This is a letter I actually sent to said individual. I doubt it will do any good, but, at least I tried. And, in no way, do I hold Dr. Weber accountable for Jerk's behavior (though via a copy of this letter he will be informed of it). I can only hope that Jerk will avail himself of the role model Dr. Weber provides...from the way he speaks to patients, his unhurried manner when answering their questions, his thoroughness in taking a history and doing an exam, and the genuine kindness and empathy he routinely conveys.
Dear Jerk MD (which in this case I can only presume stands for “mentally deficient”),
We “met” Friday in Dr. Weber’s clinic. However, you and I didn’t really. That is because when you entered the room you spent your first 2 minutes greeting and speaking to my husband, with not so much as a glance in my direction. He is a handsome and engaging man, to be sure, but I was the patient sitting in a hospital gown on the exam table who should have been the sole person of interest to you in that particular room. I have been caring for patients for 27 years, part of that time as a professor of nursing. Nurses, along with actual doctors of medicine, recognize that no matter if the patient is 2 weeks old or in a coma…they are the first person you should greet in a patient/provider encounter. Why? Well, first of all, it’s just good form, Jerk. Secondly, if you actually give your patient your attention for the first minute or two you can learn an incredible amount. You can note skin turgor, scars, lesions, obvious deformities, developmental stage. You can ascertain pain level by how they hold themselves, energy level by how they brighten, or not, at your greeting, general level of well being, by how well groomed they may or may not be. Get the idea?
To my husband, you announced that you were doing a fellowship in hemoc. Really? Given what transpired, your medical school and residency program should lose accreditation immediately. If that is not true, and you are actually a resident, you are misrepresenting yourself in a most reprehensible way.
At any rate, it rapidly became clear that you knew absolutely nothing about me. You know? You didn’t even have to be smart. You just needed to flip through the chart before walking in. So…not knowing what else to do, you start going through my med list…not well mind you.
Jerk: “So…you take….ahhhh….albuterol?”
Jerk: “Uhhhhh….and Symbicort? Oh so, like you have some asthma?”
Really, Jerk? But, wait….it gets better!!!!
Jerk: “Oh, so you’re on hormone replacement therapy?”
Patient: “No. Birth control pills.”
Jerk: “Oh, well….I didn’t really know how to ask, you know as you’re a woman of a certain age…hee hee.”
Patient: [not smiling] “Well, don’t ask it like that!”
Jerk: “Uhhhh. So…..how are you feeling?”
Patient: “Fine.”
Jerk: “Sooooo….are you having any…..uhhhhh, side effects?” [While flipping through the chart rather randomly.]
Patient: “Do you even know what trial I’m on?”
Jerk: [Shocked face, making it abundantly clear that he does indeed…NOT!] “Uhhhh…” [Looking desperately at the chart…] “You’re on number 155597.” (I am actually making that number up, although 55 was in it…all other quotes are absolutely verbatim.)
Patient: “And what medicine am I getting?”
Jerk: “One of the medicines that Dr. Weber….”
Patient: “Anti-PD1 and vaccines.”
Suffice it to say, conversation with you was a pointless endeavor. You did a rather lame “exam”. If Dr. Weber expected you to do the exam, I would love to read my chart to see what you dry-labbed since you did no eye exam, did not palpate my liver or spleen, did not do a thorough inspection of my skin, and found the inguinal nodes only when I showed you where they were. FYI…none of the things you were supposed to be seeking are peri-umbilical.
You were in my room, allowed to see my chart, given tacit permission to speak to me and touch me by my grace (mine, Dr. Weber’s and Moffitt’s, I suppose). All providers are allowed to have intimate knowledge and contact with their patients only by their grace. And trust me, your patients will not return to see you a second time unless you learn to treat people very differently or unless they are truly desperate and have NO other resources. In your case, as a student of some ilk, you are providing NOTHING. All patients who suffer your ministrations are getting nothing in return. As students, as we all once were, you should be doubly careful not to waste a patient’s time more than you already are. You are offering no services. Instead, you are in desperate need of theirs.
“Woman of a certain age”….really? Who the hell do you think you are? What did you say to Dr. Weber’s next patient? “Wow! You’re 65! Why are you even bothering with cancer treatment? You’re bound to die soon from old age??!” What if your next provider refers to you as a “Man of certain height challenges and questionable masculine mannerisms”? Don’t think you would care for that very much. It is bad enough to be treated in an off-hand, insulting manner by a grocery clerk. It is unconscionable to be treated so by a physician.
I doubt this will have much effect on you. It should. But, if you are already in a fellowship, you have a long history of bad habits to undo. Hopefully, you will make valuable use of your time with Dr. Weber. He ALWAYS greets the patient first, knows their history when he steps in the room, can do one of the most thorough yet rapid physicals I have ever observed, and retains kindness and a sense of humor during it all. Given his brilliance in his field and the desperation of his patient population, he could get by with much less….but he doesn’t. You don’t have his expertise to offer…but more importantly you are utterly lacking in his compassion. Perhaps, you could attain some level of expertise, I am fearful that compassion for the human spirit will continue to elude you.
Celeste Morris, RN, MSN, C-PNP….and most importantly, PATIENT
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment