Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown — Local services in Nashville-Davidson

My overall experience at the Spine Center at Midtown was phenomenal. I had a 2 level Posterior Cervical Foraminotomy performed by Dr. Robert Lowe and his PA Lauren Osbourne from TOA. The front desk staff was friendly and informative on where to park and what to expect going forward. Once arriving in the Pre-op staging area, I met Danielle Cambell, RN. She was once of the best nurse’s I’ve ever encountered. She eased my nerves and made sure I was comfortable. My surgery ran late and she made sure to keep me updated. She’s such a beautiful, sweet,funny and caring individual. I was a bundle of nerves but she was able to put my mind at ease with her relaxed and down to earth disposition. She made me comfortable knowing that I was in the right hands and that surgery would go off without a hitch. She kept my husband informed of the delays so that he wouldnt worry either. Eden came in an explained how neuro monitoring worked. He explained the entire process to inform me that I was continuously monitored and that no nerve damage would take place during surgery. I woke up with glue and small scabs on my scalp and because of Eden I knew it was from the neuro monitors they place right below the skin on the scalp. Miss Pat was my surgical nurse and she was a spicy character in the best way. She once again made me feel comfortable and that I was in competent(and caring)hands. Dr lowe and Lauren Osbourne both checked in with me pre-surg and reiterated what procedure was going to be done. I went into surgery calm and ready. The surgical team kept my husband posted throughout each step of the surgical process from first cut to closing. Post surgery I went to post-op recovery (which I don’t remember). I woke up and came to in my room on the 8th floor. I had multiple wonderful nurses. Jason was laid back and calmed me even when I was in extreme pain. My tech , Lilibeck, checked on me often. If she saw me walking in the halls, she asked if I was ok or if I needed help. My IV kept blowing(it’s common for me) so, Antoinette RN, came from a completely different floor to start a new line on me since I had already been through so much and most of my veins were either blown or tiny. She got it, first try. Sommer was the best post surgery nurse I’ve ever had. She did not typically work on my floor but she filled in on a night shift due to a staffing shortage. She is caring, funny, comforting and on top of her game! She was always 3 steps ahead. She even came to check on me one day when she was working on another floor just to see how I was doing. It was a painful and hard recovery, but that act of concern and kindness made All of the difference. This woman is a gem. I couldn’t have received better care. Courtney was my nurse on the morning of discharge. She made sure I was ready to go home. She made sure my pain was controlled and I was informed on what to expect when I got home. Nobody made me feel weak or like I was a bother. Everyone was wonderful. I could not have asked for a better care team. Thank you to everyone that played a hand in my pre-op, surgery and recovery. I’ve had multiple surgeries and this experience has been by far the best. Midtown has an amazing team. Dr. Lowe did an amazing job. I would recommend him to anyone looking for a Spine Surgeon. Thanks again. You all don’t get even a fraction of the credit that you deserve. Your jobs are hard, yet you make them look easy. I...

My mother had complex reconstruction spine surgery on 11/5. First the check in was horrible my mother couldn't walk and needed a wheelchair and they had on at the check in. When I told them she can't walk the guy at the dak said I don't know what to tell you..really how about call upstairs and get one! The lady heard me get pissed and she called for one finally. The pre op nurses are great her surgeon is absolutely phenomenal and the ICU nurses and PT also where wonderful! Once they moved her to step down that's when everything went down hill. That unit is disgusting to start old and dingy and tiny. No bathrooms except some pull out toilet in a cabinet that is unusable. The nurses on that floor are horrible and act like your a bother to them. They messed up my mother's meds and said it was a as needed pain med!! Wrong!!! She couldn't ask for pain meds and they should it as she had to ask she is out of it still from the other meds so she can't remember to ask. Unacceptable unprofessional and ridiculous they had it that way in the system. They didn't want to move her to the bedside toilet that I had to tell them to get because they were to lazy to place her on the toilet. I was told it's easier to let her go in the bed and they clean it. Pain meds that she needed I asked for again after 8 hrs of not getting her any I was told another person was handling it as she was busy with another patient. PT on that floor is horrible and have no clue how to handle a complex back surgery patient. They did not place her back brace on which is strict orders she has it on at all times when she is up. Then I actually had to show them how to put it on..are you kidding me. They did nothing for her but pick her up place her in a chair and said ok your in charge..again wth is that! Finally we had enough of the unit and nurses and PT and put in a complaint to her doctor and that's when everything changed finally. He was very very upset at the situation and made things happen quickly. She was moved to the 8th within a couple hrs and was seen by PT from the ICU unit and more professional PT. Her care went from 0 to 10 once she was moved. PT did a great job with her and actually showed her what exercises to do while in bed. They actually had her walk 10 feet finally after 6 days of nothing. Her BP kept dropping and the step down nurses are clueless and never put in a request to see the doctor about this. I assumed it was the BP meds and she didn't need them or they need to be changed. Guess what as soon as pulmonary came in on the 8th floor it was her meds and they got changed. Bottom line if your loved one is having surgery please please make sure that the aftercare is NOT on the step down unit.as that place should have a complete makeover from the the unit itself to meeting with the nurses and PT how to handle complex surgery patients. We were not the only family complaining about the step down unit. She will finally be transferred out of the hospital to another place for Rehabilitation. Everything was good except check in and the Step down unit. It's sad when you have to actually get the higher ups involved to make things happen. St. Thomas I really hope you get that step down unit under better...

This review will be a little lengthy, but I feel it needs to be heard.. first off let me start by saying I wasn't an actual patient, but my niece and daughter were sent here, so what I witnessed was really horrible!! My niece was admitted first do to her water breaking early which caused her to have a long stay, and the entire time it's as if she and her boyfriend were targeted just for being black.. they were constantly nagged and disrespected by most white nurses and one in particular a Hispanic girl by the name of Joanna!! This Hispanic nurse will automatically come in your room, not speak and show a very very bad nasty attitude and holla out girl as if she hates black women in general!! I'm surprised they even let that girl work at this hospital and she was getting smart with my niece as well.. also when she had to leave her baby after being discharged, it's as if those nurses were targeted black babies!! Not good care how they treated her baby, so please be very careful and watch your baby if it's black and left in their care!! I do not trust that!!! Now getting to when my daughter had to be hospitalized, a couple of nurses were okay, but that night some nasty attitude funky acting nurses came into her room, and one of them was the same nurse Joanna that my niece experienced and I had a few words with her do to her very nasty demonar and funky bedside manner attitude!! I'm going to actually report this nurse and the white lady had this almost nasty look on her face!!! I'm not sure what's going on or what's the problem.. but I'm absolutely sure it's racism point blank!! You can see the racist on their faces dealing with black patients without anything coming out of their mouth!!! White patients are treated totally differently with much more respect and you're sure not going to hear them talking or treating them with any disrespect whatsoever!! Just Nashville in general seems to be certain location businesses you're shown disrespect in some type of way just for the color of your skin, and I'm actually light skinned, but still I've experienced racist first hand, and seen my family members go through it!!! That's a crying shame. They just view any black person who comes in a certain type of way!! We actually kept a positive attitude, plus we talked nice to any nurse who entered our hospital room.. the thing is being targeted just for our skin color. That's been going on since forever! Nothing has really changed much. They even lost my nieces boyfriend baby blanket he's has since birth that he brought up there to put over their baby, and they claimed not to know what happened, but yeah those nurses where treating her like some dog on the streets!! Like I said her and my daughter has a terrible experience!!! Please watch your black babies, because her baby wasn't getting cleaned good as well.. even the cops had to be called do to my niece bad experiences!! Joanna attitude is just as worse as the white female doctor's, so if you encounter this young Hispanic girl please observe because she'll automatically walk in your room with a chip on her shoulder dealing with black women. I'm surprised she hasn't been fired...