UMass Memorial Medical Center - University Campus — Attraction in Worcester

The best around - just don't go near their ER on the weekends! They're a trauma center - so even if the waiting area is only 1/3 full (as it was last Saturday at 8pm) they have to hold capacity for incoming trauma victims - plus heavier-than-usual traffic from individuals that can't take time off from work during the week (and/or their children). I watched everyone who'd come in before me get checked in (except some poor guy with 210 blood pressure who'd been waiting three hours longer!) but by 5am it was little surprise to find out that the ER was out of capacity for non-trauma admissions and there were "no beds upstairs", either. I got a ride to Leominster, where the ER waiting area was empty, and within 20 minutes a nurse-physician had read my complete chart and a week of MyChart notes and started on a battery of tests.

"Front-of-house" staff at the University Campus ER could not have been nicer, given their understandably limited ability to provide specific information. More impressively, three of the four principals were working double shifts. The one exception was the head administrator on the early-am shift who seemed to be getting a particular kick out of humiliating anyone she saw as asking for attention. Which obviously included me and the gent with the 210/110 b.p.

A little before 5 a.m. a rumor circulated about a freeze on walk-in non-trauma intakes, so I went to the desk and asked the lead admin if it was true that there'd be no more curtains available; I got a withering glare and "What are you saying?" (Civvies should not use lingo they learned from books and TV!) I took a deep breath and re-framed it something to the effect of "Is it true that you will not be accepting any non-trauma patients?" to which she replied "Yes. [sneering] Do you want to be taken off the list?" I then asked, stupidly, is there any way I could have a gurney (really bad word-choice, again!) to rest on until things open up again? "No." Then I guess I'll try Leominster. "You can't be seen there if you're still on the list here." Okay, then, please take me off the list. (Mission accomplished for her, I realize: Skilled at clearing the books!) Thank you. [She nods and smiles.] Then came my first vaguely uncivil words across the entire 11 hour ordeal: "You get a gold star for this, don't you? Well, good work!" And off I went. Mr. 210/110 swore he'd stick it out: I hope he's okay.

Little known fact. When you're logged into any UMass ER waiting-list, you get a friendly text message "Click the link...to let us know how we can hep while you wait to be seen by a doctor". I have no doubt that this is true until you ARE seen by a doctor (so be sure to make your comments before the doctor appears!), but any opportunity for feedback also disappears the second you are removed from the waiting list. So I lost any chance to leave input on my ER experience as an identifiable user of the UMass system.

The hospital overall is a genuine "4", but information systems and front-of-house operations throughout the University Campus are an embarrassment. Don't get me started on one particular pill at the main entrance ("Please can you tell me which building Radiology is in?" "No. You need to go to Information [points to long line for one attendant]." I say, I understand, but I before I can enter Radiology I have to say which building. If I choose UMass Clinics there's only 'Radiation treatment/Oncology' and the other buildings I've tried haven't shown any Radiation options. [Each self-registration sticker attempt requires a start from scratch, health screening, ID scans, etc.] Can you just tell me the name of the building it's in? She points to the line again. That's when I notice Radiation on a large sign directly behind her but since I still don't know the name of this specific building/entrance, I queue up and...

I never write reviews because I feel like every business has its good and bad days and shouldn't be judged on 1 bad experience. Having said that, I feel compelled to write this review because what I experienced was far more than a bad day. I experienced a group of complacent, rude, incompetent and entitled staff.

I just left the Lake Ave UMass ER. I came in at 11:30 pm last night 8/25 with asthma. Severe enough to go to the hospital.

They took me right away to triage. The nurse was very helpful, kind and informative. However from there she drew blood and sent me for a cardiogram. I don't think that was all necessary right then and there. I needed a medication, treatment.

From there I went to the waiting room with about 30 other individuals. I never heard from anyone again. I asked several staff that walked by throughout the night what was going on. I was told everything from we had several traumas, to several nurses called out sick last night, to there is a state wide bed shortage, to just plain I have no idea why there is a ridiculous wait.

I waited until 6 am and finally asked the nurse at the front desk to help me figure out what was going on. I told her I was not feeling well and couldn't sit in the waiting room any longer. She was rude, unhelpful and would not provide any information. She just kept saying I have no idea how long it's going to be. We don't know what is going on back there. There is no timeframe on how long people stay (which I get), it could be up to another 18 hours! Another 18 hours? Since you know so little, how do you know that!?

So I went to the security desk. Apparently this happens enough from security's reaction as they advised me to ask for a manager. So I went back to the nurse at the front desk and asked for a manager. She spoke to a gentleman sitting at the side who used his radio. Neither person said a word to me. I asked again what was going on with my request to talk to a manager? Another women came over and rudely said it takes time. TIME yes I have been here for 7 hours shouldn't that be enough time? Do you think maybe in those 7 hours you should have offered me the medication for asthma? No you just let it get worse.

I asked would I be better off going to Urgent Care? Well that was a loaded question. I got the answer in stereo before I finished the question..."We can't advise you". Advise me, you can't tell me if it's quicker to go to Urgent Care or wait here? But you do know that it could be another 18 hours? You've trained them well to dodge all questions and take no responsibility.

Needless to say I never was seen, I am now going to ReadyMed Urgent Care. Ironically a far superior organization to Umass

The communication is nonexistent, the staff seems unsupervised and walk around without any interest whatsoever in their job. Should I have been told that I would likely wait overnight and possibly into the next day? Yes I believe that is appropriate. Should you be able to estimate wait times. I do think that's reasonable. It's not that you can't estimate, it's that you don't want to take the responsibility or the task on.

This is a hospital. You are supposed to care for people. My experience was anything but. I see your ratings on Google and Facebook are extremely low. Now I have personally experienced why. My next letter is to the Chancellor who hopefully will care about his hospital, although I suspect he's heard it all before.

Where do you go for quality care...

My nurse threatened to tamper with my medication, she later apologized for threatening me but at that point I was horrified. I just had major surgery here on June 6th 2022 it was the worst experience I have ever had. I will try to be short, I will give you a snap shot of what I had gone through.After major surgery I was brought to recovery where I thought I would spend a few hours, my husband waited for seven hours in order to see me. Finally after 7 hours of waiting they told him to go home because they would not let him say good bye or see me at all. Later that day my doctor told me I would be staying overnight but they had no rooms for me and I was forced to stay in the recovery room, I was surrounded by five other patients all of which were males I was the only female. The worst thing that has ever happened to me (EVER) in the hospital was when the nurse in charge threaten to tamper with my medication. She got aggravated with me because I was frustrated when she ripped open my curtain without any notice, exposing me and my body to male patients surrounding my bed. I asked for a little privacy and things went down from there. she threatened that she had full control of my medication including my pain medication and made me feel as though she was going to somehow tamper with it and then she waved "BYE, BYE" to me while she was hiding through my curtains in order to make sure other patients did not see her threatening jester. I was terrified. Later, she came back into my bed area surrounded by curtains and apologized for threatening me and that it was very unprofessional. She said she was wrong for trying to scare me by letting me think she was going to tamper with my medication. I really thought about calling the police but instead I decided not to take any more medication that night including pain medication, blood thinners or antibiotics, etc.. I never did get a room, instead, I was left in the recovery area for 2 days, no running hot water to wash my hands or body, no TV, no radio, no visitors, horrible cold food, blood on walls and floors (mine mostly) my blood was left on the floor the entire time I was there 2 1/2 days, not to mention trash every where through out the ENTIRE recovery area, caps from needles, plastic from medical supplies, pubic hair on the walls in the one bathroom shared by entire recover room patients as well as the public. Finally two days later I was allowed to go home. I would never go back to that horrible horrible filthy conditions, nurse threatening to tamper with your medication, etc. Still very scared. Another example of being concerned about medicAtions being dispensed with out knowing they were given to you, nurses adding vitamins, I was not asked if I wanted any vitamins but was forced to take them often, the Nurse would come into my bed area and wake me up by telling me it was time to take my medication, turned out to be vitamin D and B12, I never asked for them nor were they ordered by my doctors, I felt it was odd that all the other patients around me were given the same vitamins and told to just take them. Please, if you do go here, just do not resist the nurses, do not speak at all and remember to bring your own food and...