Okay, I'm a little late posting this review, as our visit to Southern Regional Medical Center was…read moreon May 1st, but I still felt it was important to share our experience.
My father had taken a fall and his knee had swollen to nearly three times its normal size, so he asked me to take him to the ER. We are fairly new to the area so we went with the closest hospital.
We arrived around 9 PM. To be fair, the initial intake process -- vitals, insurance, and registration -- was handled within a reasonable amount of time. However, after that, the wait became absolutely unbelievable. My father was not taken to have x-rays until nearly midnight. Honestly, I'm not even sure he would have been called back when he was had he not gone to the desk himself to ask what was taking so long. By that point, both my 12-year-old son and I had actually fallen asleep in the waiting room.
Once he finally got called to the back about 4 AM we learned there was only ONE ER doctor on duty that night. EMS arrivals understandably took priority, but that meant anyone who walked in by car just kept getting pushed further and further aside. I completely understand emergency prioritization, but it is difficult to understand how an ER can function properly with only one physician covering the entire department.
At one point, I was ready to leave and take him somewhere else, but after already waiting so many hours, we felt stuck.
Eventually, the doctor read his x-rays and bloodwork results and discovered that while he had no broken bones or sprains, his potassium levels were dangerously high, his kidney numbers were low, and his blood pressure was also very low. Thankfully, those labs likely uncovered a much more serious issue than the original injury itself, and for that I am grateful. He was ultimately admitted to the hospital.
Unfortunately, the delays continued after admission. A doctor briefly stopped by Saturday morning, but he was not properly seen again until Sunday. That level of delay for admitted patients is concerning and, honestly, unacceptable.
Now, with all of that said, I absolutely want to acknowledge the staff members we encountered because THEY are the reason this review went from a 1-star to a 3-star experience!
Big shoutout to Crystal at the front desk/check-in area. She was patient, kind, and professional throughout the chaos. We also encountered Dakota, Nurse Donna, Peter, Sonia, and Nurse Lea, and every single one of them showed empathy, patience, understanding, and excellent bedside manner despite clearly being overworked and understaffed. They did the best they could with the resources they had, and it showed.
This review is truly directed toward hospital leadership and administration. The staffing shortages are hurting both the employees and the patients. A hospital cannot properly serve its community if it does not have adequate staffing in its emergency department and patient care areas.
The staff turned what was an absolute nightmare experience into a more tolerable experience through sheer professionalism and compassion alone. But unfortunately, based on this experience, I will NOT return to this location unless absolutely necessary!
