Bad attitude at Bustamante Hospital
published: Friday | November 28, 2003
THE EDITOR, Sir:
Despite the fact that my overall experience with the administrative and medical staff of the Bustamante Children's hospital was a fairly good one, I wish to share an unfortunate encounter that I had with a nurse at the hospital. On the evening of November 21, 2003 at approximately 8 p.m. my husband and I sought medical attention for our 2-year-old son who suffers from asthma. Thankfully, the doctor who examined him on arrival recommended that he be nebulized for a wheezing chest. He was taken to a section filled with children who were receiving similar treatments.
This being my first experience, I waited for instructions by either of two nurses who were on duty at the time. My decision to wait on instructions was not well received by the more senior (in age) of the two. "Why is this woman standing in front of me? she barked, 'GO FIND A MACHINE!' Needless to say, I was in shock as I had not expected a response of this kind. I proceeded to explain that I had never been there before and so expected her instructions, but that was not enough for her to proceed to express her intolerance of my ignorance.
I expressed my dissatisfaction with her 'rude' and 'callous' behaviour and threatened to write about it. Her response was that '....you people say that all the time, what's new?' At that point it became clear to me that this was her regular behaviour which she was not about to change. She even went further as to say to the other nurse on duty that she would soon become a 'movie star' since so many letters about her would amount to a book! What arrogance!
