Sometimes You Just Can't Win

Most of the patients I meet during the course of my day are courteous and appreciative. Sometimes though, I come across someone rude or inconsiderate. Some of them are just having a bad day and they take it out on me. I can handle it. The people I can't handle are the ones that aren't having a bad day; they're the ones that are jerks, pure and simple.

I met a jerk today. It started when he and his son arrived 10 minutes late for the child's physical. He signed in at the front desk and said to his son, "Come on. We'll have to wait 2 hours, even though they make us get here right on time." For the record, they sat in the waiting room for 10 minutes while I set up a breathing treatment for a wheezing baby.

When the exam ended I went into the room to give the father various paperwork and to administer the child's vaccinations. There is a questionnaire for parents to fill out regarding developmental mile stones. His appeared to be completed but not scored so I asked the father if the provider had looked over it with him. He replied, "No, it was pretty clear that she was in a big hurry to get out of here."

So which is it? Your appointment takes too long or it's too short? What do you want?! And you know what? If she rushed out of your exam room, it was probably because you are one of the most disagreeable creatures on the planet.

Between those two lovely little exchanges, came a variety of comments. Taken singly, they might be interpreted as bad jokes from someone with even worse taste. Collectively, they represent a jerk. A sampling of those comments:

Son, this is why you need to go into the medical field; so you can tell everyone what to do and charge them for all of it.

Scream really loud and we can call our lawyer, okay?

Of course you charge for extra shot records. You charge for everything.

Aren't you going to call in that prescription? I just don't have time to drop it off.

I feel sorry for anyone who has to spend time with him on a daily basis.