I am extremely frustrated with the care I have received at this branch…read more
It is very concerning to me that this location would hire staff who do not appear to have a proper understanding of human anatomy. I say this because there is a nurse with shoulder-length blonde hair who, based on my experience, does not seem adequately trained. I receive weekly bladder instillations, and when I saw her a few months ago, she appeared very nervous and unsure of what she was doing. It seemed as though she had not been properly trained to perform her job.
She had significant difficulty inserting the catheter and repeatedly placed it incorrectly, including inserting it into my vagina multiple times instead of the urethra. At one point, she also had her finger in my rectum while still attempting to locate the urethra. I had to stop her and ask what she was doing. She continued making the same mistakes and did not seem to understand that the urethra is located at the top and is a very small opening. After that experience, I told the front desk that I never wanted to see her again.
Recently, a nurse from the Powell location transferred here, and I had been seeing her. She was great. However, on April 7th, she was not there, and I was again assigned to the same nurse I had previously requested not to see.
Once again, she tried multiple times and could not properly insert even a size 10 catheter into my urethra, which is the size I personally bring with me, while the clinic typically uses a size 14 catheter. She had another staff member come in to help hold me open so she could try to access the urethra, but she still could not get the catheter in.
She then asked Rachael Vann to come perform the procedure, but Rachael would not come assist.
As a result, I made an hour drive there and an hour drive back for nothing, which was a complete waste of my time and gas.
When I came out, the waiting room was completely full. I have also noticed that appointments at this location are rarely on time, and patients should plan to be there at least an hour due to consistent delays. The only positive thing I can say is that the front desk staff is very kind.
Due to these ongoing issues, I have moved all of my appointments to the Powell location, where they are consistently on time and properly staffed.
I also want to mention that Tennessee Urology has a policy requiring that if you have surgery, the person who brings you must stay in the waiting room the entire time and then remain with you for 24 hours afterward. I find this excessive. I have had a hysterectomy in the past and did not have that requirement. For a hydrodistention procedure, which involves saline being placed in the bladder to break up scar tissue, requiring someone to stay with you for 24 hours seems unreasonable. However, I was told this is required, and without it, surgery will not be performed.
Overall, I believe this location needs to ensure staff are properly trained and competent in basic anatomy and procedures, as my experience was unacceptable.