5 /5 Ally Chung: I went to this ER while I was visiting New York and dislocated my elbow as I was running to the bathroom. Being a non-US citizen, I was terrified of navigating a healthcare system that was not my own, especially with everything that Ive heard about American medical care, but I knew immediately that I needed to be looked at by professionals after I fell. TLDR: I couldnt have wished for a better team to entrust with what was probably one of the top 5 scariest moments of my life.
I arrived at the ER around 1-2am, and I was taken to get my elbow x-rayed. After getting confirmation that my elbow was indeed dislocated, I was sedated, and they performed a reduction on my arm. I then had another x-ray taken and after the reduction was confirmed to be successful, I was discharged. In total, I was in the ER for about 8-9 hours. Yes, this is a long time, turns out there arent a ton of radiologists in the dead of night. I could tell that the staff wanted to be thorough and get everything confirmed before executing any procedure, and I greatly appreciated that as I would rather wait and get verification than cut corners/have uncertainty and have something go wrong down the line, especially as the injury was on my dominant arm.
The ER at this time was still quite busy, with patients that were definitely suffering from more serious issues than mine. Still, the staff treated me with the utmost respect and highest level of care. I cannot thank them enough for taking the time to explain very carefully what was progress was, what we were waiting on, what the procedure was going to entail, even down to what tubes were being attached to me. It helped me remain reasonably calm in a chaotic situation. Some moments I remember distinctly were how everyone working on my reduction introduced themselves to me before I was sedated, how Nurse Jessica delicately put on my socks for me even when I had my partner with me and I had one working arm and could have done it ourselves, how the x-ray technician got me water and sat with me when I started to feel nauseous and light-headed in the middle of imaging. I know that there were many more moments like these, but I was sedated and had lost a lot of sleep at this point.
Lastly, I would like to thank Tenzing Sherpa, PA and Dr. Sarah Spiegel for doing such a good job on my procedure. I was able to get a second (& third) opinion from orthopedists in my home country immediately after my reduction, and they confirmed my thoughts that procedure had been executed well. I am a couple weeks out from my procedure, and my orthopedist tells me that my elbows range of motion is impressive, and recovery is going great. I would also like to thank the other medical staff in acute care and radiology at this hospital on this night: Jessica, Jerry, Pricilla, Neville, and so many others whose names I didnt catch because it takes the a village to provide high-quality care. I was very touched by all the small things they did to make my stay more comfortable. I also want to take a moment to thank Dileep from the Finance Department for helping me navigate the complicated process of healthcare bills. He came to me while I was in the ER to explain what resources were available to me and has been very responsive to my calls and e-mails. This was one of the parts that I was dreading most, and he has made it very manageable and seamless.
When I recounted this story to my friends, they were very surprised at how positive my experience at NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens was. I can say that the level of attention I was given is unmatched to the ERs I have visited previously. I was very impressed by how kind and compassionate everyone was in a stress-inducing work environment. There are so many criticisms about the American healthcare system, and while valid, they should not be directed at medical professionals and hospital staff that are trying their best to provide healthcare to a diverse population.
Thank you again from the bottom of my heart. I am literally tearing up as I write this because I am so grateful.
