Rude and Unprofessional Medical Receptionist

NoMoneyNoCry on 04/12/2018 - 01:53

I regularly take a family member to see a Medical Specialists - Once every 2 months. The Doctor is okay - I don’t have any issues with the doctor. He is quite popular in my area and practices both in the private and public system. We are currently seeing him as a private out patient. I find the receptionist in his private practice extremely rude and unprofessional. Initially when we first started going to the practice and witness how rude she was , I thought she was just having a bad day. But her rude and unprofessional behaviour is consistent. She lashes out on the phone with patients. And she speaks to the patients in the clinic in this condescending way. She also bi#%+> about patients with the other receptionists (for a different doctor) next to her. I could hear everything thing she is saying and I often cringe.

What should I do? I thought of complaining about her to the doctor. I not sure if he cares or have time for that. Or he already knows how rude she can be, but is good at her job? We seriously pay around $200-$250 for a 5min appointment. Should I even be wasting my time and money complaining about her? Or just try and block her off and focus on the medical side of things? Unfortunately, this was his private practice. If this had been in the public hospital. I would have complained to the Nurse Unit Manager or the Admin Manager.

Health & Beauty

Comments

  • Scrooge McDuck on 04/12/2018 - 02:32
    +34

    I was going to suggest giving your feedback to the doctor.

    We seriously pay around $200-$250 for a 5min appointment.

    But for that price, I'd suggest looking for another! O_O

    • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 08:09
      +1

      Yeah. Just find another specialist with openings…. (hint: OP needs the specialist's services much more than the specialist needs OP's money.)

        • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 12:55
          +20

          Eh. I don't work in medicine, but I know enough people who do to understand that those few minutes might be vital in ways that a layperson (or even a GP) may not understand. As an example, if you're on a certain combination of medications and other treatments for a condition, the specialist might only see you for a few minutes every couple of months to make sure you're not having one of any dozens of potential side-effects to the medication or to the combination, and to just track its effectiveness.

          Specialists (not just in medical but anyone with very specialized knowledge) aren't really charging for time spent. I quite like this story regarding Henry Ford and an engineer:

          Ford, whose electrical engineers couldn’t solve some problems they were having with a gigantic generator, called Steinmetz in to the plant. Upon arriving, Steinmetz rejected all assistance and asked only for a notebook, pencil and cot. According to Scott, Steinmetz listened to the generator and scribbled computations on the notepad for two straight days and nights. On the second night, he asked for a ladder, climbed up the generator and made a chalk mark on its side. Then he told Ford’s skeptical engineers to remove a plate at the mark and replace sixteen windings from the field coil. They did, and the generator performed to perfection.
          Henry Ford was thrilled until he got an invoice from General Electric in the amount of $10,000. Ford acknowledged Steinmetz’s success but balked at the figure. He asked for an itemized bill.

          Steinmetz, Scott wrote, responded personally to Ford’s request with the following:

          Making chalk mark on generator $1.

          Knowing where to make mark $9,999.

          Ford paid the bill.

            • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 13:04
              +2

              @Scrooge McDuck: Ah, sorry, forgot to expressly address that: That's incredibly hard (and potentially dangerous) for a layperson to do, because again, very minute changes could go unnoticed by the patient if not prompted by an actual medical specialist. And some treatments can have extremely dangerous side-effects.

                • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 13:45
                  +4

                  @Scrooge McDuck: No, GPs are GPs and not specialists for a reason. There's potentially dozens of potential tell-tale signs which a specialist might notice but which might be hard, or even impossible, to list. Also a certain combination of signs (exceeding a certain severity) might be a sign whereas others might not be.

                  Medicine is incredibly un-precise. It's very hard to transfer those skills to an unqualified person (which is why specialist training takes years and years).

                    • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 14:00
                      +5

                      @Scrooge McDuck: Those aren't straws - that's medical reality. Human bodies are complex and not well understood. You can't replace the specialised expertise of a specialist with that of a GP - that's literally not how this works.

                  • minotaurian on 04/12/2018 - 14:49

                    @HighAndDry: Agreed, it like having a professional photographer and a instragram model looking at a photo. The instragram model, just sees a "picture", the photographer sees the contrast ratio, lighting positioning, aperture size used…so much minute details can be seen. Unfortunately, with health, missing small intricate detail is the difference between life and death.

                    • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 14:51

                      @minotaurian: Thank you, yes exactly this.

                      • Tsuska on 04/12/2018 - 16:45
                        +9

                        @HighAndDry: Why bring us GP's into this argument ಠ_ಠ
                        1) GP's are specialists (just as there are different types of specialists)
                        2) Agree - those 5 min may be vital for your specific health condition - that's why the patient sees the specialist and is willing to pay the price - money well spent in my opinion
                        3) I wish I was sexy enough to be an Instagram model (｡◕‿◕｡)
                        4) You can't necessarily replace a specialist with a different specialist - we work as a team as medical practitioners.
                        5) How did a complaint about a receptionist end up to be an argument about the doctors/changing doctors/replacing doctors (ノಠ ∩ಠ)ノ彡( \o°o)\

                        • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 17:03

                          @Tsuska: Sorry, sorry. GPs do play an important role in the community and I certainly didn't mean any offence (I have friends who are GPs - and they'd kick my ass if I meant anything untowards). It's just that GPs and specialists play different roles and aren't interchangeable - what you said in (4).

                          • minotaurian on 04/12/2018 - 18:47
                            +1

                            @HighAndDry: I have another analogy, a GP is like the thalamus, directing info to different specialists aka visual cortex, parietal love, frontal lobe and temporal lobe. When all lobes work together we have a unique and fully functioning human: one doesn't work without the other :p

                        • dogcity on 05/12/2018 - 14:24

                          @Tsuska: I would consider GPs to be generalists rather than specialists. I don't think that being a generalist belittles their role and I think GPs should embrace it rather than try and justify themselves as being "specialists in life" which to me feels like a sneaky dig toward specialists.

                          • AusGP on 05/12/2018 - 19:02
                            +2

                            @dogcity: It's less of a dig at specialists and more of an education to the general population that you still need a specialist qualification to be a GP (some people assume a GP is just the step before becoming a specialist)

    • Blitzfx on 05/12/2018 - 01:29

      That price is fine and depends on the experience of specialist and what specialty. Also 5 minutes is too short. I think that's an exaggeration and even if it were 5 minutes, it would be because of a simple followup / check up of their status. It would be much longer if it were first time appointment.

    • paloverde88 on 06/12/2018 - 12:47

      So if your doctor bulk bills then the receptionist can spit at you and roll the eyes?

  • spackbace on 04/12/2018 - 02:36
    +9

    Ignore it.

    • Wampus on 04/12/2018 - 12:51
      +1

      BUT THE OUTRAGE

    • Scrooge McDuck on 04/12/2018 - 12:54
      +7

      The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

      • spackbace on 04/12/2018 - 14:00
        -1

        Or… Pick your battles? Very easy to ignore someone like that and go about your day.

        I'd prefer to see someone fired where I really knew they were bad at their job. OP hasn't seen her full 38hr week so they're not in a position to judge how they are majority of the time.

        • Scrooge McDuck on 04/12/2018 - 14:21
          +2

          Very easy to ignore someone like that and go about your day.

          Sure, but some people have greater interests than just their own short-term interests.

          OP hasn't seen her full 38hr week so they're not in a position to judge how they are majority of the time.

          It's unlikely that the receptionist has been caught misbehaving by the OP by pure coincidence. And I can't see any reason to doubt the OP. If we all did that, discussions wouldn't be very productive.

          For argument's sake, let's assume this receptionist has other merits. Is there a shortage of receptionists? The specialist might be able to employ someone with all her merits plus a more professional temperament. But without feedback they mightn't cotton on for a while.

        • HangryCakeStore on 04/12/2018 - 15:38
          -6

          What if it was a man that acted this way? Less likely you'd ignore it all of a sudden, people would be more likely stand against and insult him because of this feministic nature

          • spackbace on 04/12/2018 - 15:58
            +2

            @HangryCakeStore: Sorry what? Since when did gender come into play? OP hasn't mentioned anything about the receptionist insulting anyone based on gender, only on race.

            Don't turn this into a gender issue, it isn't one.

  • o53djz7qTPY4der on 04/12/2018 - 05:53
    +17

    Why would you not feed this back to the doctor? It seems so simple. You have nothing to lose

    • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 07:50
      -1

      Because the receptionist might be good at her job, and the doctor might prefer to choose the receptionist over OP. Good specialists are hard to find. And good, efficient and competent receptionists are too.

      • [Deactivated] on 04/12/2018 - 09:00

        If done tactfully, ie. Just letting the specialist know about the receptionist without retelling all transpired events, then let the specialist investigate further, there wouldn't be a confrontation.

        No one has to come up with an ultimatum just yet.

        • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 09:15
          -3

          Imo there's nothing to investigate. All OP is claiming is that the receptionist gossips.

          • [Deactivated] on 04/12/2018 - 09:18
            +2

            @HighAndDry:

            She lashes out on the phone with patients. And she speaks to the patients in the clinic in this condescending way.

            I had this complaint. The patient did tell me the whole story.

            I told the patient I'll not do anything about it but the still come back. The receptionist was trying to get rid of them without my knowledge but I'm on board with that decision. Haha.

            Just in case you're curious, the patient complained that the receptionist was rude when calling in 10 minutes after appt time. The patient said I am usually late by 5 minutes or so so she's well within her rights to waste my time too.

            • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 09:22
              -3

              @[Deactivated]: Hahaha yeah. I think that's the receptionist doing a great job. Specialists have a hard enough job and usually enough work they certainly don't need to put up with difficult patients.

              I feel a lot of people don't get the situation - specialists are almost always in huge demand. OP has found one they apparently like and is decent, they should not be trying to rock the boat for something trivial like a receptionist's 'attitude'. If they weren't trying to get rid of OP already, they might start now.

            • NoMoneyNoCry on 04/12/2018 - 09:45
              +1

              @[Deactivated]: I knew I’ll be attack here. And won’t get much sympathy on this forum. Lots of you are jumping into conclusion.

              She was speaking in a condescending tone. Cause the patient had a non-Anglo name. So that was one example.

              • [Deactivated] on 04/12/2018 - 10:14

                @NoMoneyNoCry: I wasn't attacking you. I just pointed out that if you are going to tell the specialist, don't recount the event. Just be concise.

                "You may want to know that your patients, myself included, find that one of your receptionists is rather rude. I'll leave it as that".

                If you recount the event, you're forcing the employer to confront the employee and therefore ushering an ultimatum. My analogy was light hearted and to point out that ultimatums don't always work out for the one instigating.

              • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 10:25
                -3

                @NoMoneyNoCry:

                She was speaking in a condescending tone.

                Your complaint is about "tone"?

              • Diji1 on 04/12/2018 - 11:15
                +1

                @NoMoneyNoCry: Don't worry about HighAndDry, they hold all sorts of crazy views like electricity privatisation was a good outcome even though the ACCC says it's failed and that government should be prevented from regulating payday loan operators because their victims have a moral failing.

                And the latest one is that receptionists are "good", "competent" and "efficient" when they're being rude to customers and bullying their co workers.

                • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 11:23

                  @Diji1: At least demonstrate you can read.

                  and bullying their co workers.

                  They were gossiping to co workers, not bullying them.

              • minotaurian on 04/12/2018 - 18:50

                @NoMoneyNoCry: I'm not sure about you, but half the patients I see at the specialist I go to are bogan, shit storming and fbombing Al over, maybe give her a taste of her own medicine.

        • NoMoneyNoCry on 04/12/2018 - 20:52

          That’s why I’m here, asking for advise. Normal knee jerk reaction would just be complaining to the doctor.

          • AusGP on 05/12/2018 - 19:20
            +1

            @NoMoneyNoCry: I would want to know (I'm a GP and practice principal).

            I have fed back to our practice manager patient complaints. More often patients directly complain to the practice manager.

            We definitely don't get offended. However we also don't mind backing our staff if we think they did the right thing.

      • outlander on 04/12/2018 - 09:16
        +5

        She's negatively representing the business. The doctor may be so busy focusing on his work that he's oblivious to it. Add to that, if she's discussing patients openly with unrelated parties then its a breach of privacy and could expose the business to liabilites

        • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 09:18
          -7

          Oh please. Nothing OP said remotely suggests the receptionist is breaching anyone's privacy, because if she did you can bet OP would be throwing a hissy fit about that too.

          Specialists need patient management and organisation much more than they need more business. If you've ever talked to one, or needed to see one, you'd know - there's a huge shortage (and no shortage of patients).

          • outlander on 04/12/2018 - 09:19
            +2

            @HighAndDry:

            She also bi#%+> about patients with the other receptionists (for a different doctor)

            • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 09:25
              -1

              @outlander: Sure - and there's no privacy issue with that unless personally identifiable information involved, like a name or DoB. Just saying something like "God can you imagine we had one patient that…" won't be close.

              • NoMoneyNoCry on 04/12/2018 - 09:52
                +1

                @HighAndDry: She may not be breaking any laws. But she is unprofessional. You don’t think? Or she is entitled to it?

                • [Deactivated] on 04/12/2018 - 10:16
                  +1

                  @NoMoneyNoCry: She is unprofessional. I know my staff gossip about patients but as long as it is only amongst themselves, never when patients are around, and never to any member of the public, it is as much as I and anyone else can expect.

                  • NoMoneyNoCry on 04/12/2018 - 20:53

                    @[Deactivated]: She can gossip. But it’s just common sense whatever she talks about the whole practices can hear her! She should know that.

                    • [Deactivated] on 04/12/2018 - 21:15
                      +2

                      @NoMoneyNoCry: And I'm not doubting you or refuting your claim.

                      And I provided a suggestion - just mention briefly to the specialist that you noticed the receptionist is rude.

                      There's nothing more you can do. It's not a breach of any rules and it's not your business. If you're sufficiently bothered, switch practices.

              • outlander on 04/12/2018 - 09:56
                +3

                @HighAndDry: Right. Lets run a multimillion dollar business like a hair salon, with the hopes that no one knows who exactly is being discussed. And if she's running her mouth of at work, who knows what she's saying outside it. All it takes is for one slip up on some private information on someone important, and pretty soon the words out to avoid that doctor because the receptionist is gossipy. People take medical confidentially pretty seriously.

                No, what she's doing is unprofessional and it gives the business a bad image. That receptionist needs to told to improve her customer facing side, stop discussing patients with unrelated unauthorized parties, or to go find another job.

                • uedamasaki on 04/12/2018 - 10:26
                  +1

                  @outlander: Exactly my thoughts. Rudeness is only a minor issue. The potential breach in confidentiality is the biggest issue. Technically the receptionist should not be discussing anything related to the patient to the other doctor's receptionist, as they are not involved in the patient's care. This would be clear grounds for disciplinary action.

                • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 10:27

                  @outlander:

                  and pretty soon the words out to avoid that doctor because

                  Again, you've never tried to see a specialist have you? They don't have a shortage of patients. The receptionist works for the doctor, not OP. OP's main issue seems to be the receptionist's "tone", seriously.

                  • outlander on 04/12/2018 - 10:48
                    +1

                    @HighAndDry: Never heard the saying Make hay while the sun shines?

                    The good times never last forever, which is why Kodak is no longer a photography giant and Blockbuster is all but a memory. If your business model relies on 'We have so many customers, f#ck anyone who complains', when times change they will change without you.

                    • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 10:50

                      @outlander:

                      Make hay while the sun shines?

                      Okay, you've definitely never tried to see a specialist. People aren't suddenly going to stop having medical conditions, and being a specialist is never going to stop requiring a high level of intelligence, skills, temperament and inclination.

                      So you're always going to have much higher demand for specialists than there are specialists.

                  • uedamasaki on 04/12/2018 - 10:54
                    +1

                    @HighAndDry: I think the main concern is that if one patient finds out the receptionist breached confidentiality, things can get very serious very quickly. The fact that the OP can hear the contents of the conversation in the waiting room means that most other patients probably can as well. It's only a matter of time that Patient A, who knows patient B, hears the receptionist talking about patient B and subsequently informs patient B regarding some confidential aspect of their health.

                    The doctor carries the responsibility of ensuring patient confidentiality. If the specialist is aware of this situation and has enough grounds to believe the receptionist is breaching confidentiality, he/she is obligated to act on this by terminating the receptionist's employment

                    The topic of receptionists breaching confidentiality actually came up in one of the college examinations. The correct answer was the receptionist needed to be fired immediately. No warnings, no compromise.

                    • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 10:54

                      @uedamasaki:

                      I think the main concern is that if one patient finds out the receptionist breached confidentiality

                      We don't even know that the receptionist is breaching any kind of confidentiality. Obviously you're taught to be on the safe side when it comes to patient information (so no discussing any aspect of any patient's health), but the law itself is fortunately more reasonable - it's only an issue if there's personally identifiable information involved. And again, if there were, you can be sure OP would've mentioned that repeatedly already.

                      • uedamasaki on 04/12/2018 - 11:12
                        +1

                        @HighAndDry: Sure we don't know what the receptionist is actually saying; however from experience, the chatty medical receptionists will occasionally divulge enough information for the keen listener to piece together an identity and basic medical history. I've worked mainly in smaller towns/regions where this is obviously a bigger risk.

                        May not be the case with the above receptionist, but just thought I would point out the potential risk.

                        the law may be more "reasonable"; however breaching confidentiality is potentially AHPRA reportable, which all of us Drs are afraid of. Hence I think the specialist would like to know to mitigate his/her own risk.

                  • AusGP on 05/12/2018 - 19:53

                    @HighAndDry: I'm not sure that will last much longer. (Specialists being in huge demand without needing to care about patient service)

  • Nugs on 04/12/2018 - 06:36

    take inspiration from Eddy

    https://youtu.be/uNRo9wpBW8Q?t=8

    .

  • whooah1979 on 04/12/2018 - 07:23
    +2

    Has this employee been rude to you?

    • NoMoneyNoCry on 04/12/2018 - 09:30

      Yes.

      • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 09:33
        -8

        You're not the actual patient are you? Also, define "rude". Because I've a feeling you might be using a snowflake definition.

        • lonewolf on 04/12/2018 - 15:46
          -1

          I agree, I think a lot of medical receptions can come across rude and i was sometimes a bit taken aback at their abruptness and harshness but i realised they are like that to everyone and its probably due to the varied type of clients from really aggressive patients to druggos etc etc and they get the job done and dont call me any names to my face. they just dont really smile much or speak softly, I just figure thats how they need to be to work with some of the patients they get and i move on. Its not like i end up having to spend a lot of time with them anyway.

          • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 18:57

            @lonewolf:

            its probably due to the varied type of clients from really aggressive patients to druggos etc

            Bang on the money. Related to the fact that there's no shortage of patients, most specialists are absolutely swamped. A receptionist who's nice will still be explaining things to the first person to call up while a dozen other patients are stuck on hold.

            • minotaurian on 04/12/2018 - 21:31
              -1

              @HighAndDry: I know how to fix them problem. Just bring in more skilled specialist migrants, that will surely fix everything. That's the governments answer to everything

            • NoMoneyNoCry on 04/12/2018 - 22:08
              +4

              @HighAndDry: What do you suggest HighandDry? Bark like the receptionist and not be nice? Bark like her when the patient is sick and in bad neurological pain? Bark like her when they are slow in moving or soft spoken cause they are fatigue and is overwhelmed by the side effects of strong medications?

              Believe me, other patients will still be on hold. Barking like her isn’t doesn’t make the clinic more efficient. Is that what you are believing? Being nice slows down the queue?

              HighAndDry - Do you offer anything constructive here. I’ve notice you like to attack OP - whatever the topic is. I see them in other threads.

              • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 22:16
                -4

                @NoMoneyNoCry: I suggest growing a thicker skin. That wasn't obvious enough?

                • NoMoneyNoCry on 04/12/2018 - 23:00
                  +1

                  @HighAndDry: Pretty obvious that my skin is already thick enough to withstand her attitude for over 1 year. I’m here for other advise. Or you mean I need to grow a thicker-thicker skin? Is that your advise?

  • Godric on 04/12/2018 - 07:48
    +1

    Honestly i find most receptionists at your typical clinics/dentist etc are fairly rude no matter how objectively polite you try to be with a few exceptions here and there but overall i find this typical, i just cop it as it's best to just ignore it and move on.

    • Scrooge McDuck on 04/12/2018 - 13:40
      +2

      I've only encountered bitchy receptionists rarely, but I don't often see specialists nor even medical practitioners. If I had to guess, I'd guess it stems from insecurity about their lack of qualifications relative to their employer.

      • resisting the urge on 04/12/2018 - 14:32
        -2

        @SMcD, maybe you're not paying enough for your Specialist's attentions.

        OP: "We seriously pay around $200-$250 for a 5min appointment"

        … need we say more?

        I will however note, that when lowly counter staff in a workplace present consistently rudely to clients, it is usually because behaving 'excrementally' goes unchecked. As we all know, poo entropically flows downhill, so this is nearly always "Shitty Doc out to make money at the expense of everything else syndrome".

        IOW: Many can manage to be nice to patients extortionate rates, but are permanently mean to everyone else.

        An increasing proportion of specialists have ensconced themselves firmly in this category, because there are enough people out there that will pay up to $100/minute, and AMA+OzGov have been helping them design the most lucrative ways to extract money from a captive population for decades.

        I'd rather spend an hour researching something than $100/minute. Not that I won't end up having to at some point, but I won't do it willingly- or be going back and paying again. Doctors are humans too, they don't need to be paid like a peasant might have had to pay a Monarch or a Pope for distributing mostly layman's ideas and jerry-rigged solutions. They might indeed be SMEs, but it still isn't in their financial interests to treat causes- or crunch statistics to isolate truth scientifically. Mostly the outcomes you get from such charlatans are directly proportional to the learning they did at university and a bunch of best guesses they might make after treating the symptoms of people with similar conditions arising from other causes (such as health, diet, exercise, pollution, etc.)

        All of this is so heavily disrupted now that paying $100/min is a result of greedy people wishing to retire quickly (Before their profession is entirely disrupted by AI/ML and robots). Not withstanding that, a single database containing all their pathology would have been enough two decades ago, if our Saintly Doctors had actually been focused on their Hippocratic oaths, rather than their burgeoning offshore bank accounts

    • whooah1979 on 04/12/2018 - 08:06
      +2

      It takes a certain type of attitude to deal with whiny sick people. The receptionist is good at their job by screening which patients that are keepers and which that are a pita.

      • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 08:11

        And to organise and manage the huge workload that most specialists have - it's one of those jobs that are easy to be ok at, very hard to be great at.

    • WinstonWithAY on 04/12/2018 - 15:43
      +4

      Do you get a kick out of being a prick?

      • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 18:58
        +1

        No, but - much like the receptionist - I like being blunt when my opinions. But hey, you managed to work a rhyme into that, nice work!

        • buckster on 06/12/2018 - 18:03

          Out of curiosity, did you eat that hat yet??

          • HighAndDry on 06/12/2018 - 18:09
            -1

            @buckster: If they really were a legal professional, I'm not about to encourage one to dox themselves to an online forum just to win a bet. And no, I'm not planning on eating any hats, or - more importantly - possibly doxxing myself by providing evidence that I did.

            On that point - I am coming around to the fact that they probably are a legal professional. And that makes me sad because 1. they were objectively wrong on that point, and 2. it's disappointing to see one debase themselves like they did to win an online argument. It's an online argument for chrissakes!. Case in point - as much as I like to argue, I'd never throw my qualifications around (not only because I might dox myself, but also because that's a clear appeal to authority fallacy - I'd rather my arguments stand on their own merits), and I certainly wouldn't dox myself to win one.

  • [Deactivated] on 04/12/2018 - 08:10

    Just ignore her attitude and move on. Sounds like you have more important issues to focus your energy on anyway.

  • [Deactivated] on 04/12/2018 - 08:31
    +1

    Might be wife for you know .

    Why do u personally care,what is your interaction with her , a couple of minutes at a time ?

    She doesnt owe you anything and you nothing to her ,you sound like you worry about small things in life for that to bother you,in fact i cant even remember the medical receptions after i visit the doctor,.

    I am not being rude to you,im telling you to move on because your expectations that somehow everyone has to be nice to you is not realistic, yiu need to be more resilient , and let things pass over , theres a saying “ like a water over a ducks back “

    Get on with life , she owns her attitude not you.

    And if it any consolation she wasnt doing it you personally,she probably wouldnt even remember you

    • NoMoneyNoCry on 04/12/2018 - 09:29

      Yes she has been rude to me. I know I’m not entitled to anything. And she probably doesn’t remember me. The reason why I remember her is because of her rudeness. We see other specialists in a different field, and yes I don’t remember the other receptionists.

      • minotaurian on 04/12/2018 - 21:38

        I think you should view the whole situation differently. I give you an example, my partner is rude to me, but she does it because she cares (her words). Maybe this receptionist wants to know you better or feels comfortable around you and hence divulge sensitive information :) Give her your number before you see the specialist, that prob shut her up :p -( sarcasm, but it's worth a shot)

    • Munki on 06/12/2018 - 11:34

      Why are your commas all over the shop and improperly spaced?

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 04/12/2018 - 08:42
    +2

    Has she been rude to YOU?

    IMHO

    If so, tell her to her face next time she is rude to you. Be polite. Just say you don't like her attitude and tone of voice. Tell her you wish to be treated with respect.

    If she is never rude to you, and you are only hearing one side of her phone call, conversation etc. then you don't have the full story and should probably stay out of it.

    • NoMoneyNoCry on 04/12/2018 - 09:40

      Yes she has been rude to me! It’s not the cringeworthy phone calls that I’m hearing. I seen her speak in this condescending manner if the person is soft spoken, has an accent, rolled her eyes when an old Caucasian lady was blocking her cause she was in a wheelchair.

      I am staying out of it for now. I know I can only hear her side on the phone. And it’s not nice. But if she does it to majority of the phone calls then it’s her. Not the other person. There’s a pattern here.

      Trust me. I don’t want to listen to her. The client is so small. I could hear everything.

      • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 04/12/2018 - 10:56
        +1

        Ok, then next time she is rude to you, do what I said above.

        If she refuses or continues to be rude to you, ask her directly on the spot that you wish to speak with her manager. If she goes wide-eyed and silent, that means you have won the game.

  • shaybisc on 04/12/2018 - 08:56

    Hmm- the peril of the whistleblower.

    https://www.nursingreview.com.au/2017/12/whistleblowing-what…

    • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 09:27

      Don't be melodramatic. The article is talking about:

      When faced with unsettling reports about substandard care and/or patient safety breaches..

      There're no care or safety issues here at all.

      • shaybisc on 04/12/2018 - 14:19

        Same principle- the whistleblower may suffer. Depends how tight the receptionist is with the doctor. Since it is unlikely that he doesn't know something of her manner, my guess that they are tight. Could be his wife or his mother for all we know.

  • Ryanek on 04/12/2018 - 08:57

    Online reviews.

  • big1964 on 04/12/2018 - 09:42

    If she is being rude to you she will be doing the same thing to other people, people who are rude often don't know they are being rude take solace that she probably isn't liked outside of work!!!

    • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 09:49
      -5

      take solace that she probably isn't liked outside of work!!!

      Or OP is over-sensitive and is the one with no friends.

      • NoMoneyNoCry on 04/12/2018 - 14:57

        I’m trying not to play the race card here, and I left out race in my OP. But Are you a white privileged straight male? Her mocking people’s non-Anglo surname, makes me sensitive and friendless? How did you jump to that conclusion?

        • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 15:00

          I haven't mentioned race either. I don't think you're playing the race card - you can totally be white and still over sensitive.

          And no, fyi I'm not a "white privileged straight male", but good work being racist, sexist and heterophobic in one go. Did you want a prize for that?

          • NoMoneyNoCry on 04/12/2018 - 16:05

            @HighAndDry: It wouldn’t be as offensive or jarring when someone is mocking someone’s non Anglo name. If someone’s is white and never been mocked by having a non white name.

            Can I remind you that she is talking to patients that are in severe pain and not in the best shape. Screaming at them, mocking their surname, rolling her eyes at someone is inappropriate, rude and unnecessary.

            • HighAndDry on 04/12/2018 - 16:21
              +2

              @NoMoneyNoCry: Again, you're only hearing one side of the telephone conversations. Plus - you're still basically whining about her "tone" and "rolling her eyes". Oh no, how terrible. (can you sense my sarcasm? Are you going to complain about me being sarcastic too?)

    • NoMoneyNoCry on 04/12/2018 - 09:50

      She is rude to other people. I worked it out over time. I need to be careful with these sort of things. And I’m extremely sensitive to them - that it was not about Race.

  • garetz on 04/12/2018 - 09:47

    Par with the course, almost all receptionists for doctors especially specialists are like that, you need to develop a thicker skin, as soon as they realise they cannot affect you, then their attitude towards you also changes.

  • KaTst3R on 04/12/2018 - 11:26
    +2

    Either you take action by making the issue known to the doctor or ignore and move on.

  • FeRGan on 04/12/2018 - 12:20
    +1

    If you considered leaving I'm sure others have too. You would be doing him a favour by letting him know.

  • Ughhh on 04/12/2018 - 13:26
    +1

    If shes the only receptionist, take into Consideration that you may never get an ideal appointment time anymore.

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