Review of the Seminole Medical Center in Seminole, Oklahoma

Seminole is a fairly small town surrounded by many rural areas. There is only one hospital, which is the Seminole Medical Center. Many of my family members have been patients in this hospital. I have also worked at the hospital as a Certified Nurse Aide and Unit Secretary. I must tell you that what I knew and felt before I worked for Seminole Medical Center changed immensely after working there. The hospital was built in 1998 and managed by the Schuster Group. The hospital completes many surgeries and has efficient care post surgery in the Med/Surg Unit. The hospital also serves as the home for many doctor's offices with the hosted J.D. Wood Clinic. The hospital also has an Emergency Room that is staffed with at least One Doctor, One Nurse, and One E.R. Technician. To some this might seem inefficient, but for Seminole, Oklahoma, this is the perfect number most times.

My experience with Seminole Medical Center began when my grandfather was admitted for observation when he became jaundice. The Emergency Room staff handled my grandfather with care as they tried to discover what was wrong when we brought him in with symptoms of fainting, high fever, and lost appetite. To our dismay, we knew what was wrong when they took his shirt off to put a hospital gown on him and all we saw was yellow skin. The whole family felt stupid because we had never even realized that he was yellow, but that was for the fact that my grandfather always was dressed before dawn in his long sleeved button up shirt and overalls. We never saw any skin on his body, but the skin on his face and hands, which did not have a yellow appearance.

When my grandfather was taken to his room, we were amazed to discover that all the rooms were private, not semi-private as the old hospital had been. Each room has its own private bathroom and shower also. The rooms include there own television, chair for company, telephone, and Holy Bible. The hospital had a very clean appearance and was employed with a very loving and kind staff. My grandfather was allowed to receive substitutions if he did not care for the food that was served to him. The majority of the time the food was excellent though, especially for hospital food. My grandfather never complained of the care he received and my family and I thought the care was excellent in its own way.

After I began working for Seminole Medical Center, I discovered more. The staff seemed wonderful at first, and then a different picture was painted over time. I started on day shift and was then switched to nights. The day shift and night shift staff were as different as night and day. The day staff was quick to assist you in caring for the patients to the fullest degree. The night staff wasn't always as efficient in the fact that some of the nurses would not even answer a call light when I was down the other hall. Instead they expected me to run down the hall to the patient's room to find out what was wrong, which most of the time it was to speak to a nurse to get something for pain, how ironic!

I eventually resigned from my position due to the aforementioned situation and also a few more. Those reasons include the fact that the company who owns the hospital, the Schuster Group, had been selling many of its other facilities to various buyers. This, to me, meant that the hospital was in trouble also. Another reason included the fact that when I was on schedule, they would call me off; and when I wasn't on schedule, they would call me in. This was not good for my family life. We could not plan any time together because I might be called in. Between all the stress and missed family, working at Seminole Medical Center became unbearable. I can honestly say that I am glad that I resigned before the problems hit, which include that most of the employees did not receive there checks until months after they were supposed to. The Schuster Group has also filed bankruptcy.

My opinion of the hospital is not good at this point in time. With all of the issues that have arrived, I do not feel that my loved ones or anyone's loved ones for that matter will receive the care that they deserve. The hospital was good at one point in time, but not at this present time. Please do not let your loved ones receive care from this hospital. As the employees now call Schuster, the shyster's and thieves.