Mount Sinai Hospital

I didn’t live in Toronto as a child, yet I was born at Mount Sinai Hospital. Any minute now I’m going to complete the circle of life here myself. Leading up to this momentous occasion, I have spent much time kicking it in these halls, mostly with the OBGYNs in the connecting building.
They recently renovated the maternity ward here and it is looking sharp. Though I’m sure it won’t be the most pleasant stay physically, the amenities appear to do their best to mimic a five star hotel.
My baby daddy is American, and he has been repeatedly joyfully floored by not only our medical system, but the speed, professionalism and kindness of Canadian doctors, nurses and administrators. His constant noting of their excellence, has made me really appreciate the fine folks at Mount Sinai and has kept me from taking this experience for granted.
I can’t in good consciousness give a hospital five full stars, because some of the most tragic and horrible days of peoples’ lives happen within these walls. It’s not always a happy place, so I’m rounding down to four. However, to the staff, especially the unsung nurses: Thank you. You are five star human beings.

I really like my family doctor — Dr. Anne Biringer — and the whole family health team at Mt. Sinai. Almost all of the staff I have encountered seem very knowledgable and professional. I get a very good vibe whenever I go into this hospital. My wife is 7 months pregnant and we were both absolutely sure that this was the right hospital for her to deliver. We are now taking pre-​natal classes through Mt. Sinai, which are also excellent.
Constructive criticism:
1. Things could be much better sign posted in the main hospital building.
2. I once had to go to the Mt. Sinai lab reception, and had to wait nearly an hour just to drop off a urine sample. Staff working at reception of the lab seemed demoralized and there was a poor system in place for receiving basic samples in a timely fashion.

This might be a review for Mount Sinai Hospital, but it is going to seem like a review for Women’s College Hospital, because that is my usual hospital, and being brand spanking new, and the second phase still under construction, it is all upgraded and clean and new.
So going to Mount Sinai Hospital, which is currently undergoing renovations inside, was like entering a cold, dark, gloomy cave.
Signs to find the office you are searching for are sparse and criptic.
But the Dr. Chapnick, the ENT I saw there was nice, and the wait wasn’t too long.
I have waited more than an hour for specialists at Sunnybrook.
Overall this visit made me glad that most of my specialists are at Women’s College Hospital.

1 doctor on Saturday night, peak hours. Over 100 patients sitting around, and this «wasn’t a busy night» they said. Useless nurses who think they’re on a Philippino TV drama rather than a real hospital with a serious career. This place is a joke.

Been a patient here 4 years. Residents generally super. Ladies however they do not do uterine /​endometrial biopsy without lidocaine. So find gyro who does. There is no reason this has to be done without any anesthesia.

My brother had surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital. Unfortunately he contracted Malignant Hypothermia during his surgery (he had an allergic reaction to the gas)
After his surgery he was very quickly transfered to ICU. And that is where shit really hit the fan. He was there for three days and my god the nurses (except for one) were terrible. They weren’t looking after him (I caught his nurses a lot of the time on Facebook on their cell phones) they were making incredibly inappropriate jokes about the drug he was take «the drug we are giving you is the one that killed Michael Jackson» and just other terrible remarks.
If my brother needed anything I had to leave to room to ask the nurse to grab it because she never wanted to be in the room. I have never been so angry in my life.
I’ll be honest. If I could I wouldn’t even give this place a star. The nurses at this hospital gave nursing a bad name. However he did have one nurse named Cindy who was amazing. The rest were shit

I was dreading my day when I found out I might have to go to the emergency room on a holiday monday, assuming I would be there for at least 6 hours if not far longer, especially since my situation wasn’t immediately life threatening. So I called every walk in clinic in the city before finally finding one that was open and still taking patients. Unfortunately since there was no labs open to actually do any testing, then then referred me to the emergency room anyways.
I basically picked mount sinai because it happened to be close to the walk in I was at, and it won in a coin toss between toronto general across the street and I am SO GLAD I did. I would have told you to lay off the crack if you told me I would be writing this when I got up this morning, but I literally had the best hospital experience of my life. On a HOLIDAY in EMERGENCY.
Everyone who I dealt with was excellent, from the security guard who let me in the back of the emergency room when I got there and personally showed me the way to the front when I got lost, to the triage workers, who were efficient, friendly and good humored! (Very important to me as I tend to make a lot of ebola jokes when I am nervous, I discovered today… Don’t judge, ebola is scary!)
All the nurses were super helpful and my student doctor (tracy I think?) was fantastic. Everyone was friendly and non judgemental and so much faster then I would have expected. I waited longer to talk to a nurse when I called telehealth then I did to get my first round of bloodwork done.
Over all I was in and out in under 4 hours, in that time I was triaged, registered. had blood drawn, had an ultrasound, spoke to 2 doctors, given a general exam, pap test and sti test (if they are going down there anyways, might as well, right?) I also had a follow up booked for the very next day. Every one was super patient and I never felt rushed or like I wasn’t being listened to, which as a young girl with purple hair, has been an issue in the past. They also made sure to take the time to explain everything to me, and made sure I understood.
Absolutely floored by the level of care. I don’t think I will ever go to another emerg again.

After just moving to Toronto and being very ill for most of the day, I decided to go to Mt. Sinai because of it being such a world renowned name in the medical scene. To my great surprise, I was very disappointed when I went into the ER. I was vomiting and shaking and not a single person asked me if I was ok. Not only that, there was poor direction as where to start and register, and I had two people brought over to the triage nurse before me when I was waiting there long before them. Once the triage nurse saw me, he didn’t even look at my vomit to see if their was blood in it, he did no use gloves, did not clean the equipment from the previous patient and was not really listening to how ill I was feeling not to mention the filth around the lobby area was off-​putting to say the least. After waiting a while, and being visibly ill compared to the others in the waiting room, a man was wheeled in and stunk up the whole lobby and you could see that he had soiled himself all over the bed, which is nothing anyone should have to see. Now the real bad part starts to happen, when I was brought back, I was handed a gown by a very unpleasant nurse, who then proceeded to say I am getting an iv without any doctor examining me and without taking my blood work. He didn’t even bother to put on gloves and then started digging his nail into my vein to find a good one; he did not even wipe the area clean. Although he was great at inserting the IV, after he did not flush it, clean the area and put a proper splint under to hold it in place. He did not tell me any information, did not hand me the emergency bell and was very unhappy to answer any questions I had and was extremely rude. I felt extremely worried and uncomfortable. The dirt on the ground and the table in the room made me not want to touch anything and I felt like even though how sick I was, Id rather be at home then feel better in here. About an hour later, the doctor came in and he was very friendly but, very nonchalant; he did how ever seem puzzled why no blood work was done and did not take into account my underlying health issues and sent me on my way. I did not feel comfortable being discharged but, they really made me feel like because i am young, i didn’t matter. Quite unfortunate and disappointing for a prospective hospital I would have loved to have worked at when I finish my degree.

re: Triage, 7^th floor, and NICU
As someone who was there not too long ago, my impressions are as follows:
Triage — expect some wait time, especially if your case is not an urgent one. Was there on a holiday Monday, access to doctors seemed scarce, despite buzzing for one more than once. Definitely a good time to think Zen thoughts!
7^th Floor — Pre/​Postnatal
There is enough construction going on right now to make the availability of Private rooms a wishful thought. Shared, was the only version I was able to have this time and sleep was fully compromised each night. Ear plugs helped, but what a difference a private room would have made. Each time a neighbour came back, it was so noisy — either the nurses or doctors would speak very audibly. Time of night/​day was completely disregarded. As was the roommate status. I had one person arrive at 6 am one day, and another person return another time, at 1 am. Superloud each time, brightness woke me up, as did one person’s large and loud family (who wrongly shared the patient’s bathroom).
Food: Yay — when ordering food, you can tailor your eating preferences somewhat. Don’t expect restaurant-​type flavour or quality. If you’re vegan, order the rice and dhal — you will not regret it! They have almond milk.
NICU: Nurses rotate daily and nightly. Each nurse will have their own system. Feedback about your little one, will be interesting — sometimes consistent with what you’ve already heard, or not. Happy overall with the quality of the nurses, who seem genuinely caring. Checking out the Parent’s room (not the family room) in Rm 703, and the breastmilk pumping room, is a good idea. Well set-​up. Breast accessory store on the 17^th floor offers products at a competitive price, and clerks will share knowledgeable advice or find the right person who can.

Excellent for women’s health! One doctor in particular, pretty much fixed a lifelong issue of mine, with simple intelligence. The nurses were incredible. The follow up was focused and consistent. They really make you feel like more than just a dollar sign. I would recommend this hospital to ANYONE, just for the pure cleanliness, lower wait times, attentive staff and follow up care.

My review is for my experience in the ER and at the Ear, Nose & Throat Clinic.
I was the victim of a random attack and was taken to Mount Sinai’s ER on July 9^th where I was assessed and where I had to give the statement to police. I was comforted by the police officer telling me I was an innocent victim of an unprovoked, random attack and that they would capture the person who attacked me (someone I had never seen or encountered in my life).
I was told in the ER I had no fracture (in my nose), when this was incorrect.
I mention this because when I returned to Mount Sinai for follow-​up appointment (on Aug 1) with Dr. Jerry S. Chapnik, Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery specialist at the Ear, Nose and Throat clinic, he told me I had had my nose fractured and it brought back all the feelings and emotions of fear, shock and trauma. The ER doctors didn’t make the right assessment.
Jerry Chapnik told me there was nothing to be done, but I asked him what I could do on my part to make sure I took care of myself (that is, my nose), he told me not to get into fist fights.
I was shocked by this word choice. I had explained 3 times during the examination (to his student and to him) that I was the innocent victim of a random attack on the subway. I started to voice that I was the innocent victim of random attack when he cut me off, saying he was not judging, and continued.
But his poor word choice only made the feelings of fear and trauma from the attack come back stronger and more hurtful because I was being blamed for being a victim — this was an unprovoked attacked.
As a woman of colour and him being a white man, the gender politics of saying these words carry a stronger meaning.
His job is to heal not to blame or make the patient feel worse. After he got his poor word choice out, he walked out with the medical student following at his heels.
His total lack of empathy and poor bedside manners reflect poorly on Mount Sinai Hospital. The low level of quality in this hospital and that people who allegedly take the Hippocratic Oat display no empathy and no regard or care for patient’s wellbeing.

Bad wifi, good people, helpful nurses; ready to help at every corner

I do not like the triage area, there is no privacy to discuss why you are there.

I love this hospital. I delivered my preemie daughter here last July and, despite her being 12 weeks early, the experience was awesome. The labour and delivery doctors and nurses were great at telling me what to do and when to do it. It is a teaching hospital so we were allowed to be in rounds in the NICU. Prior to the delivery, I had been inpatient myself for 3 days and I was pleasantly surprised that the food was pretty good. No TV in the room though, but they have wi-​fi so I just brought a netbook and was able to connect to the internet (no FB though, but most other sites). Will probably be delivering at this hospital in the future.

I’ve had one of the worst experiences with a doctor at this hospital. He not only misdiagnosed me, but could have made my condition worse than it was before.
My ear was clogged with wax. At the time, I could not hear from my right ear and I wanted to know if I could take my flight the next day.
He looked inside and told me that my ear drum was covered with wax and that my ear was probably fine. I asked him again if it was okay and he told me that he couldn’t see anything wrong.
He told me that my ear was infected and that I should not get it flushed right away. He prescribed ear drops for me.
I told him that I found it strange that my ear could get infected within four hours since the incident ocurred that day. He retracted his statement and indicated that my ear was red and that it would be too painful to flush my ear.
A couple of days later, I went to a medical walk in center and was questioned about the doctor’s (at Mount Sinai) ability to know that my ear drum was good when it was covered with wax! When I let the doctor know that he diagnosed it as being infected within four hours, he shook his head in disbelief.
It was a good thing that I could fly the next day without it causing any damage to my eardrum.
I wished that the hospital would advise its staff to promote safety and prevention to its patients.

Mt. Sinai seems to be full of all manner of totally competent and even brilliant doctors, so if this were a ranking purely for medical expertise I would give them five stars. I really do believe they are probably one of the best hospitals in North America in terms of quality of care.
Alas, part of being a good hospital is having smooth operations and modern facilities, and this is where Sinai doesn’t rank as well. I once went for a pre-​natal ultrasound that was scheduled for 9:15 and I wasn’t seen until after 11. When I commented to the technician that it must be a particularly crazy day she said flatly that every day was like that and that she wasn’t surprised at all at my wait. Totally unacceptable. Patient scheduling in something as routine as prenatal ultrasound is not a complicated science.
I delivered a baby at Sinai under some pretty shitty circumstances and I had one nurse in particular who was of the, «you shut up, I’m in charge» mentality, though the rest of the nurses were wonderful. There was a bathroom in my room but it had the unmistakable, neon-​lit, beige tile, bleak look and feel of a hospital bathroom, with only one, too-​small, not at all soft bath towel. It was clean I suppose but not in the least bit comfortable.

I liked this hospital because it was very organized. It was like walking into a mall. Allt the stuff for visitors is right in the front hall way. It’s very orderly and relaxing. The crazy stuff happens down the hall, near the back, which is out of sight.
They have an Indigo Express with lots of books, magazines, gift ideas, flowers, cards, etc. There is a Second Cup kiosk right by the front entrance, and down the hall there is a cafeteria. A Tim Hortons is downstairs. The cafeteria had a lot of great options, fresh soups, sandwiches, veggie cups, bean salads, egg salad, tuna salad, hummus/​crackers, etc. They also have a New Balance store at the hospital, which seemed a bit odd to me…

It’s a hospital what can I say.
The parking is expensive. I really regret not taking the subway for my ½ hour appointment. It cost me $ 20 for 35 mins.
At all hospitals you have line up to get hospital card. I don’t understand why. At Mt. Sinai there is an area to self serve and do it yourself instead of waiting in line. It was great except for the fact the touch screen didn’t work so great. So people were staring at me as I poked the screen with force.
As for the elevators stopping, it’s because Jewish folk on sabbath can’t use anything electrical. So they can’t press the buttons. So it’s done for them.

I ended up at Mt. Sinai after an unfortunate, and surprising, blood pressure spike that threw me in the ER. Thankfully, though, I ended up at Mt. Sinai’s ER. Let me just say that the staff couldn’t have been nicer or more helpful. I was triaged, registered and admitted within ten minutes (probably b/​c they saw that I was literally about to have a stroke). The ER was quiet, clean and staffed appropriately. I immediately felt calm and safe, and was cared for by two excellent doctors throughout the night.
I admit that I was nervous about going to a Canadian hospital, but it was far, far better than I expected. They knew what they were doing and they did it very, very well and very, very kindly.
I’ve been back thrice since to a) pick up the required Mt. Sinai Hospital Card (a credit card-​like thing that you have to carry around with you — genius, really), b) to meet with the specialist to whom the ER referred me, and c) to have lab work done. In fact, I’ve been there so much in the past week that I am now actually the «mayor of Mt. Sinai» on FourSquare, although I’m not so sure that’s a good thing — I’d much rather be the mayor of «Mt. Cool» or «Mt. Chocolate». :-) Anyway. Again, every staff member I encountered was helpful, quick, and full of information.
Bravo, Mt. Sinai! Thank you for keeping me alive and kicking!

As far as hospitals go, Mount Sinai is pretty standard. I have gone there to see a specialist and a few other times to visit a friend in the hospital. It’s centrally located and easy to navigate, and the facilities seem pretty standard.
The one thing that completely threw me off was that on the «sabbath» (aka Saturday) the elevators stop on every floor due to the Jewish orthodox law. I had no idea what this was or why it was happening so I was freaking out thinking the elevators were all broken and took the stairs instead. Even if you’re the only person in the elevator and go from the 8^th floor to the lobby, the doors will open on every floor (even if no one is waiting). SO CREEPY.