UC Davis Medical Center — Local services in Sacramento

Everyone has raved about UC Davis so to get a second opinion I chose to go there. Sadly, I waited 5 1/2 hours while having fever/high blood pressure and severe right side pain while throwing up. After 4 hours I was impatient and cold in the lobby and went up front to ask for a blanket. The receptionist at the front was ignoring me for standing there so a security guard nicely approached me and asked if I needed help. I kindly told him I'm freezing and simply want a blanket, he turned to the lady that was ignoring me and asked her if I could have a blanket and she responded "Hell no. We are just registration." he rolled his eyes and went in the back to find me a blanket. She was not the only rude person up in registration area. A girl my age who was also waiting for hours and hours kindly asked how much longer until she would be brought back and the nurse at check in area responded "I already told you! It's going to be a long night!" It saddens me how rude people are that work in a hospital. Also while waiting for over 5 hours in the lobby there was two dangerous men on drugs that became violent towards others and had to be tazored by security guards. I did not feel safe, I was honestly praying while waiting. Finally after being brought back, I walked passed people in beds in the hall with no privacy - a males hand busted open and him getting stitches out in the open, a women screaming about drugs she was given, etc. when I got to my room with a curtain I was disgusted at all the blood all over the floor. When I saw the doctor I told the him how I had been in pain for three months and that I was desperate for a second opinion because my symptoms were getting worse and I was scared. He asked what the previous doctors had found, I told him - wish I hadn't. He just did the same tests I've already had done and gave me the same result. I was in tears all night. When I went to have a CT scan I didn't have a IV in me yet so the technician gave me one. Worst experience. I have never had anyone put one in crooked on the side of my arm and hit a nerve and also express a lot of blood. Earlier that night I had blood drawn no problem. All my life I've had blood drawn and many IVs placed no problems, when I told the lady that this one hurt she said "nobody had ever told me that before" and I replied "well I have had plenty and this one was by far the worst" she made me feel like I was exaggerating or not strong enough. Five days later my arm is still purple and bruised, I have never been bruised from a IV before. When I go into the machine for CT I notice blood all over the machine and point it out to her and told her how I'm a dental assistant so I notice detail of blood since I need to when I clean opportories. She wiped down some of the blood but still left some. When I was finished and went back to my room the nurse laughed at my IV and said how it is in the most uncomfortable place and hit a nurve. She took it out for me, I told her I would rather be re pocked then to keep that one in me. It's been 4 days and each day that area where I got the IV is more bruised and exteamly sore. My whole elbow is purple and my vein looks swollen. Lastelty the doctor came back to tell me my results - that all he saw was a cyst - that is what I told him I had and to please look for more than that because I have symptoms for other things. I cried and feel hopeless. Waist of time and money. Rude people that don't belong working in a hospital. I never got any pain medication to help with the pain. I felt dehydrated from throwing up/etc and was never given fluids. I'm disgusted with the amount of blood everywhere, also the bathrooms were gross - pubic hairs on the tiolet seats, urine down the tiolet and on floor, etc. this was the dirtiest building I have ever been in and sadly it was a hospital. I did not feel safe with all the crazies on drugs. I felt ignored and mistreated. That was my awful experience. I won't ever go back and I will make sure all my friends and family never go. Hope my review helps anyone else from waisting time...

I only have experience with L&D. I had my baby here, most of the nurses were fantastic, the young med students that come out in july just look at you like a practice doll. One student it seemed had never used a speculum before trying to insert it incorrectly before my induction (oh my god ouch, i jumped amd yelped) then 3 other drs finished the job. Had a 5 minute cervical exam that was quite awkward and asked if they were done a couple times before they stopped. Anethstesia team made it seem like all options for pain management wouldn't really work anyway and i was made to feel like nothing would help me in birth and was told nothing about my induction so i went into it without pain management. It was worse than actual birth.. while i was shaking in pain durring the procedure and after the drs were done trying 3 times before the procedure took, my nurse just said wow most people get epidurals for that and left the room after typing some notes into my chart. For the next 11 hours I was shaking and sweating unable to sleep with a catheter dangling between my legs. No help from that 1 night nurse with that. Later find out i didnt actually need to be induced but they preceded dispite promising labs. Made me feel like they just wanted the practice because i had 6 drs perform a mechanical induction on me... they didnt read my chart saying i had ptsd over ob stuff so if thats youre case tell every person that comes into your room... thank god my day nurse and my mother backed me when they were pushing amniotomy to hurry me along, 5 min after saying no they let me go home because they realised my labs were ok. 2 days later i went back, and when it came down to it my tough as nails nurse cought my baby because the drs didnt beleive i progressed from 6cm to crowning in 3 minutes. There was no one on duty to collect chord blood. The lactation consultant didn't want to see me at first but when she did she was grabbing my baby by the neck and forcibly latching her and telling me how she didn't like all the positions I was trying. Dispite the nurses seeing I was having difficulty, I even ended up hand expressing into a syringe to feed my baby, I wasn't given a pump. I was told to just deal with ibuprofen and Tylenol dispite me crying for better pain management because I had several stitches after a fast birth and a uti from so many invasive cervical checks by multiple drs per visit. I at one point had 5 cervical checks in a row including that one that lasted 5 min. They discharged me and my baby dispite her not having adequate dirty/wet diapers and increasing bilirubin. If it weren't for a handful of stand out nurses (especially the 2 nurses that helped me get into different labor positions, comforting me when my baby had an emergency after amniotomy and encouraging me to manage pain comfortably, and the nurse who cought my baby and took care of me when the drs didnt) and the exception of maybe 2 great drs it would have been a nightmare.. do your best to avoid july as this is when the new students come out to play. And avoid the uncertified lactation consultant. Bring your own pump. Also bring your own dermoplast, they didnt want to give me anything but icepacks and witchazle. Best advice is to ADVOCATE ADVOCATE ADVOCATE. They need to be more open with the patients options in pain management and how to utilize the birth room for natural labor progression. They tout "home like birth suites" but I didn't even get to use anything unless I urged for it like the birthballs. Didnt get to use the shower (induction) or birth bars. There is one room I got stuck in where most of the equipment didn't work. And for them to have a "lactation consultant" that isn't board certified in disheartening. Honestly I'm still struggling with breastfeeding because of that horibke start. But anyways again. Learn to advocate for yourself cause you're super lucky if you get a nurse that has the time to advocate for you.educate yourself because don't expect anyone to tell you a better way to do it. Good luck giving birth here. It could...

I started with UC Davis Health in 2023 and ended in December 2024 due to multiple failures in even the most basic aspects of care. I attempted care with UCD to gain specialty care after leaving Kaiser. Despite their academic reputation and media claims of exemplary care, my experience was deeply disappointing and far worse than the already subpar service I’ve encountered with Kaiser. Emergency & Specialty Care: UC Davis only offers emergency services in Sacramento. Most specialties, and even routine care, were referred out to Sacramento, despite my proximity to Rocklin and Roseville locations. MIND Institute: After a year on their waitlist, the MIND Institute still couldn’t offer my child the minimum care of CBT therapy. They suggested only a weekly social skills class for Autism during rush hour with a mandatory parenting class. Poor Communication & Coordination: They have endless waitlists, and navigating their system is confusing. There was no clear communication about next steps, who was responsible for care, or timelines for labs and imaging. Referrals enter multiple layers of “protocol” and “pre-auth” delays before even scheduling an appointment, dragging the process out by weeks or months. Delayed & Inconsistent Care: Email responses take 2-3 days, sometimes longer. Nurses frequently insist on in-person visits even when a phone call would suffice, and I’ve experienced wait times as long as four months for appointments. Lack of Continuity & Accessibility: When my primary doctor left, there was no smooth transition of care. Changing physicians is difficult, and my children faced delays in accessing their doctor. My repeated attempts to gain proxy access to their medical accounts were denied, even after submitting the required forms six times. Unnecessary Tests & Visits: Doctors have refused telehealth appointments in favor of in-person visits, likely to bill insurance at higher rates. I’ve also been subjected to unnecessary tests, such as repeated exams despite my need for a simple conversation as well as an ambulance to emergency for an outpatient procedure (EEG). Mistakes & Misdirection: A doctor ordered the wrong MRI, taking a month to correct, which forced me to reschedule. My son was sent to Sacramento for an X-ray, even though two nearby offices could have provided the service. My neurologist ignored MS lesions on MRI and sent me to the epilepsy dept looking at 5 other conditions that do not align with my labs or symptoms. It’s a wild goose chase. Dismissive & Inaccurate Care: My primary care physician ignored my concerns about MS, and a nurse pushed statins on me despite my desire to focus on lifestyle changes. They incorrectly noted “dietary anemia” in my chart, even though my recent labs were exemplary (bias towards a vegetarian diet). Billing Issues & Policies: They charged me $75 in copays for my children’s vaccinations. I’ve also been warned I might be billed for sending emails to doctors. I was incorrectly billed for my MRI’s and the billing is still not resolved after months of back and forth emails. After enduring these issues for nearly two years, I chose to leave UC Davis Health. Their care model prioritizes insurance rules and bureaucracy over patient care, which was a major disappointment. The delays, mistakes, and lack of compassion I encountered have been deeply frustrating. UC Davis Health needs to reevaluate their priorities if they hope to provide the care they claim in their public messaging. (Note: Front desk and lab staff at UCD Rocklin have been very friendly. I appreciated...