UF Health Shands Children's Hospital

"This place is a DISASTER. It is incredibly packed there is never no beds available. Went with my daughter and they basically told us what she had, gave the prescription and said we were free to go. This is suppose to be a hospital they need to focus more on the patients instead of wanting to free up more beds quicker. My daughter was in a lot of pain and we were not going to leave until she was given something. This place is unbelievable, definitely need to changes some things!"

"My newborn son was transferred there a few months ago with severe complications after birth. I requested a social worker for transportation resources back to my town before discharge..a social worker named Emily who represents case management with Shands Pediatric Hospital came and spoke with me but never helped me with any resources.. instead she started digging into my past and prying for information…she then contacted DCF and reported me saying that I was a felon. I was baffled, mainly because the woman sat right in front of my and told me how she was “inspired” by my story and how much I’ve “overcome many challenges” I was going through alot and this time opened up to her because I needed someone to talk to.. This was horrific because my son just had a tube stuck down his throat and multiple X-rays.. and I was having an hard time, but I displayed no behavior that was to be concerning to have to be reported for child abuse/neglect..and later on the case was closed.. I would in fact say I’m the best mom a child can have, loving caring, and nurturing. & Everyone who knows me would agree to it! I couldn’t believe I experienced this. DCF could have taken my son from me. I do not take this lightly. Long story short… DO NOT REQUEST SOCIAL WORKER FROM THIS HOSPITAL. AND MOST CERTAINLY DO NOT TRUST ONE NAMED EMILY. I believe she entered my room with bad intentions. She is not suitable for her job, and because of dealing with this, it made my time with my newborn very traumatic. I will make sure I report this experience with a higher department. These are people you should be able to trust, especially when your child is ill or sick..but sadly CANNOT. The nurses were fantastic, but unfortunately my terrible experience with the social worker named Emily overrides any higher rating."

"Our experience at Shands for our baby was mixed. The children's ER definitely needs some help. All the staff we encountered except one nurse didn't have a good bedside manner and brushed us off until my son's pediatrician called them directly and had them order more testing instead of just sending us home. We were in the ER for almost 12 hours and only saw our dayshift nurse once and our night shift nurse twice for brief amounts of time, making us feel like we were put on the back burner. We ended up getting admitted, and that's when our stay changed drastically. The peds floor was amazing. It does need to be remodeled and updated, but our care team was so attentive and caring. I am breastfeeding and they ordered me a pump for when my baby couldn't eat, they gave me meal trays so that I wouldn't go hungry because I couldn't leave my baby to go get food, and the doctors and nurses listened to all of my concerns. I want to give a special shout out to Athena, Juliet, Shayla, Adrianna, and Maddie, who all went above and beyond to make our very stressful stay a lot easier. Thank you all. ❤️"

"I absolutely love this hospital! We drive all the way from Tallahassee because they are worth the trip. The doctors, nurses, and the whole staff are amazing. My child has autism and is nonverbal, so there is a challenge when dealing with any issue. They are patient and willing to help find out what was wrong. The pediatric ER was busy, but we eventually we moved upstairs. My child loved the fries and the breakfast okay for hospital food."