July 2019
Steve
Taylor
,
RN
Emergency Department
UT Health East Texas Quitman
Quitman
,
TX
United States
I do not generally go to the hospital - but when I do, I go to UT-Health
More than likely, and sooner or later, we will all probably need the services of a first responder. Maybe an EMT, or a Firefighter, or a law enforcement officer. And, occasionally, you may need the services of a hospital.
My friend R, who is about half as old as Noah and about as graceful as a pair of hippos, recently fell off his roof. He managed to hit almost everything on his property, as well as impact most of the rungs of his ladder, on his way to the ground. I don't recall why he was on the roof, or what he was trying to accomplish up there, but he did manage to prove that gravity is really a thing here in Wood County.
He did get help and received medical treatment, and while he remains grouchy and ugly, he is still with us and, for that, I am thankful.
Regardless of the severity of our medical emergency, R and I, probably like some of you, would prefer to drill holes in our own teeth rather than go to a hospital.
Recently it was my turn. Not to fall off the roof, I am far too old and brittle to even attempt that but to seek medical assistance. A terrible pain in my right side was caused by a tiny kidney stone trying to seek freedom from the obviously over-crowded area of my midsection.
N, the far more rational of our duo, took me to the Emergency Room at UT-Health in Quitman. You may trust me when I say that I thought it was an emergency. And you may be equally certain that my previous experiences in a hospital have been something less enjoyable than a root canal without laughing gas.
Waiting is not my favorite thing to do. Filling out a ream of paperwork, also not entertaining. Anticipating a seemingly 12-year-old med student sticking needles into my arm, machines connected to various body parts, and the incarceration in the refrigerator-like exam room is terrifying to an old man who is convinced that an alien is about to painfully jump out of his body. And I am not even going to mention the much less than secure backless nightgowns that most hospitals insist that you wear.
So, not true at UT-Health, Quitman.
Medical care has undoubtedly advanced greatly since my last visit to a hospital roughly 10 years ago, but the professionals at UT-Health must be the new vanguard of care. From registration, to triage, to a few tests (including my first ever Cat scan), followed by diagnosis and treatment took less than 2.5 hours. Definitely atypical of my previous experiences.
All of the staff on duty greeted me as a welcomed guest rather than the next patient. They introduced themselves, spoke to me in plain and understandable terms, and, in general, extended to me more courtesy than I typically offer to any of my visiting brothers in law - even the ones who still owe me money.
Registered Nurse Steve, who basically held my hand through the event, has a bedside manner that is a curious balance between a dedicated healthcare provider and an America's Got Talent hopeful. Not to minimize or to appear anything but appreciative of the team in the ER Treatment area, RN Steve administered drugs which dispatched the pain from the alien's imminent birth from my torso and then related a comedy routine that made me want to call in my vote for AGT.
UT-Health Quitman is a convenient advanced care facility and can undoubtedly patch up most ailments, but I wish to believe that most hospitals in Texas could accomplish the same task. What distinguishes UT-Health is that they also specialize in personal attention which separates excellence from mediocrity. They are a team of professionals who are confident enough to extend their helping hands to all who enter their doors.
Previously, when I was good at the doctor's office, I was given a lollipop. When I left UT-Health, Steve gave me an ICEE.
I am not going to recommend or suggest that a person should go to any hospital for simple matters, but if you really are in need of professional medical care, UT-Health is the place for you.
I am, however, going to recommend that UT-Health amend their branding to UT-Health CARE. Because, in this writer's opinion, they really do care. And they really do have an ICEE machine!
More than likely, and sooner or later, we will all probably need the services of a first responder. Maybe an EMT, or a Firefighter, or a law enforcement officer. And, occasionally, you may need the services of a hospital.
My friend R, who is about half as old as Noah and about as graceful as a pair of hippos, recently fell off his roof. He managed to hit almost everything on his property, as well as impact most of the rungs of his ladder, on his way to the ground. I don't recall why he was on the roof, or what he was trying to accomplish up there, but he did manage to prove that gravity is really a thing here in Wood County.
He did get help and received medical treatment, and while he remains grouchy and ugly, he is still with us and, for that, I am thankful.
Regardless of the severity of our medical emergency, R and I, probably like some of you, would prefer to drill holes in our own teeth rather than go to a hospital.
Recently it was my turn. Not to fall off the roof, I am far too old and brittle to even attempt that but to seek medical assistance. A terrible pain in my right side was caused by a tiny kidney stone trying to seek freedom from the obviously over-crowded area of my midsection.
N, the far more rational of our duo, took me to the Emergency Room at UT-Health in Quitman. You may trust me when I say that I thought it was an emergency. And you may be equally certain that my previous experiences in a hospital have been something less enjoyable than a root canal without laughing gas.
Waiting is not my favorite thing to do. Filling out a ream of paperwork, also not entertaining. Anticipating a seemingly 12-year-old med student sticking needles into my arm, machines connected to various body parts, and the incarceration in the refrigerator-like exam room is terrifying to an old man who is convinced that an alien is about to painfully jump out of his body. And I am not even going to mention the much less than secure backless nightgowns that most hospitals insist that you wear.
So, not true at UT-Health, Quitman.
Medical care has undoubtedly advanced greatly since my last visit to a hospital roughly 10 years ago, but the professionals at UT-Health must be the new vanguard of care. From registration, to triage, to a few tests (including my first ever Cat scan), followed by diagnosis and treatment took less than 2.5 hours. Definitely atypical of my previous experiences.
All of the staff on duty greeted me as a welcomed guest rather than the next patient. They introduced themselves, spoke to me in plain and understandable terms, and, in general, extended to me more courtesy than I typically offer to any of my visiting brothers in law - even the ones who still owe me money.
Registered Nurse Steve, who basically held my hand through the event, has a bedside manner that is a curious balance between a dedicated healthcare provider and an America's Got Talent hopeful. Not to minimize or to appear anything but appreciative of the team in the ER Treatment area, RN Steve administered drugs which dispatched the pain from the alien's imminent birth from my torso and then related a comedy routine that made me want to call in my vote for AGT.
UT-Health Quitman is a convenient advanced care facility and can undoubtedly patch up most ailments, but I wish to believe that most hospitals in Texas could accomplish the same task. What distinguishes UT-Health is that they also specialize in personal attention which separates excellence from mediocrity. They are a team of professionals who are confident enough to extend their helping hands to all who enter their doors.
Previously, when I was good at the doctor's office, I was given a lollipop. When I left UT-Health, Steve gave me an ICEE.
I am not going to recommend or suggest that a person should go to any hospital for simple matters, but if you really are in need of professional medical care, UT-Health is the place for you.
I am, however, going to recommend that UT-Health amend their branding to UT-Health CARE. Because, in this writer's opinion, they really do care. And they really do have an ICEE machine!