Queen De

Review of UNC Health Care

My son came for an appointment at the Orthopedic C...

My son came for an appointment at the Orthopedic Clinic and got sent over to the ER where he was immediately admitted. Everyone was fine the first night however, the next day, the staff (actual staff, not the students) began to display attitudes which I find totally unacceptable.
We were only supposed to be staying overnight so the five of us (we traveled for two hours to get to the initial appointment so the son who had the appointment, along with two of his brothers, myself and my husband all drove down together thinking we would be going home the same day) stayed the night together in the hospital room. The next day, with no prior discussion of hospital policy or anything from any of the staff the day before, we were told that we could not all stay together and that some of us would have to go to the Ronald McDonald House that night. This of course upset us because we were still being told that we were going home that night by one person and someone else was in the room saying something entirely different, and because we were told that the rheumatologist, who they were supposedly waiting for to see my son, did not think his case was urgent enough to interrupt their weekend to come and see him. It was after ten by the time everyone got on one accord so we all got to spend the night together again.
Day 3: Everyone made sure that we had the information on the Ronald McDonald House because we would be here another night, tonight. We've been told again how our son is not important enough for the rheumatologist to come in today either and everyone who has come in has asked my husband about the reservation, which he had already made. He left at around 6:30 to check in but bought us food back up because we have been purchasing food from the hospital for four people the entire time, plus paying for parking ($1.50 per hour) because we have to park in the parking garage near the hospital since my son was admitted. Aside from giving us the run around, they have been great towards my son, the actual patient. However, their communication skills and empathy towards the families could use some help.
When my husband brought the food up, the charge nurse, which we had never seen before, came in claiming to be checking on all of his patients. He to asked my husband about the reservation, told him he couldn't get back in after a certain time and some more stuff. My husband asked that he step in the hallway and address him and to not continue to do so in front of our children, which they had all been doing quite frequently. My husband asked if he was trying to say that they couldn't be up here at a certain time (nurse stated that visiting hours were over around ten, it was nine forty-five and my husband was only dropping off food).
The problem I have is that we are not animals or barbarians. Yes, I taught my children to wash their hands after they use the restroom (as the nurse excitedly pointed out). We can be addressed and spoken to as adults because that is what we are. And we didn't drive two hours with the intentions of missing work and wearing the same clothes for four days but we did it because that is what parents do. We had plans that we canceled because a child, our child's health was important enough for us to do so. And yet we were treated as if we were burdens whose child was not important enough for someone who gets paid to care for him to even make the attempt to do so. (Maybe he or she will grace us with their appearance tomorrow). Rules should have been addressed upon his admittance and if we did anything that was against the hospital's policy, the staff should have pulled one or both of us aside for a conversation, not to be scolded or talked at in front of our children.
As I write this Review, yes, I am doing so from the guess couch of my son's hospital room. The rest of the family is at the Ronald McDonald House and maybe we'll all get to go home tomorrow after obtaining answers we could not get because of our level of unimportance over the weekend.