SIBLEY MATERNITY NURSES SUCK! SIBLEY ISN'T THE ROLLS ROYCE OF HOSPITALS.............

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had two vaginal deliveries at Sibley that were terrific, and the post-partum care was also great. For me and my daughters. I agree that the L&D nurses were amazing and the post-partum nurses a mixed bag. We had maybe two who were awful; the rest varied. Nurses are human. If you treat them like it, they're more likely to reciprocate.

Here are some things we did that I believe got us better care:

1) My husband had pizza sent to the nursing station the night we delivered. We also shared all the cookies & goodies that visitors brought with our nurses.

2) When a new nurse came on shift, we tried to make a note of her name and call her by her name whenever possible. We thanked every nurse or other person who came into our room for their help.

3) We tried to anticipate my needs - like, I'll want a pain pill in an hour, or a new ice pack - just as a pp suggested.

4) We always double checked the nurse's work and considered ourselves advocates for the care of my daughters and myself. I ended up filling in some of the feedings and diaper changes because they neglected to do it on the chart.

My second daughter had two episodes where she turned blue and stopped responding. After the first one they took her to the nursery for observation, but after the second one our pediatrician got nervous and asked for a cardiology consult. She ended up being transferred to Children's NICU for a week of antibiotics and lots of scary tests - and then was fine. I am very grateful that our pediatrician was so alert because otherwise we would've been discharged and sent home with a sick baby -- and I'm sure this could've happened at any hospital.

So, you really have to be in charge of your own care! Ideally, your husband/partner/parent, since you'll probably be out of it...

This is a wonderful post. I had two c-sections at Sibley and was really happy with my care, also. I 100% agree that if you treat the nurses with the respect you feel that you deserve, you will likely be the recipient of better care.

[Anonymous]

I think the pizza is a little excessive.

[Anonymous]

I do, too. I might as well hand the cashier at Safeway a bag of cookies each time I need him to ring up my items... because otherwise I am not entitled to being treated respectfully and having him do his job.

They get paid for what they do. And I think I can very well respect a person without having to bribe her.

I didn't see many posts in this thread that prove that those mistreated were mistreating the nurses, so I doubt that these nurses were so disrespectful because they were mistreated.

[Anonymous]

I completely disagree with the PP. So many people in this area operate on a daily basis with a huge sense of self importance and entitlement. I would be shocked if the nurses at Sibley weren't routinely mistreated.

[Anonymous]

and that would give them the right to routinely mistreat patients?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I completely disagree with the PP. So many people in this area operate on a daily basis with a huge sense of self importance and entitlement. I would be shocked if the nurses at Sibley weren't routinely mistreated.

All you have to do is read this thread to know that yes, there is a huge sense of entitlement. It's disgusting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I completely disagree with the PP. So many people in this area operate on a daily basis with a huge sense of self importance and entitlement. I would be shocked if the nurses at Sibley weren't routinely mistreated.

All you have to do is read this thread to know that yes, there is a huge sense of entitlement. It's disgusting.

What do posters feel so entited to that it disgusts you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:and that would give them the right to routinely mistreat patients?

Of course not, but sometimes a gesture of kindness goes a long way. When someone works a tiring job and is routinely treated badly, it will most likely show. They probably don't feel appreciated by many of the patients. In my own job I deal with very difficult people. I am often thanked or occasionally given a small token of appreciation for my hard work. I don't expect it, but it sure does make working here nice and helps me to keep a smile on my face.

[Anonymous]

I take offense to 9:45's post. I feel very strongly that I (and DH) were very kind and respectful to all of the nurses at Sibley (although we did not give them any gifts-other than our words of thanks-because honestly, it didn't enter our mind that it was something we needed to do to get decent treatment in return). I'm sure there are plenty of crazy patients out there, but I think that most of us recognize that our care and the care of our newborns were in the nurse's hands and therefore, acted accordingly.

During our stay, we treated all of the nurses the same. Some treated us well, others treated us badly. I was even nice and thankful to the awful nurses who ignored me and any of my requests for pain meds, help to the bathroom, etc. out of fear that if I said anything, the treatment would only be worse. Again, we had some wonderful nurses, but some were awful.

I have the duty to act professionally in my job. If I were rude to my clients or colleagues or ignored them, I'd lose my job. It doesn't matter how overworked or tired I was or whether I was mistreated by a client first.

As for the entitlement issue, the only unmerited entitlement I've noticed on this board is the feeling that everyone deserves a private room. A private room is a luxury, not a right. I have no problem paying for this luxury. Yes, it really, really sucks that Sibley some times fills up. I agree that it would be nice if Sibley created more private rooms. However, if a private room is a paramount issue for you, you should switch drs to ensure that you will deliver at a hospital that only has private rooms. I do feel that all patients are entitled to quality care and attention from the nurses hired to give just that. I can't remember if Sibley has a Patients Bill of Rights, but I've seen this posted at other hospitals stating that all patients are entitled to just that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do, too. I might as well hand the cashier at Safeway a bag of cookies each time I need him to ring up my items... because otherwise I am not entitled to being treated respectfully and having him do his job.

They get paid for what they do. And I think I can very well respect a person without having to bribe her.

I didn't see many posts in this thread that prove that those mistreated were mistreating the nurses, so I doubt that these nurses were so disrespectful because they were mistreated.

Hysterical! I'm going to start giving them cookies too! And maybe a bag of burgers every time I take a DC bus - maybe the driver will be civil to me.

[Anonymous]

I witnessed the problem with Sibley nurses first hand this past weekend. I've been very sick in my pregnancy and had some difficulties that have necessitated trips to the ER for treatment. Usually I go to Georgetown, but the wait there this past Saturday was more than I could handle. As a last resort, my DH took me to Sibley. We don't expect a lot and certainly don't demand anything,but from the triage nurse to the attending ER nurse, we received nothing but rudeness. The only polite staff member was the billing lady. She at least offered me a glass of water, which was an appreciated jesture. The triage nurse was rude to my husband when he asked if he could sit with me during intake. He wasn't demanding at all- he's a pretty gentle person as I tend to be the hellion. She snapped at him- I don't care what you do. When I responded to her question about the pain level, she smirked and commented- I don't think so. I refrained, but i wanted to assure her that my pain was very real and I wish to heavens I could be anywhere else enjoying the night. When we were brought back to the ER, the nurse put us in a room and just left, not saying anything to us. After a two hour wait, DH went out to the nurse's station to ask how long the wait would be and was told that they would get to us when they got to us. I understand that anyone wants to be anywhere else on a Saturday evening, but it's not as if we really wanted to be there. It wasn't until I went out to the nurse's station to ask for a cold washcloth after three hours that we received any acknowledgment. I think it was because I looked pretty pitiful at that point. I was just disappointed by the treatment and have some perspective on what some of the people in this thread have probably witnessed through no real fault or action of their own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I witnessed the problem with Sibley nurses first hand this past weekend. I've been very sick in my pregnancy and had some difficulties that have necessitated trips to the ER for treatment. Usually I go to Georgetown, but the wait there this past Saturday was more than I could handle. As a last resort, my DH took me to Sibley. We don't expect a lot and certainly don't demand anything,but from the triage nurse to the attending ER nurse, we received nothing but rudeness. The only polite staff member was the billing lady. She at least offered me a glass of water, which was an appreciated jesture. The triage nurse was rude to my husband when he asked if he could sit with me during intake. He wasn't demanding at all- he's a pretty gentle person as I tend to be the hellion. She snapped at him- I don't care what you do. When I responded to her question about the pain level, she smirked and commented- I don't think so. I refrained, but i wanted to assure her that my pain was very real and I wish to heavens I could be anywhere else enjoying the night. When we were brought back to the ER, the nurse put us in a room and just left, not saying anything to us. After a two hour wait, DH went out to the nurse's station to ask how long the wait would be and was told that they would get to us when they got to us. I understand that anyone wants to be anywhere else on a Saturday evening, but it's not as if we really wanted to be there. It wasn't until I went out to the nurse's station to ask for a cold washcloth after three hours that we received any acknowledgment. I think it was because I looked pretty pitiful at that point. I was just disappointed by the treatment and have some perspective on what some of the people in this thread have probably witnessed through no real fault or action of their own.

If you thought your pain was so high pre-labor, look out...

[Anonymous]

To the PP who found it "insightful" to comment "If you thought your pain was so high pre-labor, look out... " to my post about visiting Sibley's ER, that was uncalled for. Being unable to have an epidural or other pain reliever with previous birth, I understand the pain of childbirth. I live with chronic pain caused by a condition on which I didn't want to elaborate. These things happen and you deal with the cards you are dealt. Just be thankful you don't have my hand. I don't think you would be able to enjoy life with such a snarky attitude. My post was only to support those women who may have been wondering- was it me? Because, based on other conversations I have had with people and their experiences and now my own, chances are those women did nothing wrong, and did not act entitled to anything other than respectful care. Sure, that may not apply to all people, but for the average good person out there, they did nothing wrong. For those who have received respectful care at Sibley, I hope if I have to go back there that my next experience will be more akin to yours.

[Anonymous]

UPDATE ON MY EXPERIENCE AT SIBLEY!!!!

Just wanted to add one thing to my posting. Somehow, the CEO at Sibley got wind of my posting and emailed me to get some feedback and to apologize for the experience I had. It was really nice of him to do that. That gave me hope that things at Sibley will get better.

The CEO then had one of his VPs call me and we talked for a while. I told her about my experience, but I also highlighted the good nurses I encountered and offered suggestions to the problems I encountered. The VP was very receptive and eager to make changes. I hope they do.....

Either way, it showed me that management at Sibley appears to at least be changing....

[Anonymous]

I don't have any input on Sibley but I delivered at Virginia Hospital Center almost a year ago and the nurses were all truly amazing. I would definitely deliver there again. And I was dealing with unplanned c-section, new parent, bell's palsy - the works. One nurse spent a couple hours with me one night helping me with breastfeeding. a great place! You don't realize how important the nurses are with your first baby - they are really the ones helping you with everything - not the doctors.