The following letter was sent by a PPMC patient. It has been edited for clarity and length.
I visited the ER because the swelling and redness in my finger was getting progressively worse, and my best friend, a PA, suspected was a tendon infection. I had never been to the emergency room, and I was so nervous and scared. I subscribed to the notion that hospitals are terrifying, and my experience would be dreadful. I imagined I'd be left alone in a hospital bed for hours and that all of my doctors and nurses would be cold, non-communicative, and generally uninterested in my comfort.
I am so happy to say that I am writing today because I left the hospital genuinely happy with my experience. Your team made rethink these stereotypes, and I can honestly say that I’m now a “Penn girl.” I felt like an individual, not a number, and today, my hand is healing rapidly.
Every staff member was excellent. The triage nurse, Michelle Jackson, RN, instantly put me at ease while I waited, and my ER nurse Adam Burroughs, RN, was phenomenal – I immediately trusted him. Sommer Reading, who took my intake information, was funny, kind, and not hurried, and when Isaac Matthias, MD, took an ultrasound of my hand, he really took his time to ensure I understood what was going on and what to expect. Wow, what a difference from my original assumption of ER visits!
I was moved to the observation floor, and everyone was attentive and concerned about my comfort and needs. Susan George, RN, was my nurse through most of my stay, and she was very gentle and kind. Ming Jang, MD, made sure that I was 100 percent good to go before discharge, and it felt like orthopedist Jose Canseco, MD, PhD, truly knew exactly what to do. These are just a fraction of the people I encountered during my stay, but everyone – the doctors, nurses, residents, the individuals who delivered my meals, etc. – was friendly and wonderful.
All in all, I just want to say THANK YOU Penn Presbyterian for healing me, especially without surgery! Trust me when I say that from now on, I will be receiving my care at Penn – I might even buy a sweatshirt!