Comments from July 3rd Hearing
Thank you for allowing me to testify today about my personal experiences at UNM Sandoval RMC.
Not too long ago, I was a patient at Sandoval RMC for surgery to fix a broken hip, something that should have been relatively routine. But it became a horrible journey into hell that left me experiencing PTSD and requiring some therapy to recover mentally.
After surgery, I ended up in the ICU with pneumonia and a pulmonary embolism. I repeatedly told the nursing staff—most of whom revealed to me they were temporary traveler nurses—that I could only take baby-level pain medication. However, they insisted that there was a protocol and forced regular doses on me.
These traveling nurses didn’t care about me and didn’t care to communicate or listen to me. They showed through their actions that they had no allegiance to the hospital or its patients.
I was mishandled medically and didn’t have any continuity of care.
It was a nightmare. I finally decided to refuse the pills they were forcing on me even though it meant I would be in pain.
Health care workers are like teachers, firefighters and EMTs. They are there to help and save lives. It’s a calling. But you can’t treat them like an expendable commodity—in this case, depend on fill-in traveler nurses instead of hiring committed full-time nurses. This attitude affects patient health—I can attest to that.
The hospital needs to work with the nurses and other health professionals to come up with solutions that will encourage people to work at the hospital full-time and permanently and feel a sense of pride that they work there. Sadly, that’s the case now and I can say personally that it affects the kind of care patients receive.
Carol Goode is a Rio Rancho resident and recent patient of the University of New Mexico Sandoval Regional Medical Center. This is the written testimony she prepared for the New Mexico Legislative Health & Human Services committee hearing on July 3, 2024. Please note that some words may have been altered during her live testimony.