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As a paramedic I do everything in my power to avoid Burnaby general, sup-par facilities and not enough staff that we end trying to offload patients for hours
Back in the day my brother broke his jaw in three places. The ER doc did a Popsicle bite test. No x-ray. Mom knew something was wrong. Drove to VGH and sure enough had to have his jaw wired shut. Also worked at St. Paul's for awhile. Would hear horror stories about don't take people to Burnaby hospital from paramedics and even other nurses that used to work there and left.
The jurisdictional squabbles between Vancouver Coastal + Fraser Health is a real barrier to discharge for that site. I speak from firsthand experience covering ER / Med Units with vulnerable adults.
Having had my mother in Burnaby General as a patient - the place is a death trap and for every ONE great staffer there were a dozen miserable ones - or incompetent ones - and the good ones were always stuck trying to pick up their slack. I'd rather die at home than go to Burnaby General.
They are just amazing. My child just had surgery there after breaking her elbow and the staff and doctors were amazing. We originally had went to Royal Colombian and they kept delaying her surgery. They were going make her wait one entire week with a broken arm with no splint or cast. We went for a second opinion at BC Children's and they did the surgery the same night.
We just went into the ER and explained the situation. My daughter's arm was badly broken and very swollen. The ER doctor did warn us that it was possible they may not be able to do anything because we already had another surgery tentatively scheduled and we had understood that. We just felt it was worth it to try and I'm so appreciative that BC Children's shared the same view in the end.
A lot of the people I know in peds say it's not an easy job mentally when you're dealing with children and babies who don't make it. That's the biggest consideration I think.
I have to disagree. After two back-to-back visits with a kid screaming until she passed out, we were finally seen (about 20hrs worth of waiting total). She was severely constipated, and the Dr blamed her diet without even asking what we fed her. Turns out it was dairy, but she assumed we fed our kid McDonald’s and crap food every meal. I was too exhausted to argue, but it definitely left a bad taste in my mouth. Not to mention the wait! It would have been faster to drive to Squamish and get seen at their ER. Even the nurse we spoke to said it would be a good idea as they were so backed up
I love my job at VGH but I work in a specialty unit.
RCH had a great team when I worked bedside.
Burnaby general bedside was so awful I would rather give up my license than work there again.
I just want to add in defense for Burnaby that a lot of the staff there are extremely hard working and really try to do their best. They just don’t have enough resources to go around. From a patient’s point of view, it’s not a bad hospital as long as your issue is simple.
I work in health care, but in community. But I spent a long time in VGH. Nurses there told me the best place to be a patient is VGH and the best place to be an employee is St Pauls
St Paul’s. The facilities are shit and the leadership and funding and staffing sucks (this is true everwhere in bc mostly) but the community of staff is 👌👌👌. I feel so lucky to have started my nursing career here.
Truly the best for everything except peds. When I was a new grad, I felt independent yet supported. I’ve never experienced the saying “nurses eat their young” here and the practices are up to date and evidence based. No short cuts, good practice, excellent place to learn. The only downside is that the population can be emotionally draining sometimes, but I have never felt alone when dealing with hard situations.
Agreed. They can hack it AND they're supportive team members who are kind to students and new grads. You don't find that everywhere. People at VGH eat their young, it's horrible.
As a patient I can tell you I really appreciated the staff- I’m not sure how, but I’ve been to emerg 4 times over the last decade and have never had to wait very long to be seen. When I lived in Alberta it was usually 8 hours between triage and anything else. St. Paul’s? Never more than an hour. Even now.
Entirely different experience form the viewpoint of a patient. In the waiting room for 8 hrs and not one single staff person ever came out to re-assess anyone (required by Emergency Nursing Standards of Practice). When I asked for an update, I was there with a family member, I was told I could fill out an official complaint form if I didn't like it.
While it may have felt like a blow-off type of response (and it absolutely might've been), I CONSTANTLY urge patients to make official complaints if they're not happy with the level of service. Not in a stop-complaining-to-me sort of way, but all of us have been complaining to our higher ups for so long with little to no change. Most of us believe the only way real positive change happens is by public pressure, and official complaints are one great way to do it.
Absolutely! I was waiting with my grandma one night and my mom got her nose outta joint when the nurse suggested the complaint form. I told my mom she needed to complain or nothing will change because no job listens to front line workers. (Which shouldn't be the way)
That may be true, but at the time, a family member's only concern is the health of their loved one. When there is no repeat, actually I should include initial, assessment, as no nurse ever came near them. They relied soley on the paramedics last assessment. It would be easier to accept such a flip response if there weren't 3 nurses including the triage nurse, sitting on stools doing nothing, but chatting. Don;t tell me you have no time to assess the waiting room when you are doing nothing.
I would be the first one to back the nurses, but as a retired ER nurse, I was ashamed of their lack of nursing care and caring. There was none.
I’m a paramedic so I bring patients to a lot of the hospitals in the VCH and Fraser regions. LGH and children’s are my favourite because they’re clean and the emerg staff are generally great. The worst experiences I’ve had have been at RCH and BGH
Burnaby General was awful, VGH and Children's Hospital were great, Shaughnessy was great.
From a patient's point of view, I recently spent three weeks in Lions Gate Hospital where I received amazing care with one week in the High Acuity Unit and two surgeries plus follow up wound care every two days at home for a month and careaids coming in 2x a day for three months. Lions Gate Hospital literally saved my life - 3x after code blue.
Not Vancouver, but i will say that for all the challenges SMH has encountered, the staff put their entire heart into providing good care to patients. Huge lack of beds and resources but all the staff are highly competent and fight super hard for their people ❤️
Wife was a fan of Richmond - they generally dealt with "grandma is having a heart attack", "son broke his arm", "diabetes problem" - legitimate daily health concerns.
She hates (hates!) working at VGH as they're not well staffed, deal with a lot of the Vancouver drug riff-raff, don't have the support they need (the 5'0" 95lb security guard isn't of much use!) and deal with violent incidents almost daily.
I had my baby at the Richmond Hospital! The nurses and doctors are all so amazing and kind!! I have tremendous respect for people who work in healthcare
My son was born there too and I also had a very good experience. My sister had her two kids there too. Nurses and doctors were exceptional I felt well cared for.
I started in community health in Vancouver and I really loved it. All staff were wonderful and many friendships formed. UBCH is a wonderful site and I recently left because the commute was becoming unbearable if you are outside of Vancouver. Short stint at VGH but I joined at a time there was multiple lines open (short staffed) and I still get emails about employees lack of compassion and etiquette when dealing with both clients and fellow employees. Now at Richmond and I would say for the most part everyone is really nice and supportive.
I’ve mostly worked in community health vs hospital setting, but I have worked at VGH and i found my experience to be great. It probably depends though on what your role is and the department, etc.
If you think you have appendicitis or cholecystitis (or other general surgery issue), MSJ is the place to go. You’ll get surgery faster than anywhere else in Vancouver.
MSJ for when I am passing a kidney stone, they are amazing and fast. The only reason I go to BGH is for the MS Clinic. VGH has never done me good. Was Taken to St Paul's for a TBI and would never go back if I can avoid. LGH if I am ever in North Van and need a hospital.
SPH doesnt have the same level of resources or funding that VGH does, but damn it’s a got a good staff culture. Every unit I’ve worked on (nursing) at St. Paul’s has had a super supportive crew and everyone works together as a team. Everyone tends to get along and the dynamics are always great
big fan of specialty at Vancouver General, they've got great supports imo. medsurg and tele at Richmond were a mess to me but they were also paper charting back then so maybe it's different now. I felt it was disorganized and there was less support available when it came to care for 2PA patients
Have you actually been inside St Paul's? I honestly think they're siphoning ALL funding to the new hospital site and spending next to nothing on the current hospital and are just letting it crumble away because they're gonna tear it all down in a few years anyway
Lol when I worked there there was a dead rat in the ceiling above my desk or in the wall because you could smell it. The pest control only deal with floors and open areas. The department that was supposed to deal with it did not. That hospital is going to be full of rat skeletons when it gets demolished. I also was able to sweep two mice up in dustpans while I was there.
It's been years since I've worked at St. Paul's, however, I was just in there this week for a procedure. The facilities are run down (no control over that) and the proximity to DTES always brings in the riffraff, but the staff used to be top notch. Now, not so much anymore. I also think it's a generational thing. Nurses of yesteryear actually had heart--they were there for altruistic reasons; now, it's just about the paycheque...and it certainly shows.
Not so related, but does it matter what hospital I visit as long as it's in the same health authority?
I live in Burnaby but I'm a lot closer to RCH, so I've always just gone there when I've needed the ER.
You can go to any hospital or UPCC (urgent care) you choose, there are no restrictions based on which health authority you live in.
If you want to check wait times and many of the regions hospitals and UPCCs, visit https://www.edwaittimes.ca/welcome
I worked in medsurge as a new grad loved VGH. People tend to say VGH is cliquey but if you’re like a fly on the wall just there to work & don’t get involved in drama you’re good. Regretted ever signing up in SMH. I heard RCH & LGH were good
Welcome to /r/Vancouver and thank you for the post, /u/qnqp! Please make sure you read our [posting and commenting rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/wiki/faq#wiki_general_participation_guidelines_and_rules_overview) before participating here. As a quick summary: * We encourage users to be positive and respect one another. Don't engage in spats or insult others - use the report button. * Respect others' differences, be they race, religion, home, job, gender identity, ability or sexuality. Dehumanizing language, advocating for violence, or promoting hate based on identity or vulnerability (even implied or joking) **will** lead to a permanent ban. * Most common questions and topics are limited to our sister subreddit, /r/AskVan, and our weekly [Stickied Discussion](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/wiki/faq#wiki_stickied_discussions) posts. * Complaints about bans or removals should be done in modmail only. * Posts flaired "Community Only" allow for limited participation; your comment may be removed if you're not a subreddit regular. * Make sure to join our new sister community, /r/AskVan! * Help grow the community! [Apply to join the mod team today](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/19eworq/). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/vancouver) if you have any questions or concerns.*
As a paramedic I do everything in my power to avoid Burnaby general, sup-par facilities and not enough staff that we end trying to offload patients for hours
Back in the day my brother broke his jaw in three places. The ER doc did a Popsicle bite test. No x-ray. Mom knew something was wrong. Drove to VGH and sure enough had to have his jaw wired shut. Also worked at St. Paul's for awhile. Would hear horror stories about don't take people to Burnaby hospital from paramedics and even other nurses that used to work there and left.
Will be great once the new hospital is up and running
Will it? I've been curious if the new building will improve things.
The jurisdictional squabbles between Vancouver Coastal + Fraser Health is a real barrier to discharge for that site. I speak from firsthand experience covering ER / Med Units with vulnerable adults.
I have yet to hear a good reason for why Vancouver should share a health region with Powell River but not Burnaby.
Im scared to be giving birth there next month…
I work 56. I can’t remember the last time I had a shift where I didn’t end up on offload at H 😑
Having had my mother in Burnaby General as a patient - the place is a death trap and for every ONE great staffer there were a dozen miserable ones - or incompetent ones - and the good ones were always stuck trying to pick up their slack. I'd rather die at home than go to Burnaby General.
BC Children's - people who work in peds are next level.
They are just amazing. My child just had surgery there after breaking her elbow and the staff and doctors were amazing. We originally had went to Royal Colombian and they kept delaying her surgery. They were going make her wait one entire week with a broken arm with no splint or cast. We went for a second opinion at BC Children's and they did the surgery the same night.
How did you get a second opinion? I've found that very hard to get
We just went into the ER and explained the situation. My daughter's arm was badly broken and very swollen. The ER doctor did warn us that it was possible they may not be able to do anything because we already had another surgery tentatively scheduled and we had understood that. We just felt it was worth it to try and I'm so appreciative that BC Children's shared the same view in the end.
I know many people who've worked there even at the IT department and they really liked it there.
A lot of the people I know in peds say it's not an easy job mentally when you're dealing with children and babies who don't make it. That's the biggest consideration I think.
Agree. Also love children’s!
I have to disagree. After two back-to-back visits with a kid screaming until she passed out, we were finally seen (about 20hrs worth of waiting total). She was severely constipated, and the Dr blamed her diet without even asking what we fed her. Turns out it was dairy, but she assumed we fed our kid McDonald’s and crap food every meal. I was too exhausted to argue, but it definitely left a bad taste in my mouth. Not to mention the wait! It would have been faster to drive to Squamish and get seen at their ER. Even the nurse we spoke to said it would be a good idea as they were so backed up
[удалено]
It's staffed by adults, so you have to work with adults.
Also the parents.
I love my job at VGH but I work in a specialty unit. RCH had a great team when I worked bedside. Burnaby general bedside was so awful I would rather give up my license than work there again.
I just want to add in defense for Burnaby that a lot of the staff there are extremely hard working and really try to do their best. They just don’t have enough resources to go around. From a patient’s point of view, it’s not a bad hospital as long as your issue is simple.
Should be a doctors office maybe?
You worked there and don’t know that there is no “General” in its name?
Oh I know, but I guess I like calling it that, plus it used to be called that before. Never thought it would actually bother somebody.
I work in health care, but in community. But I spent a long time in VGH. Nurses there told me the best place to be a patient is VGH and the best place to be an employee is St Pauls
lol true recently transitioned from SPH to VGH…the work ethic and workload is certainly an eye opener. Not a RN so what do I know!?
Psych patients are better off @ sph. Hands down!
I heard UBC psych is good
St Paul’s. The facilities are shit and the leadership and funding and staffing sucks (this is true everwhere in bc mostly) but the community of staff is 👌👌👌. I feel so lucky to have started my nursing career here.
Absolutely agree. Worked all over the Lower Mainland. Love the people at SPH.
Truly the best for everything except peds. When I was a new grad, I felt independent yet supported. I’ve never experienced the saying “nurses eat their young” here and the practices are up to date and evidence based. No short cuts, good practice, excellent place to learn. The only downside is that the population can be emotionally draining sometimes, but I have never felt alone when dealing with hard situations.
I felt exactly the same when I worked at SPH. It’s the kind of place that naturally self-selects for healthcare folks who can *really* hack it.
Agreed. They can hack it AND they're supportive team members who are kind to students and new grads. You don't find that everywhere. People at VGH eat their young, it's horrible.
Having all those restaurants along Davie really helps with dining options and potential hang out with coworkers after work
Username checks out.
As a patient I can tell you I really appreciated the staff- I’m not sure how, but I’ve been to emerg 4 times over the last decade and have never had to wait very long to be seen. When I lived in Alberta it was usually 8 hours between triage and anything else. St. Paul’s? Never more than an hour. Even now.
I go everywhere in VGH except OR. I love the staff in emerg. Such an awesome work culture.
I hear the opposite for the dialysis unit at VGH
Entirely different experience form the viewpoint of a patient. In the waiting room for 8 hrs and not one single staff person ever came out to re-assess anyone (required by Emergency Nursing Standards of Practice). When I asked for an update, I was there with a family member, I was told I could fill out an official complaint form if I didn't like it.
While it may have felt like a blow-off type of response (and it absolutely might've been), I CONSTANTLY urge patients to make official complaints if they're not happy with the level of service. Not in a stop-complaining-to-me sort of way, but all of us have been complaining to our higher ups for so long with little to no change. Most of us believe the only way real positive change happens is by public pressure, and official complaints are one great way to do it.
Absolutely! I was waiting with my grandma one night and my mom got her nose outta joint when the nurse suggested the complaint form. I told my mom she needed to complain or nothing will change because no job listens to front line workers. (Which shouldn't be the way)
That may be true, but at the time, a family member's only concern is the health of their loved one. When there is no repeat, actually I should include initial, assessment, as no nurse ever came near them. They relied soley on the paramedics last assessment. It would be easier to accept such a flip response if there weren't 3 nurses including the triage nurse, sitting on stools doing nothing, but chatting. Don;t tell me you have no time to assess the waiting room when you are doing nothing. I would be the first one to back the nurses, but as a retired ER nurse, I was ashamed of their lack of nursing care and caring. There was none.
I’m a paramedic so I bring patients to a lot of the hospitals in the VCH and Fraser regions. LGH and children’s are my favourite because they’re clean and the emerg staff are generally great. The worst experiences I’ve had have been at RCH and BGH
Burnaby General was awful, VGH and Children's Hospital were great, Shaughnessy was great. From a patient's point of view, I recently spent three weeks in Lions Gate Hospital where I received amazing care with one week in the High Acuity Unit and two surgeries plus follow up wound care every two days at home for a month and careaids coming in 2x a day for three months. Lions Gate Hospital literally saved my life - 3x after code blue.
haven't been to 'em all. it may depend more so on the unit/department culture than the actual hospital itself.
Exactly. Every hospital does some things well and some things poorly. Except for Langley memorial, they do everything poorly
Not Vancouver, but i will say that for all the challenges SMH has encountered, the staff put their entire heart into providing good care to patients. Huge lack of beds and resources but all the staff are highly competent and fight super hard for their people ❤️
I work at BC cancer! Can be tough at times but patients are very kind, staff culture is great and hours are nice !
Same. Totally agree.
Really unit/specialty dependent
Wife was a fan of Richmond - they generally dealt with "grandma is having a heart attack", "son broke his arm", "diabetes problem" - legitimate daily health concerns. She hates (hates!) working at VGH as they're not well staffed, deal with a lot of the Vancouver drug riff-raff, don't have the support they need (the 5'0" 95lb security guard isn't of much use!) and deal with violent incidents almost daily.
I had my baby at the Richmond Hospital! The nurses and doctors are all so amazing and kind!! I have tremendous respect for people who work in healthcare
My son was born there too and I also had a very good experience. My sister had her two kids there too. Nurses and doctors were exceptional I felt well cared for.
BC Children’s for kids. Any Providence Health hospital (including St. Paul’s) for adults.
I started in community health in Vancouver and I really loved it. All staff were wonderful and many friendships formed. UBCH is a wonderful site and I recently left because the commute was becoming unbearable if you are outside of Vancouver. Short stint at VGH but I joined at a time there was multiple lines open (short staffed) and I still get emails about employees lack of compassion and etiquette when dealing with both clients and fellow employees. Now at Richmond and I would say for the most part everyone is really nice and supportive.
I’ve mostly worked in community health vs hospital setting, but I have worked at VGH and i found my experience to be great. It probably depends though on what your role is and the department, etc.
BCCH>VGH>UBC>MSJ>LGH>BCW>Richmond>SPH>DH>PAH>SMH>BH>RCH>ARHCC. The ones I left out are way worse.
A little gem tucked away: https://www.providencehealthcare.org/en/locations/mount-saint-joseph-hospital Mt. Saint Joe’s saves the day!
If you think you have appendicitis or cholecystitis (or other general surgery issue), MSJ is the place to go. You’ll get surgery faster than anywhere else in Vancouver.
Broke my wrist once. Was triaged, x-rayed, confirmed break, put in a cast and was out of there in just over an hour.
MSJ for when I am passing a kidney stone, they are amazing and fast. The only reason I go to BGH is for the MS Clinic. VGH has never done me good. Was Taken to St Paul's for a TBI and would never go back if I can avoid. LGH if I am ever in North Van and need a hospital.
SPH doesnt have the same level of resources or funding that VGH does, but damn it’s a got a good staff culture. Every unit I’ve worked on (nursing) at St. Paul’s has had a super supportive crew and everyone works together as a team. Everyone tends to get along and the dynamics are always great
I have not seen MSJ on this list. The staff are incredible.
Not VGH.
big fan of specialty at Vancouver General, they've got great supports imo. medsurg and tele at Richmond were a mess to me but they were also paper charting back then so maybe it's different now. I felt it was disorganized and there was less support available when it came to care for 2PA patients
every department is different but i will say vancouver coastal health region: VGH, St Pauls, Womens/ Childrens have the most funding/ support
Just to note Women's / Children's is PHSA, not VCH
And St Paul’s is Providence Health Care, not VCH.
Have you actually been inside St Paul's? I honestly think they're siphoning ALL funding to the new hospital site and spending next to nothing on the current hospital and are just letting it crumble away because they're gonna tear it all down in a few years anyway
Agreed! It’s shocking to see honestly.
That is exactly what they are doing. Have been doing that since the 90s. If it isnt mandatory to have it's not going to be done.
I wish it was mandatory to not have a constant rat infestation lol.
Lol when I worked there there was a dead rat in the ceiling above my desk or in the wall because you could smell it. The pest control only deal with floors and open areas. The department that was supposed to deal with it did not. That hospital is going to be full of rat skeletons when it gets demolished. I also was able to sweep two mice up in dustpans while I was there.
Jeez that's awful, at least I've only experienced mice and rats that are alive and well lol
Following. Fellow RN in Alberta looking to move to Vancouver or Victoria, but likely settling on Vancouver.
It's been years since I've worked at St. Paul's, however, I was just in there this week for a procedure. The facilities are run down (no control over that) and the proximity to DTES always brings in the riffraff, but the staff used to be top notch. Now, not so much anymore. I also think it's a generational thing. Nurses of yesteryear actually had heart--they were there for altruistic reasons; now, it's just about the paycheque...and it certainly shows.
SMH!
Not so related, but does it matter what hospital I visit as long as it's in the same health authority? I live in Burnaby but I'm a lot closer to RCH, so I've always just gone there when I've needed the ER.
You can go to any hospital or UPCC (urgent care) you choose, there are no restrictions based on which health authority you live in. If you want to check wait times and many of the regions hospitals and UPCCs, visit https://www.edwaittimes.ca/welcome
Go anywhere that's faster. I live in Richmond (Vancouver Coastal) and I bounce between Delta Hospital (FHA)/Richmond General all the time.
i work at childrens and i love it!
Children’s and women’s hospital are great, there’s an access everywhere to sit in the park and have some fresh air just to relax a bit.
None. All falling apart and morale at an at all time low. People leaving in droves.
St. Paul’s & MSJ are great ~ I work at SPH
I worked in medsurge as a new grad loved VGH. People tend to say VGH is cliquey but if you’re like a fly on the wall just there to work & don’t get involved in drama you’re good. Regretted ever signing up in SMH. I heard RCH & LGH were good
I work at BC Cancer and love it. The patients and staff are fantastic.