St Elizabeth’s Medical Center

This hospital has turned what was supposed to be a magical time for my family into a horrible, traumatic event. My OB sent me to be induced when I was 1 cm dilated, 1 day past due date. She said she was going away so we should «have the baby tonight/​into tomorrow». This was NOT the case. I was admitted at 1pm 12÷9÷15. For hours they poked at my arms to insert an IV. They sent in the «best nurse» they had to do it, they got the «IV Team» to try.(which the head of the IV team was yelling at me to stay calm and getting frustrated with me). They got an anesthesiologist to try. He even got an ultrasound to try and find a vein and NOTHING!!! They held both my arms down and fished around in my arms for a vein at the same time. My arms were so badly bruised. Finally, a resident came up with the idea I should get a picc line. I was sent to radiology to get that put in. Then they gave me meds to start putting me into labor. On come the labor pains… This took a while. Very slow progression. Once things got really painful I got an epidural. But. They couldn’t get it in! They stuck that needle in my back 4 times!!! The first time only affected half my body. The next few times were just error. As I’m writing this I’m reliving all the torture they put me through before my baby was even ready to come out! Ugh… Days later 12÷11÷15 now I was only at 5 cm dilated. Then my water finally broke, and my baby was in distress. I needed a c-​section they told me. Fine. Wasn’t planned, but I just wanted my baby out safely. Apparently everyone on the floor was having c-​sections (strange) that I had to wait in line to have mine… I had my epidural from before, but didn’t get a spinal one for surgery. A doctor, who was not my OB, was going to perform the surgery. Before we went in I specifically told the nurse and Doctor that I did NOT want a student working on me. I made it so clear. I finally made it into the operating room. When they finally let my boyfriend in the room I was already cut open. When the doctor got my baby out the nurses tended to her and the doctor left the room. A STUDENT was not being supervised and stitched me up. I felt him stitching me up the whole time and it felt like forever. I was crying in pain and was going in and out of consciousness. I am more than 5 months post partum and my incision is still not healing properly. I have to see my OB about every 3 weeks to have her try and close the hole and she tells me I don’t need stitches. Hmm. Now on the recovery floor (12÷12÷15) these nurses were THE WORST!!! I told two separate nurses that there was a person who was not allowed to visit me. Not even a day after I had my baby that person walks through the doors and into my room trying to hold my child. My heart sank. My boyfriend told everyone to leave (as I had other visitors there at the time too). It was so upsetting, and also a safety concern. When I told the nurse she said she is not a security guard. Very rude. That night, my baby started choking. I was pressing the nurses button multiple times and my boyfriend went out in the hallway asking for help and only got screamed at «GET BACK IN THAT ROOM». We had to take care of the situation our selves as the nurse wandered in minutes later. Then, a nurse gave me such a hard time about giving me my pain medication. She told me I had to remember to tell her when I needed it. So I had to tell her when I was in excruciating pain after the last one wore off. I was getting two pills for my pain until she came on and would give me a hard time when I said I was getting two. She’s like you don’t need two. I couldn’t wait to get out of there. Lastly, I recently took my child to see a specialist about a indent on her head. He said it could have come from a traumatic delivery. All I can say is do NOT deliver your baby at this hospital. You will regret it.

Terrible wait time for even simple lab tests. I came for two tests on two separate days. At least 40-​minute wait time for both appointments!

If you enjoy a team that’s rolls their eyes, talks about other patients openly instead of assisting people standing at the counter, who snap at you for asking legitimate questions such as, «do I schedule the MRI or does someone here?», then I’d definitely recommend the ortho team at Saint Elizabeth’s. The X-​ray tech, PA and nurse were really great, the admin team were so rude I thought I was being punk’d. I actually canceled my follow up and switched locations because people going to an ortho are already in pain, they really don’t need an additional pain in the butt from the front desk crew up there.

I was sent to Saint Elizabeth’s from my normal hospital because I was in preterm labor. I was admitted at 3AM because it took an hour to transport me from my towns hospital to Boston. Once I was admitted the RN working the overnight shift was very pleasant and was very comforting. I was having contractions every 2 – 3 minutes but they were not changing my cervix just causing pain so she gave me medication to assist with the pain and try to help stop labor! I was finally able to get some sleep around 5:30AM by 7:30AM the morning shift had arrived and decided to send in a nurse and two doctors to speak with me. Now after two hours of sleep, and the pain medication I was given finally wearing off I was not in the best mood. Apparently because I wasn’t very pleasant they felt it to be necessary to send in the hospitals social worker to speak with me. The entire day was horrible after that. I requested they take me off of a medication that was not working to stop my contractions and was only making me more uncomfortable they declined. I asked that they empty my commode so I could use the bathroom since I was unable to walk to the bathroom itself and it took me calling for the nurse twice in 2 hours before someone came in to let me use the bathroom. By the end of the night I was sent down to MRI because my pain was not stopping and neither were the contractions. The MRI machine gave me an anxiety attack and the second I got back to my room they attempted to strap me up to monitors which I declined because I was still upset about being restricted inside the MRI machine. Needless to say this hospital was rude and very unprofessional I’m so thankful I discharged myself because had my baby been born there I would of never forgiven myself. I will make sure that if I need a location with a NICU that it is not SEMC!

The front desk staff were very rude, I actually saw the woman yell at a man while I was waiting a good 20 – 30 minutes to be seen. I visited for a sprained ankle. I was seen by a PA not a doctor (yet still got charged as if I was seen by an MD) we must have spoke for about 10 minutes if I’m rounding up. She basically did nothing for me, didn’t even touch my ankle just ordered x-​rays and charged me out through the nose even though I have insurance. I’m not a fan of ERs but do yourself a favor either wait until your PCP can take you, visit Brigham or BI, or suffer at home.

I helped bring a friend to the ER on Saturday evening after he severely cut his hand on glass and was bleeding profusely. The registration staff at the ER was unbelievably slow and inconsiderate. Upon arrival, there was only one woman at the front desk. For a Saturday evening at a busy hospital, I expected more staff to be present.
This receptionist not only told my friend to «not drip blood on [her] computer» but also that «women have it worse [in childbirth].» She was rude and dismissive as his deep flesh wound bled through a thick towel and he was in significant pain. She was incredibly slow in taking his information and repeatedly told him that it «could be worse,» even though she clearly had no medical expertise and did not see the severity of the wound. Needless to say, this only exacerbated the tension and annoyance with the situation. I am appalled that a renowned medical facility would position such an unqualified individual at the front desk of an ER.
This receptionist then said that he would be seen next, yet two other patients who showed no signs of trauma were seen by a nurse before him. No one offered him any sort of comfort or assistance during this time. It was not until other visitors in the waiting room began to complain on his behalf that this receptionist called for her supervisor. She proceeded to be defensive and incompetent. After 30 minutes of waiting and constantly asking when he would be treated, my friend was finally brought back into the ER, only to then wait by himself for another 15 minutes.
The only positive part of this experience was the doctor who treated my friend and stitched his wounds. He was professional, courteous, and receptive to our negative feedback regarding the front desk staff. By and large, the response from the nurses and attendees was that he should have been seen and treated much sooner. Overall, this was a four hour ordeal due to the leisurely response by medical professionals.
To literally add insult to injury, patients who arrived later in the evening, belligerently drunk and/​or incoherent, were treated more quickly and respectfully. I am utterly baffled and disgusted at the unequal care that was displayed by the staff at St. Elizabeth’s that evening and hope that for the sake of all patients in critical need that this institution reevaluates the quality of its personnel and the way in which it operates its patient intake processes.

I have read a many of these posts about St E’s. I noticed with these complaints it is mostly the ER. I believe it is that way in most hospitals. There is always «waiting» to be seen by a doctor unless of course it is a life or death situation. People have to realize this, as well as why you wait so long.
There are not only ER patients in the waiting room. They have other patients they see who are already staying at the hospital. ER doctors also have patients that are not in the ER and their morning routine is making their rounds to those patients. Some people in the waiting room have their own doctors who may or may not be there the day you admit yourself to emergency. Yes, the waiting is almost always a long wait, slow day or not.
Sure, I know the doctors and nurses hang around gossiping and joking around but if they have not been called to the ER to prepare patients, they are going to do just that; stand around gossiping and/​or doing other duties they are required to do. Doctors are usually busy with other ER patients also, especially when there is only one or two of them on duty at the time. They don’t have 10 doctors down in ER. They never have! There only a few or less Doctors assigned to the ER and if you have your own doctor and he or she is on duty, you will be waiting quite awhile for him or her. If it is an emergency, you will be seen by the doctor on duty. The ER is just that, for emergencies.
If you have a life or death situation, or broke something then go to the ER or call an ambulance. If you have constant headaches, sore stomach, strange rash, your child doesn’t feel good (cold, flu, fever…) and other such issues, then call your doctor and make an emergency appointment or better yet, get some advice from your doctor while making a follow up appointment with him/​her.
I have doctors in this hospital and they have been nothing but professional, kind and always do their job right as do the nurses and assistants who always make me feel comfortable. I admit, it is not the best hospital but it is not the worst. If I go to an ER for whatever reason, I go to Newton-​Wellesley Hospital. Yes, there is also some waiting depending on your health issue but I have never had any problems with their staff on any day I have gone to the ER there.
My daughter had her first child at St E’s and her second child at Newton-​Wellesley. Newton-​Wellesley WAS better but we didn’t have any major problems at ST E’s but there were things they could have done better. Both children were born healthy. My daughter and both granddaughters were cared for very well.
My only issue with ANY hospital is PAYING the hospital over 200+ dollars for «waiting». That is just a rip off. It’s money we could use to buy food and clothing for our children, for other hospital bills like the doctors, Anesthesiologists, lab work, X-​rays and God knows the unlimited different hospital bills they send us that our insurance doesn’t pay for.

Super disappointed. I’m paying $ 800 for UTI. They made me take so many unnecessary tests. I am a microbiologist and I am sure UTI can be detected with just urine test. Instead I was asked to take 3 – 4 scans, blood test etc. There were a lot of confusion that took place and they made us wait in the ER for almost 12 hours. I won’t suggest this ER for any emergency. If given a chance I would rate them 0.

I had two experiences here and I couldn’t have asked for better. I delivered my son in their maternity ward and it was amazing. Our nurse was attentive and kind– you would never know the floor was full that evening. I had a midwife affiliated with the hospital and she was fantastic as well. I am currently pregnant and will be going back for this one as well.
Unfortunately, my uncle died at this hospital (though no fault of theirs). The staff was so kind and compassionate. They took us step by step through what would happen as his life ended. It was hard– but the staff made it as easy as possible– they gave us lots of time.

The ER department is the worst experience of my life. I have been sitting here for 3 hrs and they still haven’t bothered to take me in. Im in complete pain and all they tell me is there are no rooms available. If you come here while u can walk, dont worry, you’ll be seen probably just before u die!

Honestly, I don’t understand why anyone would go here. They have the worst ER, the nurses are rude, the staff is rude and the place is dirty. I live nearby and had to go to the ER because I broke my ankle. The two doctors that saw me said it was sprained, but gave me an X-​ray because I insisted on it. They came back in the room and said they were so surprised to see a break in the tibia. They wanted to put a cast on, but I told them no I would wait for my orthopedic doctor to do it in the afternoon. I didn’t trust them to do it correctly. My orthopedic doctor called me a few hours later to tell me not to put any weight on the ankle; the tibia was broken in two places! That ER is the absolute worst.
A friend of mine was admitted and when I was visiting her she told me she was cold. I went out to the nurses station to ask for a blanket for her and the nurse told me the closet was down the hall. She was too busy gossiping with the other rude lazy nurses to bother getting the blanket for her patient. I have visited other people in the hospital there and it is ALWAYS the same. The nurses are always at the nurses station gossiping about the patients and what TV shows they have watched. They are lazy lazy lazy… rude rude rude.
We have the best hospitals in the country right downtown… go the few extra miles so you can see qualified health care providers.

I had an emergency and needed a room quick. After the preliminary paperwork, they finally had me a room. I was in the worse pain worse than the cancer I was treated for. My abdominal area was screwed up.
Multiple blood works, waited an hour and finally pain medication was injected. I hurt very badly.
After the CT Scan I waited in the room another 1.5 hours. I knew I would be waiting in the ER just not so long. I love the staff and I trust them.
Finally had to be admitted to a room this is where St. Elizabeth’s Med. Center FAILED pitifully. The staff is non responsive, unwilling to fix the continuously beeping alarm for the IV machine. This goes off at all hours preventing sleep. For any service you may need they never arrive in a timely manner. I noticed many a times the staff standing around TALKING ABOUT OTHER PATIENTS negatively.
Your IV accidentally falls out, it took over an hour for the assigned nurse to install a new one. When she arrived she was rude and belligerent. I could not understand or believe it. I asked point blank why are being so mean then she said I was too sensitive.
After 4 days lying in bed I walked around the nurses stations throughout the 6^th floor, when I returned to my room I was beraded and told patients aren’t allowed to do that. We needed to stay in our rooms. CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS ??? It’s true, every word. I’m from Cali and I just am not used to a hospital so behind with service for their patients.
I will never return. Never. Nor will I return to the ER, I would rather drive all across town.
I hope you find this helpful it’s only a few excerpts. Write me for a better explanation.

The ER is terrible if you’re not in seriously bad condition. I came here because it was my only option late Sunday night and it’s right down the street from me. It wasn’t busy at all yet I spent 2 ½ hours there when it probably could’ve taken 30 minutes only to be discharged and my condition not made any better. Meanwhile during those 2 ½ hours I probably saw the doctor for a total of 2 minutes. The doctor and nurse weren’t good about explaining everything to me either.
The staff is pretty unprofessional. I had a clear view of them from my hospital bed and could hear them gossiping and making snide comments about certain patients. I was made to feel like what I was experiencing wasn’t important. I know the ER has different priorities from primary care doctors, but on a slow night I could have been given better care and concern. I will not be coming back here if I can avoid it.

Unless you are legitimately about to die, DO NOT GO HERE! Ever. The emergency department is horrible. I had to go into the ER for low calcium a day after being discharged after thyroid surgery. It’s a fairly common complication and I have a good endocrinologist who happens to be out of St. E’s. My surgery was done there. I went in with a huge scar covered in steri-strips…obviously post-op…and they tell me I have anxiety disorder, that I’m stoned, accuse me of having drugs in my purse, refuse to hand me my purse or leave me in the room alone with it because I probably smuggled drugs in and will take them as soon as the nurse walks out, they refuse to let my friend come back into the room with me, they give me anti-​anxiety medication against my will, they refuse to call the surgery team or endocrinologist that sent me in to them and would have told them to put me on a calcium IV and do bloodwork to see what my levels were… this was an absolutely nightmarish experience.
I couldn’t feel my face, my muscles were spazzing out, and I was being given IV anti-​anxiety medication without my consent and told that I was hyperventilating. In the state I was in, having just had a major surgery on my throat, I couldn’t have hyperventilated if I had even wanted to (never have in my life actually). After the labs came back showing that it was low calcium, the doctor wouldn’t even look me in the eye; none of them would. They hooked me up to the IV they should’ve given me off the bat, then discharged me without giving me copies of my labs, but rather a 2 page brochure about anxiety disorder and a page with one sentence on it diagnosing hypocalcemia.
I waited 30 minutes to be triaged even though I couldn’t stand or walk really and was obviously in bad shape.
I’ve been going through the complaint process, but I seriously doubt anything will be done to these people or that anything will be fixed. This emergency department is beyond repair. Seriously, don’t ever go there.
Oh, and I did have about a 5 day stay in the actual hospital, where the nurses were pretty much all great, my endocrinologist was great, my surgeon had no bedside manner but did a great job so whatever, but 75% of the residents were total dicks. It wasn’t just that they didn’t know anything, it was that instead of saying «I don’t know,» or «let me check,» they will give you an actual incorrect BS answer…*cough cough lie cough*. Blatant lying happens here. I don’t know how there can be this much of a lack of ethics in the medical profession. I do know that if I, as an attorney, made up an answer to a legal question and just lied and bs’d and was very wrong, I would get in soooooo much trouble. Apparently that doesn’t happen at St. E’s.

In a state plagued with historically high rates of opiate addiction, you would think that the folks in the Emergency Room at St. Elizabeth’s would show a bit more compassion when working with an addict trying to get a bed in their SECAP program. Nothing reeks of disrespect like clinicians rolling their eyes at patients!

FEB 15^th, 2015
St. Elizabeth Hospital
Address: 736 Cambridge Street, Brighton, MA 2 135
Phone: (617) 789‑3000
Let me just start off with how my experience has been while at this hospital:
1) While coming out of anesthesia and only half way awake, I’m already screaming and crying from the pain of the surgery while still in the recovery room. The nurses tell me I’ve already had 1 shot of morphine and have to wait 4 hrs for more. I continue to scream and cry because the pain is unbearable.
2) The nurses tell me screaming and crying is only going to make it worse. My response: «I’m trying to scream and cry myself to sleep so I pass out and don’t have to feel this pain because you won’t give me medicine.»
3) 1 nurse tells me she will be laying the gurney back so they can put me on to my bed in my room and then slams me all the way back. Mind you… this was right after surgery and I’m already screaming and crying from the pain. I immediately start to swear.
4) The same incompetent nurse who slammed the gurney was telling me «SSHHH» and not to swear. My response, «DONT YOU EVER SSHHH ME AGAIN, GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY ROOM, AND DON’T LET ME SEE YOU IN THIS ROOM AGAIN!»
5) I had to wait from 10pm to 5am to be put on a morphine drip and, yes, I was screaming and yelling the whole time.
6) I’ve had these marks all over my body since Jan 5^th and they have spread all over my body, gotten worse, and they itch to the point they bleed. I’ve brought to every doctors attention and they always push me off on someone else. Also, I’ve been having to bandage myself because nobody is around.
7) My room thermostat is stuck on 85 degrees and is very hot. I had to call maintenance myself to have them turn it off completely and bring me a fan… not to mention at the time I had 102.9 temperature.
*****************I’M BEGGING EVERYONE TO FILE A COMPLAINT AGAINST THIoS HOSPITAL REGARDING EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED TO ME SO IT WON’T HAPPEN TO MYSELF OR ANY OTHER PERSON AGAIN. *******************
Lawyers will be here tomorrow morning alpng with media!!!

I went to St. Elizabeth’s at 7am this past Sunday with severe pressure in my chest. The ER doctor saw me immediately and ordered a blood test to check for Troponin levels, which came back indicating heart damage. The next day a cardiac catheterization was performed and a stent was implanted. I couldn’t be happier with my two days at this hospital as the physicians were caring and competent and the nursing staff, in a word, wonderful. I would definitely recommend St. Elizabeth’s to anyone needing cardiac care. Four wonderful nurses, Diane, Nancy, Kerri and Caroline on the cardiac unit did everything possible to make my stay comfortable and, for that, I will always be very grateful.

No. Don’t come here.
My girlfriend was here for two weeks and while they were apparently giving her the «million dollar work up» (in their own words) to determine what was wrong with her, all they seemed to do was make her condition worse. Basic things were missed or not treated urgently enough. Ineffective treatment after ineffective treatment. Bad communication between doctors and the patient/​family, varying levels of bedside manner and care from the nurses. The team of doctors assigned to her condition (which was admittedly a rare and difficult one) differed in opinion on treatment with one another and they would share those differing opinions with us, while at the same time attempting to present a united front. It was a discombobulated nightmare.
She was transferred to a different hospital in Boston and they were appalled at her condition upon arrival. If you have something more serious than a stomach ache, go somewhere else. There are plenty of great hospitals in this city, but St. Elizabeth’s is not one of them.

I went to their Women’s Health Center for an annual OBGYN appointment. The doctor who helps me seems clueless and has no idea how to answer most of my questions, though she is nice and a big sweetheart. They found precancerous cells, therefore I followed up here a few times to get everything removed and monitored. I was happy that they were very eager to move forward and didn’t give me a hard time with scheduling. However…
Every time, they schedule me before the doctor is even in the office. The first time I waited an hour just to get registered. Granted, they comped my parking ticket so I let it go. But I’m writing this from IN the office because my appointment was at 8:30 and at 9 am the office staff still isn’t around and the doctor is not here. Someone from another department checked me in and put me in a room.
This hospital is so unorganized. I wouldn’t trust or rely on most of the people here.
I gave the hospital 3 stars instead of 2 stars because my surgeon, Dr. Noël, was a true professional and did exceptional work. That said, I prefer Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

When I moved to Boston four years ago, I was one of those unlucky people who didn’t know anyone. I lived down the street from St. Elizabeth’s, and after being incredibly sick for days, I walked to the ER. I felt too weak to walk, but I was afraid that I would crash my car if I drove. Yes, I was *that* sick.
Upon my arrival, I was treated with a complete lack of empathy. After struggling through the paper work and waiting a while, my «treatment» began. My fever was 102, I could barely talk, and I was so dehydrated that they gave me two bags of IV fluid. The nurse told me to pee in a cup, and when I couldn’t, she told me that, «I better try harder or she’ll put a catheter in me.» Then, the doctor came in and said he was reluctant to test me for flu, because even if I had it, the Tamiflu wouldn’t work.
I completely understand that it was probably just a virus, but when someone comes to the ER and is visibly shaking, the right thing to do is to take care of them… not threaten them.