Things I wish I could say to my doctor...

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Even though I am a nurse, I am writing this from a patient perspective:

1) Yeah, I know you're busy, but really you can't respond to my email? Give me a break. If you don't have time for patients, here's an idea: don't take more patients if you can't get back to them!

2)Um, I know you're marvelous and all(sarcasm), but my time is just as worthy as yours!! Sorry you're too busy crunching dollars for each appointment, but a patient is a person, sit your behind down and give them the time they deserve.

3)Give your nurse the time they deserve too. Yeah, again, we know you're marvelous, but if a nurse calls you, HER time is as precious as yours.

4)Why did your company implement additional means of online communication if I still get the same run around? Great. More means of communication where you act like your time is more precious than mine.

Sorry for the vent, but I am irritated with doctors at the moment.

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

venting can be therapeutic, but don't let it control you. Truth is, I have worked with many surgeons and they really DON"T have time. Most worked 14-16 hours a day. No excuse for bad attitudes from them of course and YES! The patient deserves good communication

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

Just as we nurses get frustrated with additional requirements placed on us by the organizations we work for -- so do physicians.

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Specializes in Med/Surg,Cardiac.

I've felt your pain. Then I get irritated when I receive a several hundred dollar bill for being blown off.

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Doctors don't make an hourly wage. They are reimbursed per visit. They have a lot of overhead just to keep the lights on, such as paying the lease on their building, purchasing supplies and equipment, paying their office staff, , etc. Many doctors work in excess of 50 hours/week. They have mountains of paperwork. So, in order to keep the office open and stay in business, they have to see as many patients as they can. The truth is, most PCPs really *don't* have time for you.

Doctors are unhappy with this as well. They have the same frustrations as those voiced here, by many nurses, about how they don't have time to care for their patients as they wish they did.

As a fellow patient, I understand your frustration. Really, I do.

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I too, understand your frustration. I have had many doctors that have blown me off. The key is to find a good one (if you can!!) I actually have a PCP now that will personally call me to check in on me if he thinks Im not doing well (for example, I went to the urgent care and he called to make sure I was doing ok) I was astonished!!

I think many really want whats best for their patients, they are just extremely strapped for time and pulled in a hundred directions. Some are the exception to the rule and really dont give a darn about wasting peoples time, but I think they would the be exception rather then the rule.

I worked with a OR doc once that said for the lap chole he was performing that day, he was getting paid 13 dollars....I was like what?? How?? Im still not sure how, but he was in surgeries that day from 745am-8 pm....sometimes they do not have it as glamourous as I would have thought.

Hope you have some better luck professionally and personally with PCP's!!

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