Reviews of University of Tennessee Medical Center Emergency Department (Hospital)

Leeann Vanover

It was the worst experience ever. I had went into the ER in a wheelchair and not being able to walk because of my legs and back. All they did was take my blood pressure and give me meds and sent me home.

Glenn MacDonald

Wait times are horrible. Plan on spending a long time here before you get seen. There’s a reason they have a Starbucks in there...you’ll be eating a lot of meals while you wait to be seen.

Amanda Wasill

Worst ER in the state of TN

David Matthews

These folks are dedicated in the face of intense trauma and the most delicate life issues. Thank you for being there when nobody else was available. Professional and caring treatment and service in the face of so many needs.

Jennifer Cobb

Takes too long. The girl serving Starbucks coffee rude as bleep, listening to loud thrashing metal music. Girl that took me back for x-ray pleasant. Long waits but once back in room the nurses and Drs pleasant. Did everything could for me.

Jan Monroe

There 5hrs on a Monday early afternoon never saw a Dr , one of the nurses was really not nice calling pts back, one of pts waiting had been there 8 hrs just waiting on lab work results,I had enough when I left pts had no place noplace to sit! No reason for this mess in Er.!! Shame on UT .

GodsmackFTW

Waited 2.5 hours to be told I'd be waiting about 4 more hours. I was processed and X-rayed then sat in a room to rot. 4 people came in for every 1 person taken back to be seen. I left and of course my insurance was still charged for the Xray even though they won't give me any information on the results.

Kyle Goudreau

6 hour wait in the ER, bled through the bandage twice, pain meds the EMT gave wore off, said they couldn't give me more till I got called back. My BONE was showing through a 5 inch gash on my leg. Truly awful experience.

Frank Culotta

Emergency room is the longest wait you will ever expience

Erica Cagle

They get 1 star ONLY because I have to otherwise itd be negative stars!!! This place is a joke! I would not recommend you take your dog here!!! Seriously! Worst experiance of my life!!!! The workers are rude, they dont wash their hands! I sat in the waiting room with an iv and a blood pressure cuff for more than 2 hours, the Dr, that II NEVER SAW ordered an ultra sound for my breast with out even evaluating or giving me anything, mind you I am legit in pain, the ultra sound tech did the exam with HER HANDS so she could tell the Dr what it felt like, so I waited 30 more mins, still in the waiting room while the DOCTOR I NEVER SAW wrote his report!!! Seriously I could of stayed home and got this much help!

Cee Parri

You have to pay to park to admit yourself to the emergency room?? This place is a logistical and navigational nightmare, I would truly rather suffer with the pain of a broken bone than attempt to find parking, admit myself, and deal with unprofessional staff while I wait for lackluster treatment. One really has to try to do everything wrong to get on this hospitals level. Your lucky google forces me to give you 1 star to write a review because you deserve somthing beyond zero.

Janemarie Crider

AVOID, went for my tooth & left with one of the worst medical experiences and insufficient help (hi stalker)

Marissa Seymour

Don’t come here unless you have $2,000 to pay for a ER visit just to be given a antibiotic 4 hours later!!! It’s also super dirty and staff is rude!

a baby lizard

What everyone else said. I don't understand how the staff are simultaneously both disturbingly cheery and utterly oblivious to how poor and chaotic their care is. I brought my fiance in for a broken collarbone and he's been sitting in a bed in the middle of the hall for almost eight hours and sitting with an IV in his arm for about two. Despite the obvious complications of keeping someone with a broken bone waiting for so long (it also took several hours for him to even receive pain medication) it seems like this is just the status quo here. I have no idea how keeping patients in beds in the hallways (while also making zero effort to speak quietly to protect their information) complies with HIPAA. I wouldn't be able to so much as look at myself in the mirror if I worked here as a healthcare provider. NOBODY here seems to understand how to relay communication to other departments. The entire hospital is alarmingly dirty and overcrowded. The restrooms are revolting, slimy biohazards (the first one I attempted to use had a giant pile of feces sitting on top of the toilet seat and the second one had water leaking from the toilet in puddles on the floor. Both somehow smelled worse than a carnival port a potty). I understand that American health care is generally extremely poor and inordinately expensive, but for this to be a hospital in a "first world" country is absurd. Patients are shuffled about like farm animals and left to sit needing emergency treatment for as long as 5-10+ hours. Everyone is constantly upset, complaining, and angry. I have yet to see a happy, satisfied patient in the entire day I've been here. I have seen multiple patients get up and leave while staff sit there dozing off into their phones and computer screens looking totally vacant. The answer to ANY question I ask is "uhhhhh I dont know" with a delirious giggle and a shrug. Most staff members walk away from you before you can even finish speaking to them, blank smiles plastered on their faces the whole way. Disturbing. It's as though the staff are completely desensitized to the horrors of this facility. I can't imagine seeing this level of ineptitude and blatant disregard for even the most basic of human respect on a daily basis and just...being fine with it. What else are they desensitized to? How can you feel good about working for a place like this? Like others said, go to Tennova or Fort Sanders. Hell, go to a veterinarian instead. I don't know how this hospital remains open. I typically don't review anything like this, but I am genuinely shaken by this experience. I suppose the Hippocratic oath is optional now.

Joseph Fowler

Great staff, really nice. Got admitted quickly and turfed to surgery.

Kisha Thompson

This place was very helpful in treating my husband who was having severe migranes they were friendly and cared if he felt better and it took 2 1/2 hours nice place

joseph logan

I had to pick a star but would be zero stars. They don't care and think it's funny that your in pain and that there is nothing you can do but sit there and wait for them! Got all my test done and asked how long before I would see a doctor the girl laughed alittle and said rough guess about 6 to 8 hours! Really I just sit here for that long and wait she said well don't you want treatment or do you want to leave. I left and and file a form complaint. This place is a joke!!!!

Joe Drnec

Severely understaffed for the incredibly high patient volume. Went in for a simple but potentially life threatening problem. They must run each patient through the whole gamut of testing weather or not its necessary. At a cost of thousands each, and not even necessary. Was given an i.v. And injected with a chemical, to keep the i.v. From coagulating. Never even used it. Was made to sit and wait 10 hours with a needle jabbing me in the arm. along with many many others who were obviously in desperate need of care. I was “parked” in one of the “fast track” rooms by mistake where i sat and listened to doctors and nurses socializing and joking about patients. After 10 hours i left without being seen. A huge waste of time and agonizing wait. The one good thing about this place is the gentleman in the lobby triage with dark hair and a moustache. He was incredible, genuine caring customer service, he should be given a huge raise. But after him it just became a sad circus. Sorry but with all the money you make you should be able to hire more people.

Jonathan Martin

Rushed to the ER when my pregnant fiancé suddenly lost all color in her face and passed out twice. She said that her head was pounding. After waiting about 30 minutes they took her blood pressure. It was through the roof. Far above the stroke level. They seemed unconcerned. After about another hour of waiting they took some blood and a urine sample and gave her an IV. They told us that they would conduct the blood work and told us to return to the waiting room. We have now been here 4 and a half hours. Most of the people who are now leaving came in after us. We asked them if they could tell us how many people were currently ahead of us on the queue but they won't even tell you that. She is complaining that the IV is becoming more painful, she has had it in for nearly three hours now. Seriously, drive to tennova or fort sanders. They will let you die in the waiting room of this ER.

Jeff Russell

Have been to this er 3 different times and all 3 times I left without being seen and went to an er farther away. Their system is severely flawed and no one seems to know what's going on. This go around they lost my wife's blood samples somewhere in the hospital so they need to take new samples which will take another 6 hours. Shameful excuse for a hospital.

Rachel Sanchez

My husband and I have been waiting for over 4.5hrs.... No one can tell me anything, hardly anyone is being taken back, not sure why it's taking so long. My husband is in a lot of pain and we're not sure what is wrong with him. I thought this would be the best place to take him, but they seem understaffed.....or something....?? Very disappointing. Way to Go Big Orange

B JOHNSON

Waited 4hours just take breathing treatment worst er I ever been too

Wendy Ouellette

We waited over 6 hours in the waiting room. Husband has severe pain in his right side and is vomiting. There took people back that were only waiting 2 hours. The girl next to use was eating pizza and laughing and they took her back only after 2 hour wait. I just don’t understand their process. If you are looking for an efficient hospital done come here!

Mr. POle

Every time I go to emergency room I go to UT because of all my doctor's are UT . But lately the last few times I have went to the ER I have waited for at least 7 before I was called into back then it was 5 or 6 hours more. Then to beat it all I had shingles! Me very contagious sitting out with so many people. Hope those people are doing well.ty gene

American Adventure RV

This hospital went above and beyond to care and comfort my family after a major tragedy!!

Brittany McCoy

The doctors at UT are great! They saved my grandmothers’ life when she was having a near fatal heart attack.

Samuel Pulliam

Great care, just very busy in the late afternoon and evenings.

Matt Moore

Unfortunately my family and I had quite a miserable experience at this ER. The ER is dirty and the wait time to get in and out is unfathomably long. We arrived at 9pm and didn't get out of there until 3am with a problem that could have taken an hour or two, tops. Doctors and nurses took forever, they were never clear on what would be the next step (i.e., how much longer, next procedure, etc.). Sorry, but I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. God bless.

Debbie Spence

Unacceptable "quality", attentiveness, personal patient "medical integration", nurse yelling names like an "Army Drill Seargent", MANY patients ignored, poor professionalism, upon registration & in treatment area. Charge Nurse's "attitude" was unacceptable, uncompassionate & offensive! People were treated like "cattle", tagged & pushed into specific areas. Unfair..."descrimatory" medical assessments, determining by "who", "which" patient is "dressed best", has "premier insurance" etc. Have witnessed this many times! Had IV "jerked" out of my elbow bend by nurse that was "not" wearing gloves & touched door handles to obtain supplies, I stated was (after 5 hrs of waiting with blood clots in my lungs & trouble breathing) "if it's gonna be too much longer, I'm going to leave" & instead of addressing the issue of time, the nurse states "THAT'S FINE" & walks off, with me believing she is going to find out how much longer it will be & instead, she has two 2 inch gauze squars & a roll of tape, bends my arm down & litterally jerks my IV out, in front of EVERYONE, causing my arm to expell a massive amount of blood, due to me being on BLOOD THINNER! (reference to afore mentioned, "I have pulmonary embolisms "blood clots" on my lungs & am recovering from recent DVT in my leg, very painful..& this same ER was the one that found & diagnosed the embolisms, just a few weeks before!) I give "1" star, ONLY because the ER did find the blood clots, the MD upon "that visit" was excellent, as was the male tech. The same male tech from my prior visit remembered me & helped wheel me to the registration desk & was a "role model" of professionalism, compassion, patient care & "QUALITY"! This is my second "horrifically negative" visit! I live in a neighboring county but go to UT because I am currently being treated by a UT Specialist. Driving over an hour to get "mistreated" is not copacetic! In fact, it is very disappointing & frustrating. The staff stands together, socialize & laugh, then mistreat the patients that they deem "unworthy" of treatment because of their clothing/stature/demeanor & "insurance"! They are laughing...in front of patients that are "suffering" & are there because "they/we" are sick/injured/in pain & don't "feel like laughing"! Supervisors over but outside of the ER were VERY compassionate, professional & caring, "5 stars" for them! Enough said!