Hospital

Are you asking as a possible employee or possible customer?

As a long time VI resident I have had very few visits to the hospital - luckily! - but last year I arrived there in an ambulance with serious problems and received excellent and caring treatment from all departments.

I had arthroscopic surgery at the hospital on STT. Very professional staff.

Altogether, a most gratifying experience. First-rate. No complaints. 🙂

Orthopedics and Oncology- STT

Cardiology- STX

Neurology- get to the mainland

East ender I guess both :S

We have had one experience, and not a positive one, in the emergency room. Very, very long wait for only having 2-3 other people waiting in lobby and then another very long wait to see the Dr. Needs updating for sure and equipment (at least what we saw) was old.
The other experience was out patient surgery with Dr. Chase and I can't speak high enough of the OR staff and the facility!

Overall, I think it is fine for routine things, if it was a major issue/surgery-get to the states!!

From an employee point-of-view: Anything with the government has great vacation, holiday, health insurance bennies. Some frustrations, mainly from island culture problems. By this I mean union employees who cannot be fired so are moved around to positions they have no business filling, rules that are not enforced, supervisors who are worthless...Oh, this happens other places, too?? 😀

From a patient point-of-view: Yes, some of the equipment is older, could use some paint and new furnishings. On the other hand, there are some state-of-the-art systems, for example, the electronic medical chart is ahead of many stateside hospitals. There are specialty areas that just are not covered- neurosurgery, rheumatology. If you have a chronic issue, check to see if it can be accomodated. There are new physicians coming all the time- nephrology, pulmonology, endocrinology. Not sure what Savage's problem is/was. Neurology and cardiology are excellent. Even have interventional radiology- cardiac caths, stents, etc. Some excellent young internal medicine docs! Yes, you may go stateside for some procedures, but I would rather be here for most stuff than Puerto Rico!

East Ender
So do you work at the hospital? If so what do you do? Also what is your take on EMS, Paramedics?

EMS seems to be a home grown group. I don't think they get paid near what a trained EMT from the states would get. They don't work with Fire the same way either. You either need a fire man or an ambulance man, apparently. 😉

From an employee point-of-view: Anything with the government has great vacation, holiday, health insurance bennies. Some frustrations, mainly from island culture problems. By this I mean union employees who cannot be fired so are moved around to positions they have no business filling, rules that are not enforced, supervisors who are worthless...Oh, this happens other places, too?? 😀

From a patient point-of-view: Yes, some of the equipment is older, could use some paint and new furnishings. On the other hand, there are some state-of-the-art systems, for example, the electronic medical chart is ahead of many stateside hospitals. There are specialty areas that just are not covered- neurosurgery, rheumatology. If you have a chronic issue, check to see if it can be accomodated. There are new physicians coming all the time- nephrology, pulmonology, endocrinology. Not sure what Savage's problem is/was. Neurology and cardiology are excellent. Even have interventional radiology- cardiac caths, stents, etc. Some excellent young internal medicine docs! Yes, you may go stateside for some procedures, but I would rather be here for most stuff than Puerto Rico!

EE- never had a problem, however STT built the cancer center and STX built the cardiac center. Both institutions can provide services but STX which I am more familiar with has 2 cardiologists plus a interventinalist to take care of heart pts. STX can stent in less than a hour as STT can provide specialized chemotherapy. Each hospital has their own strengths.

I should have been more clear regarding nuero svcs. Both islands h e clinical docs but no surgical support. If you bump your head you can get a CT on both islands, but if it's positive no one can operate. Therefore mainland is your best shot for a + outcome. I have been to centro medico in PR(the accepting hospital for air transfers) and it is a scary place.

Every doc is licensed through VI abd have a US residency, but many are foreign medical school trained meaning they were a MD in their country by 20 y/o surgeon by 22. Pass the usmle and get a residency and boom you can practice medince in US. Something to think about.

What do you call the person who graduates at the bottom of the class at Med School??? Doctor!

Savage: Neurology and neurosurgery are different services. Yes, we have no neurosurgeon. I would put Dr Flood and the interventional team on St Thomas up against your guys any day.;) If I needed triple bypass, I'd go to the mainland. I do not have faith in ANY PR facilities. The doctors may speak English, but often the staff does not, and their reports are frequently sent here in Spanish.

Savage: Neurology and neurosurgery are different services. Yes, we have no neurosurgeon. I would put Dr Flood and the interventional team on St Thomas up against your guys any day.;) If I needed triple bypass, I'd go to the mainland. I do not have faith in ANY PR facilities. The doctors may speak English, but often the staff does not, and their reports are frequently sent here in Spanish.

No where in my post did I give praise to PR. Their healthcare is scarier than ours in some ways. STX's cardiac center has a call team for acute MIs and capability to do bypass surgery. Many more options here. Roy Flood seems like a rude arrogant weasel to me and I do not know if he has talent or not.

Savage: I didn't mean to say you had given blessings on PR. I meant that there were problems other than Centro Medico. I don't know where your characterization of Dr Flood is coming from but I believe you are sorely mistaken.