Fairbanks Memorial Hospital

As soon as I arrived into the ED via EMS I was greeted w/courtesy & friendly staff. Each member of the ED treated me w/respect, dignity & care. The nurse & PA were vigilant on checking on me (as I was by myself) regarding my pain level as well as whether there was anything that I needed. The ultrasound tech was terrific. Although I was uncomfortable, she managed to be as gentle as possible while ultrasounding my abdomen. The PA explained the results thoroughly & welcomed and answered all my questions. I eventually was admitted and scheduled for surgery the next morning. I was placed in the pediatric dept as the hospital was full. The kindness & attentiveness of RN's Sharita & Raleigh was wonderful. They both were amazing nurses. Again, very on top of my needs, pain control & keeping me apprised of when I would be having surgery. Dr. Tsigonis was my surgeon. He was, well, one of the best doctors I have had the pleasure of meeting. Friendly, kind speaking, did not talk above my level (if you know what I mean) He answered all my questions and concerns. He even made time to update my son. Which, in my experience, the nurse or PA usually does. Pre-Op/post-op & anesthesia were also fantastic. For having to come in on a cold snowy Sunday, they were super caring & kind. Oh, btw, I'm a retired ED RN here in Fairbanks helping my DIL while my son was deployed. So, I have plenty of experience working w/the medical teams. I would wholeheartedly recommend this hospital to anyone who has an emergency. I did not have one "bad" moment the entire stay. I sincerely thank all the staff from this hospital for taking care of me and doing it with kindness.

So I gave 4 out of five stars if I had wrote this sooner, I would've given them 1. I was induced on March 17, 2011 with my son Colt. My parents were in the lower 48. This was my first and only child. Only my son's father was there at this time. I was having back labor. It was excruciating. I felt I was handling it pretty well given the circumstances. I finally got an epidural, it stopped working 30 minutes after. I had to beg for hours for them to call the on call anesthesiologist that night to come back to the hospital. They kept saying well she lives 30 minutes away. She finally came back and wiggled it around and it started to work again. Then 30 minutes later the same thing happened. I had to beg another few hours for them to call her back. This time she gave me a second one. I finally was able to sleep a little bit. My epidural bag ran out and I asked if they were going to replace it. The nurse said since I wasn't able to feel anything she wasn't going to refill it. My OBGYN walked in, saw it was empty, and asked why they didn't refill it. The nurse told my doctor why she didn't and he yelled at her in front of me saying it wasn't her call to do that. I felt bad he did that but then after that she wasn't nice to me. I woke up from a short nap ready to push and the nurse wasn't having it. Idk why but she told me to relax and wait. I asked again and she said so rude okay "well if that's the case no yelling or screaming only pushing." I could not believe she said that to me. At this point I was so exhausted by it all I didn't argue back. I wish my mother had been there to stand up for me. The nurse was an older nurse. I don't remember her name. 15 years later and I still can hear her voice telling me no yelling or screaming only pushing. I wasn't even being loud when I was in back labor with no medicine. Just a lot of moaning. I'm sure things have changed since then but I just hope this nurse sees this and realizes 15 year later I'm still traumatized by her.

Gift shop! Filled with great unique gift ideas from top to bottom! Small no space shop but great. Nice volunteer cashiers. Baby gifts, for friends or family in Hospital and more!

TLDR: The doctor refused to listen to me when I told him an anti nausea medication didn't work for me and I had to go back a second time for help. I had to pay twice because the doctor wouldn't listen to me. They had my insurance but didn't bill it and instead the bill went to collections and it is still a fight over a year later. Honestly the worst hospital experiences I have ever had. I had an ovarian cyst right after having an appendectomy and was experiencing a lot of pain due to it. What I didn't realize was that it was rupturing while I was in Fairbanks. I was on oral prescription pain medication but it did not completely control the pain and my nausea kept me from keeping it down. As the pain got worse the nausea got worse and I could not keep any medicine down. I went to the ER where they gave me zofran and had me take the pain medicine orally then made me leave. I told the doctor that zofran did not work for me (after 4 previous trips to ER due to nausea and vomiting) but he ignored me and said it will work. He ignored me, gave me nothing to go home with, and basically said you have meds so you can deal with it. He also would not help with the nausea or pain until I got an ultrasound for the cyst I already knew I had. So I had to go to the ultrasound room crying, throwing up, and in pain. I went home and kept throwing up and the pain came back just as bad because I could not keep the pain medicine down. I threw up everything including water. So I had to go back to the ER. The nurse and doctor were different and both nicer the second time. The doctor listened to me and gave me a different anti nausea medication through a shot and IV pain medication. It worked significantly better and the pain was lessened. I was still in pain but not to the point of throwing everything up. He gave me a prescription for the anti nausea meds that actually worked. While I was still crying in pain, it was more manageable. I asked if there was anything they could do and the doctor told me not until my surgery to remove the cyst which was two weeks later. Now it is over a year later and I am still struggling with billing. Both from the hospital and the physician. The hospital did not send the physician's office my insurance information and as a result the bill went to claims. The hospital billing department was never even remotely helpful. Regardless of the community in Fairbanks, my experiences here have been so bad that I refuse to live here once I graduate because it is the only hospital available.

Nurse Brenda Murphy provided exceptional care during her End-of-Life Doula training. Her presence was compassionate, calming, and deeply respectful. She listens with her whole heart and brings a sense of dignity, comfort, and humanity to every moment. Fairbanks Memorial Hospital is fortunate to have someone so dedicated and gifted. Brenda's care made a meaningful difference, and I'm grateful for the kindness she brought to a very tender experience.