I was getting the train home from work earlier, during rush hour. A guy sat opposite me and proceeded to make a phone call. He called someone and asked for the person by name, then gave his name, Dr Something or other. He explained that he was Dr So and so and he had received her phone message and apologised for the delay in getting back to her. He did also say that he was on a train so it may be noisy. He then proceeded to talk to the patient about results of a recent scan, talked about his concerns, or lack of, and mentioned the hospital in question. His reception cut out about 5 times (tunnels will do that and there are loads on a particular stretch of this journey and it is renowned for having poor reception). Each time he lost signal he called her back straight away and he did this about 4/5 times. It was incredibly irritating to have to listen to so I can't begin to imagine how annoying it must have been for the person on the other end of the phone. I couldn't help but hear the entire conversation. He waffled a lot and seemed to be keeping the conversation going un-neccesarily. I kept wondering why he didn't just explain that he had poor reception and tell her he would call her back (when he wasn't on a train) at a more appropriate time to arrange "next steps". At one point he even talked to the patient about seeing him privately and gave a rundown of his fees.
I don't understand why anyone would attempt to conduct a professional phone call in these circumstances. I most certainly would not expect to receive a phone call from my doctor to talk to me about results of a recent scan on a busy train. And repeatedly call me back, ad nauseum, when his phone signal failed.
So, is this a sign of the times, and even doctors have to grab every free minute they get? Or was this completely and utterly unprofessional?