I am a nurse of 18 years and I cannot wait to see this movie! I have read blogs from the Canadian people and I have also talked to Canadians who say that their healthcare is great! We get this rap from Right wing media stating that the healthcare in Canada is so much worse than ours.."Wait times are so much longer" HEY, how long do you wait in an American ER these days...2-6 hours maybe?? OR LONGER?
I was in the ER just last year, being a nurse..I guess I knew what to say.. I had tremendous abdominal pain...I was up all night fighting it...I hate doctors and going to them..rather fix it myself but this was something I had to deal with..READ DIARY PLEASE AND MAKE COMMENTS THIS EFFECTS ALL OF US!
I went to ER after waiting till 8:30am to see if my doctor could see me which he could not...I drove myself to hospital...My pain was excruciating...I told the front desk at ER that I had pain that went from my abdomen up to my chest...BINGO..I was sent in right away...It turns out I had a gall stone in my bile duct...caused increased bilirubin counts and I seemed to look like an alcoholic, with these symptoms because my liver enzymes were very high! I am not an alcoholic...and after being admitted into hospital and 2 days later they finally found the cause of my pain...the gallstone was preventing the liver enzymes from moving....I had several tests (Cat scan, MRI) done to make this diagnosis. I also had one doc, a surgeon, listen to my chest talk to me for total of 11 minutes and leave.(yes, I was bored in hospital and timed his 3 day visits).No orders were on my chart from this doctor. During my time there in the hospital bed for 3 nights, I was with a woman patient that was incapable of caring for herself. I assisted her throughout the 2 nights in getting to the bathroom because she had been there for seizure activity and was mentally disabled. She had no concept to bring the IV with her to the bathroom so, I assisted because to call a nurse was not worth the wait....By the time I called for my roommate we were already out of bathroom and back in bed...short staff for every shift...! I even made suggestion to her nurses on dayshift, who were not agency, that the roommate is eating well, not on IV medications, she should not be on an IV anymore to prevent further falls...guess what...it took the day of her discharge which was also my discharge, 2 days later for the IV to come out!!!
Now back to the doc who listened to my chest and talked to me and spent total of 11 minutes with me in 3 days..I received a bill for $600 from him. He was a consult surgeon in case I needed surgery on my liver. I received a bill to pay a difference of $392, he received the rest from my insurance company. Hey, me, Norma Rae, I wrote his office and said...I am not paying him that amount for a total of 11 minutes of not doing a thing! I ended up having an endoscopy where another physician took the gallstone out..and I went home happily and not having a problem since... My advice to the public is...if you end up in the US ER and have real bad pain...it sucks..unless you say the magic word....I have some chest pain.!!...you will get in and get seen...If you end up admitted, be wary of who is consulted and why...ask to get your IV out quick if you are eating etc...they charge daily for that tubing and fluid...
I talked to my Canadian friends I met in Las Vegas and they said if they ever had to go to ER..the most they wait to be seen is 2 hours...I ask you all as Americans, know your healthcare plan and ask questions. Get the itemized bill for sure.. question it...be NORMA RAES IN YOUR HEALTHCARE!