Venting post

Please feel free to skip this post, as I am only venting because I am ill about something that happened today. So there, you have been duly warned!

I called the doctor's office where I take my boy for his checkups etc. which happens to be the clinic where I used to work until I started working at Wakemed. He is a little sick, nothing serious but I want to catch it before it has the chance to become serious, esp. since we are going out of town Saturday. So I called the clinic and when I spoke with the front office staff who answered the phone I explained that my son was a little sick, I wanted to know if he could be seen today and if I could talk to a nurse about it. Now, since I used to work there I know the procedure for that is that the staff pulls that patient's chart, takes down the complaint and a phone number and the nurse calls the patient (or the parent) back. Instead, she transfers me directly to speak to a nurse.

When the nurse picks up, I explain the situation all over again and ask if it's possible for my son to be seen today. This is not a nurse I have worked with. She was hired in the time since I've been gone. Instead of asking me what his symptoms were, she flat out told me, "Her schedule is full today and she won't be able to see you." Oh really? She told you that? I doubt it. Mrs. Peele (that's who sees him) is known for seeing her patients no matter what. I tried another tack and asked if there was a time I could bring him in that would be better. Her response was "Maam, like I said, her schedule is full today. You can bring him in as a walk-in tomorrow." Not great customer service.

My problem, however, is not that my boy couldn't be seen today. It is the way the situation was handled. This nurse did not ask me what his symptoms were. She did not volunteer to ask Mrs. Peele if he could be seen. She took it upon herself to make that decision, and that is not how you do things. Fortunately, it is something that can wait til tomorrow. And fortunately, I know enough about health and illness to recognize when something can wait or when he needs to be taken to the hospital. But what if I were a parent with a low level of health knowledge being told to wait til tomorrow and bring him in? What if I had been told that when my son has symptoms of meningitis and she didn't bother to ask?? That is the whole reason why you triage people and let the provider make the call. You don't make that decision yourself. I came about this close to calling back and talking with her supervisor. I may still do it when I take him in tomorrow.

This scenario would be a lot different had it gone like this: I call and even if the front office staff doesn't pull my son's chart, I tell the nurse he's sick and I would like to know if I can bring him in. She tells me, "Mrs. Peele's schedule is full today and I can't promise you that we can see him. Please tell me what's going on; I'll talk with her and give you a call back." I tell her that he's got a wet cough, a little decreased appetite, no fever, no runny nose, no complaints that his ear hurts. We hang up and she talks with Mrs. Peele who says to bring him in. Or she talks with Mrs. Peele who says that her schedule is indeed too full but she could see him tomorrow. She calls me back to let me know. Either way, the decision has been made by the provider, and I know that she has at least asked.

Right now I am mad as a hornet. I realize a) that there are wars and famines going on and this is not nearly as tragic; and b) my child is not gravely ill and can indeed wait til tomorrow. But when you are a nurse you do not go beyond the scope of that and make decisions that aren't yours to make. And if you have to tell someone they or their child can't be seen today, you at least do it nicely.

Venting done.