The things you hear/see while waiting for the doctor

[darkmarkshark]

Today this is what I heard:

"Tell her if she calls this office one more time, she'll have to find a new doctor.....If she nagged me like she nags her husband, I'd kill her too." - said by a doctor. A bit more of the conversation indicated he was referring to a lady who was constantly calling about nonissues and having her husband call about the same things.


The other day in a different office, I watched two women come in with 2 children. The teen sat there quietly, while the toddler ran amuck, throwing things, opening doors, shoving the wheelchair, kicking people. The only attempt to discipline him was to give him candy when he started kicking people - some people were even mentioning coming back another day so they wouldn't have to put up with him. After a few hours (yes a few hours), the toddler was sitting quietly when the women discovered that there insurance didn't allow them to just walk in with a referral. They also didn't know the boys social security number because the government sent him the card, rather than his grandmother, and she couldn't figure out why the wouldn't realize that a 13 year old couldn't keep track of it. The older one began screaming at the secretary, telling her she didn't have to follow rules if they didn't follow the rules when they messed up her grandson's paperwork, pulling open the window, demanding this or that, claiming her grandson was out of control and she couldn't take him to the ER because he isn't able to sit still and she has no control over him at all - this is the same kid i just watched not move from his seat for about 3 hours. Surely if he can do that, he can sit in the ER, get a sedative and have the CT scan she is insisting on - from my experience that would have much quicker than the time in the doctors office. Then the younger one picks up the toddler who is sitting quietly for the first time and tells him she's taking him out of there because the secretary is causing him to misbehave

[wonderdogs]

Were those comments made by the doctor or their staff?

I work in an office and I have to admit, sometimes the obsessive callers really try my patience and I have to be very careful how I speak to them. Some people think that they are the only patient that matters to the doctor. I can only tell them that I gave her the message and she is not able to return calls, most days, until she is done seeing patients. I usually tell them she will get back to you before a certain time depending on her office schedule and if she has to see patients in the hospital. When she is in the hospital I have to wait until she checks in with me to give her the messages.

I am surprised at how many people act really rude towards me and I will flat out tell them that they are being rude and I cannot assist them when they talk to me that way.

[batman]

Welcome to "New America".

It's time to call 'Super Nanny'. And this isn't just for that one kid.

[skillefer]

Today this is what I heard:

Then the younger one picks up the toddler who is sitting quietly for the first time and tells him she's taking him out of there because the secretary is causing him to misbehave

Funny how other people can cause a child to misbehave......it never ceases to amaze me. Well, from what you said, we know why the toddler is the way he is.....

[darkmarkshark]

They were made by the doctor.

[Meetz1064]

absolutely amazing!! Geesh. That is NUTS.

[brain]

When I was in the waiting room, a
very smelly man entered in, and talked
with the Receptionist; and she gave him
the Thumbs Up.

(Note: This was a LARGE Doctor's Office,
an HMO Center)

Then he stood there and waited, and
a Physician came up and remarked to
a Nurse (because he stunk so bad)...
"Please have this patient discharged
from our office immediately!" So before
the Nurse could do anything, the
Receptionist wheeled the patient out the
door and the man came and got the
patient and wheeled her out to the
van, and the Physician stood there
while the people in the waiting room
were looking at him.

The Smelly Man?

Well - he was the Care Van Driver who
drove patients to and from the Doctor's
Offices and Hospitals.

The Physician there said nothing and the
Nurse was somewhat embarrassed because
she had on her best scowl on her face.

(It was a good thing that Physician was NOT
my Doctor!)

[drarvindr]

This happened when i was on call six months back .

Patient's perspective : Man walk up to doctor , man's patient gets carted to ICU without so much as a fuss , man's patient gets five star treatment.Time to yell at doctor for ignoring him.

Doctor's perspective : Man walks up to me , hands me a phone with local political thug on line 1 who says "buddy , if you value your legs this guy won't die. And if you think i'm kidding look outside". 20 people armed with rocks are waiting outside the A&E (ER).Gulp....
The place where i interned is a seriously political area. The municipal corporators have a stranglehold on the local doctors. No security at the hospital . I love government hospitals because the police give us protection. The typical "if-you-screw-up-you're-face-will-be-tarred-and-you-will-be-paraded-around-town-on-a-donkey" threat doesn't apply there. This has actually happened to one of my seniors who had a patient die of anaphylaxis after a penicillin shot. He did everything textbook ( had iv adrenaline ready etc. etc. ) but sometimes it just doesn't work out. So the poor dude had his face blackened and was sat on a donkey.