As a medical professional my expectations are high for my staff in how they treat others. I always strive for excellence of service for our patients. At times where the role is reversed, and I become the patient at other medical facilities, it is frustrating for me, what so many others experience elsewhere.
Where is the kindness?
I don’t know what’s happened to medical staffing and kindness anymore.
Recently, my significant other needed an MRI. The process to get an appointment was horrific.
On two occasions, we were taken off a schedule with two different companies to have a MRI procedure.
It seems the staff in both places couldn’t be bothered to look ahead at their schedules to see they either gave us the wrong location or told us we are going to have to move you as we have booked two people at your time slot.
Guess what you’re the lucky winner who gets to move is what I heard her say to me on the phone.
How did we become so lucky?
When they made the appointment last week there was no one else there at this exact time. As a patient, I am furious. As a medical professional it makes me seriously assess the sad state of healthcare.
In today’s electronic world how does this happen? Where is the email with the appointment schedule with the correct location address? How about a reminder phone call saying you are being seen at this time and location. How about the fact that perhaps just perhaps you make two appointments at the same time doesn’t a big red X come up on the screen shouting heads up there is someone already there.
Being in this industry I know how the electronic medical charting and scheduling process work. This is just a case of people not paying attention to the details. I’m only a number and my inconvenience does not seem to matter to anyone. They squeezed him in late in the day. Driving to get there on time with traffic and accidents, I kindly called to inform them we might be late. Again, not a response I wanted to hear back was, well if you aren’t here by 6pm we are locking the doors. Shock and dismay took over and I drove the best we could to get there before 6pm. When we walked in, you could cut the air with a knife. I felt as if she was so put out that she had to stay and help someone else. As soon as he was checked in, she left without saying goodbye.
Where has compassion and courtesy gone when they can’t even say we are so sorry we messed up. Not one apology from either one facility.
Where do ethics come into play in the medical world when people are needing that bit of compassion and concern. Did the appointment scheduler even stop to think that perhaps pushing their appointment a week or two out might be damaging to this person’s health or life? I’m thinking not.
The Short Straw
They are only concerned with the fact that they have two people on the same time and hey we got the short straw to move yet again.
Well, I’m not into short straws anymore and I bet you aren’t either.
It’s frustrating on a personal level and on a professional level. I want to go in and hug my staff for maintaining higher standards and treating patients as valued customers not like interchangeable straws.
