Southern Maryland Hospital ripoff Unprofessional and Uncompetent Nursing Staff Clinton Maryland
My father, John, had prostate surgery on Monday, May 24. He was on the 3rd floor, Room 328. I am writing you to express my dissatisfaction with the level of service my father received during a recent hospital stay at the Southern Maryland Hospital. The nurses were very unprofessional and displayed a very careless attitude towards my father and family members.
My sister and I accompanied my father to the hospital that morning and were there when he was taken to the room. We were allowed to come in the room after the nurse took his vital signs. Immediately, I noticed my father was in severe pain. I went to the desk to inquire about pain medication for my father. Almost 40 minutes went by before, he was given an injection. The nurse came into the room several times without the pain medication and without any explanation. My sister and I had to badger the nurse to get information. We then learned that she was waiting for the medication authorization to be entered into the system. This was the beginning of what we learned would be a normal process of no communication.
We left the hospital around 2:00 pm that day to allow my father to get some rest. I called the doctors office and learned he would make rounds after 5:00 pm. I returned to the hospital at 4:45 pm. I found my father in severe pain again and in a very unsanitary environment. Apparently, no one had checked on him for the 3 hour period we were gone. His bed sheets were bloody. I walked to the nurse's station and stood there for approximately 1 minute and no one looked up or towards me to acknowledge me standing there. There were several nurses behind the desk and two were sitting at the front.
I said, Excuse Me. This caused several of them to look my way, but no one asked if they could help me. I moved in front of one of the nurses sitting at the front. She huffed then looked up at me as if I was bothering her. She never asked if she could help me. I asked to speak with the nurse in charge of Room 328. She pointed to another nurse. My father's nurse heard me ask for her and she continued to walk away from me. I followed her and told her I needed to see her. She said she would be right with me.
During this 20 minute period, we attempted to turn on the television. Of course it did not come on. I went back to the nurse's station and again I was rudely greeted. I informed them that my father's television was not on and we did not receive information on how to have it turned on. One of the nurses sitting at the front desk snatched up the phone and called security to have it turned on.
I saw my father's nurse at the desk so I decided to stand next to her until she was ready to come with me to the room. By this time the doctor was there. He updated us on the surgery and asked the nurse for my father's chart. She hands it to him and to his surprise there was nothing inside. The doctor turned to my father and asks, Did they take your vitals when you came up? My dad answers yes. The doctor turned to the nurse and asks where is the information? Her answer is, I wasn't on duty when he was brought up, let me find the CNA.
The doctor shook his head. I was furious. I said to the nurse, I would have thought you would want to know this information for all your patients, especially if you were not on shift when he was brought up. He has been here for 4 hours and you don't know what his vital signs are. This is unacceptable. It took them about 15 minutes, but they found the information on the CNA's clipboard.
Once the doctor left, the nurse spent approximately 45 minutes in my father's room. She had to change pads, check vitals, give medicine, and do a physical check. The nurse admitted she should have been in and out in 15 minutes. This extra time she spent with my father, was time away from other patients.
By this time, it is about 6:45 pm, he was given the pain medication, the television was turned on and it appeared that matters were back on track, so I decided to go home.
I arrived at the hospital at 11:30 the next morning. I found my father sitting on the edge of the bed. When he noticed me, he jumped up and said, I want out of this hospital. I refuse to spend another night in here. He informed me that he spent several hours during the night having to have his sheets changed and floors mopped because he kept bleeding and fluids were spilling on the floor.
Each time the nurse came into his room, they checked the IV in his arm which was in tact. Each time they came in they spoke to him in a very demeaning manner. Not one time did they check the catheter! This went on the entire night. His doctor came in around 9:00 am and noticed the catheter had come apart from the bag. How incompetent are the nurses in that hospital. Isn't it common practice for patients having prostate surgery to require a catheter? Why wasn't this problem diagnosed by the nurse? Or does this problem require a PhD?
We are so dissatisfied with the rude behavior and lack of professional medical attention provided by the nursing staff that we will NEVER use this hospital again. This is very unfortunate because we are residents of Clinton and the hospital is very convenient. However, we prefer professional and competent nursing over convenience any day.
After sharing my concerns with previous patients, I feel these incidents are normal practice and are not isolated. With this being the case, I am forwarding this letter to the hospital accreditation agency with the hope of a formal investigation.
Rhonda
Clinton, Maryland
U.S.A.
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4 Updates & Rebuttals
Shay1482
Martinsburg,West Virginia,
U.S.A.
As an Ex employee and ex consumer
#5UPDATE EX-employee responds
Thu, February 28, 2008
I have been a nurse for 15 years, and use to live in the Waldorf area. I had to move because I felt unsafe practicing my chosen profession in that area. As a patient I was left in labor for over 22 hours while my son was breeched and hypoxic. He now has a learning disability. Never was I told my labor was failing to progress normally, or told I could have my baby delivered by another MD. My uncle, who was vent dependent, was admitted to a regular room instead of the ICU and the vent not used. He later called his wife and begged to be removed from said hospital before they " killed him ".
I also paid a visit to the ER with my own daughter and she was misdiagnosed. She was transported to Childrens for a appendicitis, yet only had a mild case of gastroenteritis. That bill cost me more than 6k what it should have been. I will not comment on the " rudeness " of the nurses. As I have worked with said nurses for 15 yrs and believe any nurse has to have a love for what she does in order to be a nurse and return to the bedside time again.
I have always discouraged my own family from going to this facility, and usually ask them to meet me in Northern Va at one of the Inova hospitals, when they need care. Until the citizens of said area demand better care, boycott said facility, the care will never improve. I had my son in 1984. It cant be only blamed at the nursing level, but reform has to start from the top.
This hospital is owned and ran by a doctor. I have read other postings on this subject and just in general to refer to them... I'll add this. Potassium does burn, and its good another nurse changed the site. No extra fluid cant be added to the pre mixed solution. Iv's do get missed especially if the second one wasnt charted. Doctors do order drug therapy without first consulting said patient. The nurse should explain what she has been ordered to do and why. Low poatassium levels are normal with a patient that is throwing up. Every patient should be their own advocate when seeking medical care from any facility, and if unable to do so, the family should step in. Anyone has the right to refuse treatment and go elsewhere.
C Harlow
Melissa
Bryans Road,Maryland,
U.S.A.
Go to Wahsington Hospital Center then
#5UPDATE Employee
Sat, July 31, 2004
OK Rhonda, go ahead and go to WHC then. If you or your mother thinks that WHC center is any better,you have a lot to learn. I'm sorry to inform you of this, but, WHC is just like SMH. As a matter of fact, I was just there Monday night. It was not good.
I hope you don't ever have an emergengy (more than a cut hand, arm, etc.) that requires treatment. If you do, then, go to WHC and come back and write the rip-off report of them so I can see oh so how much better they were. Ha
Karen
Temple Hills,Maryland,
U.S.A.
I agree with Rhonda
#5Consumer Comment
Wed, July 28, 2004
I have lived in Temple Hills, MD my whole life, granted only 22 years. And I need to say that it is a well known fact in that area that you dont want to go to southern maryland hospital. I was born in that hospital and my mother has told me on numerous occasions that the nurses were very mean to her, making unprofessional remarks.
You might be thinking, that was a long time ago. Well, I have another story. while working, I cut my hand taking trash out on a can. I was taken to Southern Maryland by my employer. the nurse acted like she didnt know what she was talkin about. I was 17 at the time, neither of my parents were there and she was going to give me medication without telling me, i saw her getting the needle ready and was about to stick it in my arm.
I said, should I call my mother or see a doctor?
She asked me if i had a tetanus shot in the last couple of years, I said yes, just recently.
I was only seventeen I didnt know what she was doing. She got an additude, said something under her breath and called my mother.
There is no excuse for a bad additude and bad service in a hospital i dont care what the situation is, if you cant give people quality and competence, then the hospital needs to be closed. My mother told me a long time ago, to insist on being taken to washington hospital center if i am ever hurt, southern just isnt worth it.
Melissa
Bryans Road,Maryland,
U.S.A.
Souther Maryland Hospital in NOT a bad hospital
#5UPDATE Employee
Sat, July 24, 2004
First of all, I think it is not fair for this lady to say that the whole hospital is bad because of what happened to her loved one on one particular floor of the hospital. I am sorry that it happened to her and her family, but this event happened in only one area of the hospital. SMHC is a very large hospital and it has some very great services that it offers. SMHC offers many different community services that are often free or very low cost. If there was an emergency and this lady's loved one needed quick care, I'm sure she would grace the doors of SMHC vs. letting them die. SMHC has treated thousands and thousands of people who are very happy with the care they've received.
Not making excused, but nurses are very busy. With the lack of graduating nurses, the problem is only going to get worse. We have larger and larger patient loads that continue to demand more all the time. I have actually taken care of people that will call a nurse to their room for a cup of ice or a drink of water, while they have 2 or 3 people sitting there with them. Nurses are NOT slaves to patients. If you have a family member present, then they can help care for a person too. Would it be too much to ask for a friend or family member to, God forbid, walk down the hall and get a cup of water or ice for someone?
As far as the medication thing, some people don't realize that there is actually a procedure we have to follow in order to give medicine. We can't even give someone a Tylenol without a doctor's order. What if it takes one hour to get in touch with the doctor? Then the patient has to wait. The nurse has done her job, yet she is the one catching all the flack because the DOCTOR hasn't returned the call.
I know it must be frustrating to have had this situation happen to you, but please understand, your father wasn't the only one in the hospital--there were many other patients that also needed tended to. Nursing is a very hard profession, that doesn't pay well (considering all we do) and that is often thankless. Sports athletes make many times over what we do just to keep us entertained. Nurses deal with life and death everyday and make peanuts. No wonder the number of nurses keeps going down and down. And then to have to deal with constant criticism, I wonder myself sometimes if it is really worth it.
I challenge you to try to do it for a day. It might change your mind on the way you look at nurses at ANY hospital
Finally, remember, nurses are human too and can make mistakes, especially when they work long hours and shifts. ANYONE can make a mistake. Have you EVER make a mistake at home or God forbid on YOUR job?