One star -- and the star is because the wait was exceptionally short. That was, unfortunately, the…read morehighlight.
The ER was crowded, which I understand is not the staff's fault. I used to work in healthcare. I know emergency rooms are stressful, unpredictable places. That said, I was put on a bed in the hallway for my entire visit. No room. No curtain. No privacy. No TV. Just me, my migraine, and the hallway.
Even the ER at RWJ Somerset gave me my own little curtained-off area with a TV. I never thought I would find myself nostalgically reminiscing about an ER curtain, but here we are.
I was given medication through an IV that did help my migraine, but it also made me extremely jittery -- to the point that after I was discharged, I was having a very difficult time functioning normally. Obviously, I understand that medications can have side effects. What bothered me more was how little support I felt I received around it.
The interaction with the doctor was also unnecessarily unpleasant. I asked, very politely, "Can I have a head CT?" His response was: "I just said that."
Listen. I know patients can be difficult. I know healthcare workers get tired, overwhelmed, and frustrated. I've worked in healthcare myself. But I wasn't yelling, demanding anything, or being disrespectful. I was sick, scared, and asking an innocent question nicely. There was absolutely no reason to speak to me that way.
After I got home, the jitteriness was still significant, so I called the ER hoping to ask whether there was anything over-the-counter I could take or whether a prescription could be called in to help with the reaction.
No one answered the phone.
So, in summary: impressively short wait, hallway accommodations, zero privacy, medication that left me feeling worse in an entirely new and exciting way, a rude interaction with the physician, and then no one available when I called for guidance afterward.
Hopefully there won't be a next time. But if there is, I'll be going to Cooperman in Livingston instead.
One star for getting me in quickly. I would have preferred to wait a little longer and be treated like a person.