Tri-City Medical Center Emergency Room — Local services in Oceanside

PLEASE LISTEN TO THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS if you care about you and your loved ones health DO NOT go here!!! thanks to tri-cities absolute lack of care I almost ended up with sepsis from an infected kidney stone. If you have medi-cal this place is not your only option! Go to Scripps! (They accept medi-cal).

On 8/18/25 I came into the emergency room having excruciating pain in my left groin and back area extending down my leg, I'm talking 10/10 screaming, crying, pain. They checked me in and the doctor who I first saw (and then never saw again) asked if I needed pain medication which I promptly said yes to. I then waited THREE HOURS sobbing my eyes out in some overcrowded waiting room, unable to get comfortable or sit still and clenching my side in pain. During this time I had bloodwork taken, a urine sample taken, and a traditional and transvaginal ultrasound (still with zero pain meds) that was absolutely excruciating. After, I went to the bathroom and ended up passing out from the pain, at which point my mother had to BEG the nurses to give me some pain medication. It took them another half an hour to give me pain meds. We then waited 2 more hours before they told me my ultrasounds came back normal and that my blood and urine were "normal" despite "some bacteria" being present (NEWS FLASH I HAD A RAGING INFECTION). They then said we "could do a CT scan if I wanted or they could just treat me for a UTI". I told them I absolutely wanted the CT scan because I knew something was desperately wrong. I got the CT scan and then waited another 3 and a half HOURS (we got there at 7pm and it was now 4am the following morning). During this entire 9 hour ordeal I was given one dose of pain meds and a singular bag of fluids. They told me the results of the CT scan and said it was a small kidney stone and that it "should pass on its own" and then discharged me. I never received any more pain meds and they didn't send me home with any pain meds or any antibiotics!!!

The same day that I was discharged I noticed my temperature getting high and I was still in agonizing pain. The following morning my temperature was 103 and I felt like I was dying. My mother rushed my to the ER at Scripps Memorial Encinitas. They were extremely prompt and immediately got me on fluids, pain meds, and ordered blood and urine cultures and got me another CT scan. My results came back and not only was the stone still there, the bacteria in my urine was horrendous and I was diagnosed with an infected kidney stone, infected left kidney, infected ureter, and infected bladder. I was hospitalized for 4 DAYS and pumped full of antibiotics, fluids, and pain meds so that my infections didn't become septic. I ended up needing emergency surgery to have the stone removed and a stent placed (I still have the stent and have a follow up surgery later this week to have it removed). I was terrified and in so much pain.

If Tri-City cared at all about their patients this would have never happened. I should have never been discharged and at the very least I should have been given pain meds and antibiotics as soon as they saw a kidney stone was present and that there was bacteria in my urine. Their lack of care could have landed me in the ICU if it wasn't for the amazing team at Scripps Memorial Hospital. I understand that this ER is severely understaffed and underfinanced, but if you cannot provide a basic level of care for your patients you shouldn't be providing care at all. This ER needs to shut down and be completely re-evaluated from the hospital management down to the nurses. I can only imagine how many people have died because of their lack of care.

PLEASE PLEASE go elsewhere for emergency...

I was very nervous to go to this hospital because of all the bad reviews but in the end I am glad that I decided to go anyway. Like others have said you will probably be waiting a long time and it's a little odd that they will bring you back to run tests but then take you back to the waiting room instead of an actual room of your own, however I had a very caring and helpful male nurse who let me know that if you come in on a weekday morning before 11 you are more likely to have less of a wait which is very helpful to know. The hospital is pretty dirty which is odd, I have never been to a hospital that wasn't super clean before and that's probably my biggest issue with the place. However everyone I saw from the triage nurse, to the different techs running tests on me, and the doctor were all very kind and caring. I have an autoimmune condition that leaves me sometimes incapacitated from the excruciating pain I experience during flare ups and I can not tell you how many Healthcare workers in the past have written me off and treated me like some kind of addict just looking for drugs in the form of pain meds which gets extremely frustrating when you're truly in debilitating pain. There was none of that at tri city hospital and it was a huge relief. When the nurse first came out to see me in the waiting room he brought some tylenol and I explained to him that I had already been taking tylenol for the past 4 days with very little relief from it and what little bit it did help would wear off in 1.5-2 hours max. He told me that doctors are currently less likely to give anything stronger because of the Opioid epidemic which I know and completely understand but he also said that it is unfair to people like me who are actually in pain and need relief from it. He told me he would talk to the doctor for me and recommend something stronger and that they would most likely listen to his recommendation. It took another couple of hours after that talk before I was actually taken back to a room for my procedure but when I finally was I was treated with respect and dignity and given something that actually helped with my pain which is very rare for me these days. He also very thoroughly went over my discharge instruction with me before I left and made sure I was taken care of and felt better, and even had some kind words for me about things I had mentioned that were going on in my personal life. His bedside manor was exceptional and very appreciated because everyone else's reviews on here honestly had me scared to even go to this facility. I didn't get his name but he was one of the best nurses I have ever had and the hospital is lucky to have someone so compassionate working for them. Was it the best hospital I've ever been to? Not by a long shot, but every single person who was a part of my care was kind, compassionate, and respectful and I think that is the most important thing when you're dealing with people who aren't feeling well. I do hope they start cleaning the facility better because cleanliness is very important in medical settings but other than that don't let all the negative reviews scare you away from coming here, I'm very...

You can tell they're busy as all get-out, even if the ER floor is pretty clear.

If you go, double-mask, bring hand sanitizer, and be ready to huddle for a bit unless you're clearly in urgent medical need. But seriously: don't be anxious - once you're here, if something happens and your condition worsens, you are going to have professional emergency medical physicians helping you within seconds. It's a bummer to wait when you're worried for your life, but half of the benefit is just being physically in the room. I'm a very anxious person so it's hard to keep that in mind, but it's the reality of the situation. Just wanted to say that for anyone reading through before heading in themselves.

As for me, I'm in the unfortunate situation of needing to get four separate vaccinations for a possible rabies exposure after a couple pitbulls attacked me; the only place in San Diego County within an hour's drive that has the vaccine is Tri-City's ER, and the follow-up doses 3, 7, 14, and 21 days out all require the same exposure and waiting for each visit. This is quite unfortunate given the COVID exposure risk. However, there is nothing that the doctors and nurses treating me can do about it, and they were all very professional (despite being so pressed for time that they're literally fast-walking from patient to patient - what a career it must be to be a medical professional in the United States!).

I do hope the County Health department can learn from my experience and make rabies Post-Exposure Prophylactic (PEP) vaccinations available through a less-dangerous route given the current pandemic climate and risks of visiting an ER. It really complicates the risk calculus when rabies is already so rare in the United States. But, when you're bitten by a dog unprovoked, and it's confirmed to never been vaccinated, lives outdoors, and is housed in a rural area near a nature preserve... it's a bit hard to roll the dice on that and forego the only treatment that can prevent you from dying an almost inevitable horrible death.

It only seems wise to push these subsequent vaccine visits to a less exposed location, and doing so would prevent myself and any others from continuing to be a burden on the front-line workers over the subsequent two weeks of visits. I also have concerns about the additive effect of receiving shots that modulate my immune system while simultaneously being exposed to COVID, and what that will do to the risk if I contract it.

All that is to say: if you have an emergency, you need an ER. No ER is perfect, but they do have a separate area for those with COVID-like symptoms. You have to weigh the risk/benefit given your symptoms. It is never a pleasant experience; don't expect it to be. They did their job as Emergency Department professionals and my complaints are not with Tri-City staff.

I do certainly hope that the county can make some adjustments to ensure the Rabies PEP vaccines are more readily available without having to potentially pick up another life-threatening disease on the way...