WHY DO PEOPLE…?
The following are observations, questions, dare I say beefs we medical assistants have regarding our patients. These traits are shared by so many that they seem to have become the norm instead of the exception.
WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW:
Why do people call at 4:55pm and request a refill of a prescription they ran out of and expect to pick it up that same day? We close at 5pm, folks, 5pm!
Why do people answer the phone while driving and then complain because you called them while they were driving? This one is simple . . . don’t answer the freaking phone!
Why do people expect you to look up their insurance co pay when they can just look at their card? We’re the medical assistant, not your personal secretary. In the time it took you to dial, wait on hold and actually speak with me, you could have looked at your card.
Why do people call a specialist’s office and expect to get in this afternoon? For knee pain they have had for two months. It’s a specialists office for pity sakes. And your knee pain is not an emergency.
Why do people wear tights, skinny jeans and boots when coming for a knee exam? You are going to have to peel all of that off and then put it back on at the end of the exam. Think, people, think.
Why, when I ask a patient about their knee pain, do they have to go back to their high school football career 50 years ago? Trust me, there are many more current reasons for your problem.
Why do men, when asked to get their height, act shocked they are not six feet any more? Dude, you’re seventy, shrinkage happens.
Or why do men declare they are six feet and, when measured, are no where close to that number? Unless you had a portion of your spine taken out, you are not going to shrink from six feet to five foot six inches. Not going to happen.
Why do people put their entire medical history in minuscule writing all over our questionnaire? We really only want to know about the problem` that brought you to us. Truthfully, we don’t care about anything else.
Why do people have to go the bathroom right after checking in at the front desk? Then we have to wait for them, all the while staring at the bathroom. This makes us both feel creepy.
Why do people wear long sleeves when coming in for a flu shot? These are the same people who wear tights, skinny jeans and boots for the knee exam.
Why do people insist they have strep throat when they’ve only had a sore throat for an hour? Have you heard of nasal drainage?
Why do people come to urgent care when they think they are having a heart attack? Call 911, people, call 911!
Why, when people are already late for their appointment, do they demand to know when they will be seen? You’ll be seen late, because you are late.
Why do people think their scheduled appointment time is just a suggestion and they can come whenever they want? Waltzing in a half hour late does not endear you to us. If you want to know a secret, we sometimes make you wait longer because you were late in the first place. Yes, we are bad.
These are just some of life’s questions that plague our minds. Will we ever get them answered? Probably not. Will these behaviors change? Probably not. Should I have chosen a different line of work? Probably so.
In closing I leave you these words of wisdom: when telling someone ALL of your problems, remember neither one of you is any better off.
magicalmess 