A Doctor's Visit ...

[Woody]

Yesterday I went to see a doctor.

During my visit .... another patient opened the door and came in. She told the doctor she wanted to talk about something. He went out of the room to go help her and then returned.

I thought ... hey this is cutting the line. I had waited for 40 minutes beyond my appointment time to see him.

After we got settled in again ... the nurse knocked on the door and came in. She said another patient in the waiting room was having a seizure and that his help was needed. He said OK and continued to finish my exam. We went on for maybe ten minutes. I left and saw the person in the waiting room having the seizure. My doctor went on to see other patients while the nurse was alone with the person having the seizure.

While going down the hall ... I was nearly knocked down by two people running to get to the person having a seizure.

My question is: Why did my doctor not leave me immediately and go help the nurse with the person having the seizure? Am I missing something here. My doctor is a neurologist. Surely he would have some ability to help this person or guide the nurse especially since she asked for help.

[Jeannieb43]

If he's a neurologist, patients having seizures is probably not a rare occurrence in his office. No doubt he has trained his staff to handle such seizures when they occur.

[This still doesn't explain why he did interrupt his examination of you, and make you wait another 40 min. for the rest of your appointment.]

[Woody]

well ... apparently the staff didn't think so. Why did she come and ask for help? Well ... perhaps by ignoring the nurse ... he was trying to instill confidence in her? ???

but ... your point is well taken that the staff should be well trained. :)

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

Maybe she wasn't a "nurse"....more likely just a "medical assistant"...

I'd be hesitant to second guess the doctor's reasoning about this. After all, it IS his patient.

[Woody]

She is the nurse. But you do bring up a good point Rudywoofs. It is his patient and I should not second guess him. Honestly ... my wife and I were wondering if my doctor actually heard and understood correctly when the nurse said she needed his help. But either way ... your point is valid.

[Woody]

I do need to have more confidence in my doctor. These are some of his qualifications:

Board Certified in the following: Neurology, Pain Management, Clinical ElectroMedicino and also in Traumatic Stress Management.

And he was awarded the International Health Professional of the year in 2006 by the International Biographical Centre of Cambridge, England, for his contributions to neurology, and was recognized by Consumers Research Council of America as one of America's top physicians in 2005 and 2006.

He's got the qualifications. I DO need to have more confidence in him like Rudywoofs said. But his being from India ... I was thinking might have caused him to misunderstand his nurse.

[Dottie]

If your doctor has all of those qualifications, why does he not have more staff? All of my doctors are in group practice, and have multiple staff to handle any problems that may come up.

Perhaps you should speak to the office manager about how long you had to wait for your appointment.

[Woody]

The nurse is the office manager as far as we know. She was kinda busy when we left !!! This is just what Blanche and I were discussing today. This doctor is well known in my state for being the very best doctor for my diagnosis. Yet, his office is terribly UNDER staffed.

This doctor has his office in the most rough part of the inner city. He serves mostly the poor. He is very dedicated to his patients. But in my opinion ... if he is so dedicated ... he should hire more staff. The office is a total mess. It gives us the creaps. Yesterday when I went to lay down on the plenth (sp) in the treatment room ... I found that the nurse had not changed the paper from the last patient. So I had to roll some out myself.

It's a real mystery each time we go there. Blanche has about had it and thinks I should quit him. But they say he is the best . !!! ???

[GreatLakesGramma]

If he serves mostly the poor, maybe he doesn't have the money for more staff. Or maybe he's just a cheapskate. Or, it could be the culture he comes from.

[GreatLakesGramma]

By the way, is this the same doctor you mentioned several months ago? It seems to me you were having doubts about him back then too.

[Woody]

Hi GLG. No. That doctor was an Iranian. This doctor is from India. I try to spread the diversity around. But no doubt ... they are BOTH very strange.

[phkrause]

Hi GLG. No. That doctor was an Iranian. This doctor is from India. I try to spread the diversity around. But no doubt ... they are BOTH very strange.

My wife was going to an Indian doctor, she was a good friend but an awefull doctor. (this was her primary care doctor). She now has a non foreign (Can't think of any other term to use! sorry hope this doesn't offend any one) doctor she goes to that is really great. There's no waiting, when he gives he an appointment and its lets say at 8 am, when she gets there they take her in at 8 am. Not 9 or 9:30 and than put her in a room and she waits another 2 hours before the doctor shows. Now that she has been diagnosed with osteoporosis, they have sent her to another doctor (who I believe is also from india) he schedules everybody at the same time and its like a first come first serve kind of deal!!!!! So people have been there for hours or even all day before they see this guy. So the first time she went they scheduled her for 9:30. We got there and we waited to about 10 or so and my wife went in to the lady at the desk and tole her that if she didn't get seen in the next 15 minutes she was out of there. Well they took her in within the next 5 minutes. Than after that they scheduled her for her next appointment for her first boniva shot the following week at 8:30 in the morning. Well we got there and there were quite a few people there some had already been there since 7 in the morning still waiting to see this doctor. Well my wife went in there and told the lady at the desk that if she didn't get seen by 8:30 she was not going to stay, they came and got her right away. A friend of hers who's husband see's this doctor, and he only goes for a shot which according to this friend only takes 5 minutes, has waited hours to get this shot. She has to take off of work because she had to drive her husband there. I think this is crazy.

pk

ps: my wife being a nurse herself and having been a office manager for and eye doctor doesn't put up with this kink of behavior.