In response to all of the other comments on this letter, I have been to SRMC ER several times for various reasons and I know this hospital very well from having procedures, being admitted and having family members who have been treated there as well. I could go into a whole lot of issues that I have with the place, however, this letter is about my Sis-in-law's visit and YES, everything I said in my letter was the truth. She was told by the nurse who was checking her in that there was NO Doctor in the ER and that she didn't know how long it would be before she would be seen. The nurse also told her it would be best if for her to go to her regular Doctor to be seen. The nurse is also the same person who informed her that she had patient's who had been waiting since the previous night to be seen.

My sis-in-law has suffered with seizures for over 8 years now, and they are not a pretty sight to see, nor are they anything to take lightly. She is on several different meds for those and other illnesses and she was NOT looking for morphene or any other narcotics, she was sick and needed to be seen. SRMC may excel in some areas, but their ER is not one of them. I don't care if you work there or not, try sitting on the side of the patient when you're extremely sick and see what we have to go through waiting to be seen and the tests and all the rest. It's not a day at the beach that's for sure.

Doctors, Nurses and all the rest have a job to do.. and no it isn't always easy.. but you chose the profession so you have to deal with the consequences. Any job dealing with the public is going to have major draw backs, but not every patient is the same. Just because one is faking so they can get meds, doesn't mean that everyone that you come across is the doing the same. Like I said, I could list some MAJOR issues that I've encountered with SRMC over the past 5 years, so don't come off saying that SRMC is the best at what they do because they aren't. All hospitals have their flaws, and SRMC definitely has some major ones.

Hey "dancin", those ailments you have (lupus) etc... are your ailments. You pulled the short straw in life. Why do you think you are entitled to your neighbors hard earned wages to pay for what YOU have? You and YOUR family pay your own bills and we'll (your neighbors) pay ours.... OK?... Sound fair? Have you any shame..

P.S my daughter is 14 and works part time and they take part of her money(taxes) to pay for you to go to the hospital.. shame on you, would you at least look her in her face and say thankyou little girl for paying my bills..

Why do you have to blame people who get Medicaid hey I get medicaid I get Pain pills and hunnie that is cause I do Have a serious condititon such as pulmonary fibrosis a lung desease and Lupus something you dont have no ideal what that is so please blame it on who is really responsiable for that and not the patience someone needs to talk to the head of that Hospital anyway someone should have been said something long time ago. so dont blame medicaid for God sakes

Please just answer was there a doctor on duty at the time mentioned.

Well, well... Here's an idea.. If you don't like SRMC, go somewhere else... No one cares. Then they'll have time for the real sick, the ones who have insurance or are able to pay. If the hospital would stop giving pain pills to people on medicaid or people who don't pay, they would go elsewhere and the wonderfull staff could provide care a lot more efficiently.

SRMC isn't as bad as MS J. Locklear makes it out to be. I do agree they are slow both the Doctors and Nurses, over-charge patients who have health insurance, both private or state. If you do end up staying with them as you leave, they want you to give them an A rating no matter how the service was. My husband unfortunately has had 4 stays with SRMC. I told him his next trip even if he is having a hearth attack, I will take him to SRMC just to get stabilized then take him to Womack Medical Ctr. where they treat you as a person and not a $$$ sign. Lots of people use the ER as their regular physician. If people had to show a financial statement before being treated, maybe less people would use SRMC ER, then the Doctors and Nurses could do their job, what they were trained to do. EMERGENCIES

After "stewing" over this Letter to the Editor and the inflammatory comments that followed, perhaps I have settled down enough to make a rationale comment. In response to the "no doctor in the ER statement", that's a total fabrication, miscommunication, blatant lie, farce, etc, etc. There is no truth in that accusation. There are always doctors in the ER, as well as numerous mid-level providers at peak times. That being said, let's move on to the wait time issues. Yes wait times can be less than desirable depending on the patient load and the acuity of those patients. Patients are triaged by level acuity, meaning "being worst - makes you first". Let's use an analogy to look at this. Let's say that your favorite steakhouse is no longer charging to serve the public. You get hungry, you go to said steakhouse. When you get there, you realize that 195 other hungry people got there before you. You get mad because you know that YOU are the hungriest person in line and should get served before the other 195 in front of you. It doesn't work that way. Sorry. You also notice that the restuarant next door is open and has no waiting. We'll pretend that this is the "primary care office" in our analogy. You could go to that restuarant, BUT you know you would have to pay up front. So you opt to wait in the long line to get your meal, because you are so hungry. Some of the people that are taking up table space and space in line are only there for beverages or appetizers when you want the full four course meal. And don't forget the limos (ambulances) that are taking people in through an unseen back door. They're taking up space too. Which is making you wait longer. Now, I'm not comparing healthcare to food, just trying to make you understand how "a day in the life of the ER" is. You don't have to take my word for it though. Buy a scanner. Better yet, download the scanner app on your smart phone. (I know you have one). Listen to the ridiculous reasons that people call 911. And the paramedics cannot refuse to transport them. No matter how ridiculous. No matter if it's only for a toothache, a bump, a sunburn. Yes, a sunburn. And pay attention to the addresses the dispatcher calls out. You'll become familiar with those as well. I love my job. I don't love everything that comes with it. I'm expected to heal, help, clothe, feed, clean, and sometimes help provide transportation back home - all with a smile on my face. When I'm being yelled at for not being fast enough to help you clean yourself up - while your family sits at the bedside and doesn't offer. Not fast enough with pain meds, because I was doing chest compressions on a patient. Not fast enough with your meal tray because I'm accessing a port a cath on a child with cancer. I am a ER nurse. I use critical thinking. I prioritize my patients. If it takes me longer to get to you than you think it should, I'm sorry. But then again, you should be thankful. Because being worst, makes you first.

I think every one of you have missed the point of the letter. At no time did she mention the type of service provided in the past. She did not say that the nurses did not do a good job. She did not even address the issue of whether people have a legitimate reason for going or not. All she wanted to know was why a hospital emergency room would not have a doctor on site. I think that is a good question.

ernursesrock stated that "There are always doctors in the ER.". Apparently not if she was told by the staff that "there was no ER doctor".

As a nurse anesthetist that has never worked at SRMC , I don't know the particulars of that ER, however as an ex resident...I have had some experiences there. Part of the problem is that people use the ER as a family doctor because they have no insurance. The ER is choked full of colds, sore throats, stomach flus, and headaches...all conditions that should be seen by your family doctor. Lack of insurance is a huge factor in crowded ERs.

There are always doctors in the ER. Its real easy to criticize and complain when you're on the outside. Believe it or not there is reason for everything that occurs in the ER. For those of who just want to complain about the staff and care you received remember that when we are working without lunches or bathroom breaks to save your family members or children. You all need to walk a mile in our shoes feel what we feel and see what we see before you criticize and condemn. I work at SRMC ER and am very proud to do so. On a final note just because you don't get what you want when you want it does not mean that we suck.

People love to complain when they aren't getting their narcotics. They don't complain or even say thank you when you're giving all you have to save their mom, child, or best friend. They don't complain when the nurses techs and docs come out covered in sweat... And someone else's blood... To say that they've successfully brought someone back. That might be why they're to busy to get you your morphine...

As an SRMC employee, I must say perhaps this was a complete misunderstanding. We have an excellent hospital with excellent doctors. Many people expect to be in and out in an hour or less but when you have 100 or more people at times seeking care this will not happen! I fully agree with 2 of the comments on this page about how peoples attitudes are when putting down our hospital.

First of all...it's "THEIR" that's the proper pronunciation for "their only there for a paycheck". I used to work in that ER & it's bc of people like some of you, that I quit! So ungrateful & negative. Maybe you should actually try to go to nursing school & become a nurse so you can treat people in your backyard. Why there is no doctor, I don't know. That's not anything nurses have control over. & if we were THERE for a paycheck I don't believe so many of us would go without a lunch or bathroom break for 12 hours because we are so busy taking care of half of Robeson county that use the ambulance for a taxi because they have "back pain"or the "heartburn"!!! And last I checked cape fear sent a dying patient home and accidentally killed on by restraining him, & they have 30 hour waits at times...so please go there so that you can be better taken care of. To flat out disrespect every nurse is rude & you should be ashamed of yourself.

When you have 77 percent of a community who doesn't pay for services rendered, this is what you will end up with. Keep the nopayers and medicaid mothers out and they'll will be able to take care of people with private insurance and people who are able to pay...

If you can't afford the care, then take better care of youself. And keep your nasty attitudes also, it'll do wonders for ya when you are begging for someones help at a hospital.

You can go to Dillon and be back home before you will be seen in L'ton.

Expect more of that nationwide if Obamacare isn't repealed. More insured people means more people seeking services, but the same number of doctors and nurses.

she should've went to fayetteville, it's robeson county. i mean seriously, what more do you expect? the e.r. in srmc is a complete joke. i could treat people better in an "out house" with a set of pliers. those people do not care at all about there patients. there like most robeson county officers, there just there to collect a paycheck.