no jobs. Just because you have graduated and can't find a job DOESN"t mean that we are not short staffed!! We are short staffed, and everyday my phone rings for overtime,.,, To me.. it makes much more sence to hire more staff and than decrease on the over time and fatigue of my co-workers.. but until you people on here who act as though you are advocating for better health care, get your @#$% together and start putting your energy into the government.. nothing is going to change!!
And as for JBSTALLOCKS comment about the new nurses... be careful!! The new nurses are highly skilled and educated, I work with many experianced nurses who are the same way!! In any profession you will have staff that work very hard and ones that laze away-no matter the age- You are right about it being a new a generation.. and perhaps your should educate yourself about the next generation of people so you become familliar with the values they portray. Just because they don't 'live' for work & ask how high when someone of authority tells them to 'jump' doesn't mean that they are incompetant in the health field & are lazy!!!
And as for the guy who is trying to come up with solutions.. way to go!! I am so happy to see someone with brains on this site who actually gets it.. people want to compare whos sitution was worse... how about pouring some of your energy into something useful,. help to solve the problem instead of contributing... and than you can take pride and feel confidant in bringing your loved ones to the ER!!
PAGuy (Registered User)
jbstallock (Guest)
Darkitty (Guest)
I accidently blew some small woods shavings into my eye, went to a WALK IN (shoppers at corner stone) first as it wasn't an emergency, doc didn't even look IN my eye, gave me some OLD EXPIRED antiseptic eye drops (which i still have!!) and said i would be fine...few hours later with my eye growing in intense pain, i went to another WALK IN (SOUTH HILL by Mohawk), they said they couldn't help me only the original doc could or I had to go to the ER. Sadly I went to the ER thinking I was going to wait for hours, but amazing I got in after only 90 mins wait, and they flushed my eye which helped 100% and gave me a tetnis shot (hate needles) and laughed at me for my story that i had, as to why i has itty bitty wood chips in my eye. it was great!
I had a good experience at the ER this one time, i've broughten in friends who were bleeding only to wait for hours and hours only to go home and used tons of bandages to help stop the bleeding, and went to a walk in the next day.
I don't care how many Health Care professionals we put out as a province, unless they are top of their class I seriously don't want them helping me, or my family or friends. I know the ladies who helped me had good marks, just by their attitude, they didn't have to worry about making a mistake or to cover their @#$% as they knew what they were doing, had the attitude and the right stuff to make it as a health care provider. and it showed with their mannerisms!
We need to fix the whole health care system, patients come first, we need a MINOR emergency open 24 hours, for those of us who know we just need a quick stitch or whatever, and leave the real EMERGENCY room for the paramedics and people who just had a heart attack or stroke or something SERIOUS. and the walk ins should be able to be seen by ANOTHER doc if the first one wasn't able to help properly to begin with!!
and just my two cents, if your drunk and broughten into the ER cause your sick, you should have to PAY for your visit!!! I shouldn't have to pay for people being stupid and using up valuable resources because they have given up on themselves, I already pay for those detox centres, and other gov programs to get them CLEAN.
Tim (Registered User)
Health Care Administrators (or whomever is in charge of this) pay attention!
-- WE have problems with service that YOU need to address...
(below are 2 examples from user Darkitty and suggested possible fixes by me )
==================================================================
"they said they couldn't help me only the original doc could or I had to go to the ER."
This is a clear example why the ER gets overrun.
--WE NEED there to be more cooperation between health care facilities, whether it be the hospital, private practice, or minor emergency units around the city / province.
==================================================================
"and just my two cents, if your drunk and broughten into the ER cause your sick, you should have to PAY for your visit!!! "
-- have some sort of filtering system added / revised that helps take care of these abusive people. (btw...I agree with the abusive people having to pay for their visits.)
-- Put forward a proposal to the government: If they come in more than 3 times (for example) in a fixed amount of time while inebriated / high/etc...they should be REQUIRED to be placed in a treatment facility.
( To clarify: This is an example only...I am aware that drunks are not the only ones causing the problem.)
==================================================================
FDEDS (Guest)
From both sides (Guest)
Also alcoholism, is a disease, and does produce extra work.
As I was in ER waiting to see the Ortho Specalist, for my son's broken hand. I had the time to watch, the coming and going of patients. A friend with her daughter, lower abdominal pain, another friend with his mother, pain from bladder/kidney infection, and a long time drug user.
Guess who got in first??
Drug user in for IV, mother still in pain sweating, left in waiting room, and daughter was told to go home without seeing any doctor.
Do we need more education in the Triage nursing?
abcdefg (Guest)
hlthcrpro (Guest)
Also, staff appearing to sit around may be simply because they are waiting for important reports on patients in the department and there are NO other beds to physically put people in (and if you see one it may be a “contingency bed” in case a true emergency arrives at any moment.
While the staff understands YOU feel your minor injury is a true emergency, they understand true emergencies from a medical standpoint. Their “thick skin” is possibly what enables them to remain in that job to serve the public without burnout. It doesn’t seem the original poster was in a position to evaluate the skills of the staff to claim “horrible skill sets”.
I don’t think premiums for non emergent issues are the answer, as people may stay away for fear of a bill when they NEED to be seen emergently. Perhaps a “streaming area” where less urgent cases may be fast tracked…but you need physical space, additional staff, resources to do this! Prince Albert ER services a greater population than only the city.
Insinuating a poor bedside manner or attitude from a nurse reflects on THAT person, not the discipline of nursing as a whole.
People must utilize the minor emergency clinics! That is why they are there…they get seen sooner, not because the staff are better, more competent…but because they are not dealing with seriously ill patients. The problem is that resources are not being utilized by the public appropriately, and this may partially be a failure to educate the public.
I would like to see less complaining and more viable suggestions for improvement. This is difficult when the public generally has a poor understanding of the underlying issues involved.
Public education needs to be made a priority.
Incidentally, I have health care training, but I do not work in that hospital.
abcdefg (Guest)
From both sides (Guest)
the IV drug user was smiling and appeared comfortable, Yet others appearing in pain were left to sit and wait, also pleasenote that I was not complaining about waiting for a hand fracture, but more for the people waiting, that, needed to be seen. Also note I too worked in the hospital, and have lots of training, not any more. So why, with training, are you no longer working there??
Reopened Nurse! (Guest)
both sides (Guest)
PAGuy (Registered User)
The nurses that were "neglecting" patients were the young ones. The one older nurse they had their was doing her best to keep up. Even as I was leaving the Triage nurse appologized to me. I said to her what is going on here and she just looked at me and said " I dont know anymore".
Sounds like management needs to do some overhauling of the Emerg Dept to me.
Closed PAGuy (Registered User)
Reopened PAGuy (Registered User)
Closed PAGuy (Registered User)