Natalia Patrycia Poltorak, PA

I arrived at the emergency room last night in excruciating pain in my swollen pointer finger. My finger was hot to the touch and had turned green near my fingernail. The ER was relatively empty, so getting checked in and through triage took only seven minutes. Ms. Poltorak instructed me to place my urine sample on a table before she examined me. She quickly glanced at my finger and said, “No, I don’t see an infection.” She then ordered blood work, discarded my urine sample, and rushed me to produce more urine to perform an unnecessary X-ray, knowing that my finger was clearly infected. I urinated into the unlabeled cup she provided, which she instructed me to place on a table. Fortunately, her nurse, who was a lifesaver, noticed the error and took care of it. After almost two hours of waiting, I observed Ms. Poltorak sitting at her computer, telling a nurse that she would come see me after she finished suturing something at her desk, even though there was no patient in front of her.… Finally, she called me and instructed me to go home and take ibuprofen. If this wasn’t medical racism, it had to be at least laziness, apathy, and an unwillingness to serve. I sought a second opinion from my primary care physician because I felt unheard and unappreciated during my encounter with Ms. Poltorak. I have an infection in my finger, and I was not given the proper care. I am disappointed and frustrated with the lack of attention and professionalism I received..