Discussion with Doctor's receptionists

[Fluffyone]

I object to having the receptionist ask, every time I book an appointment, "Can I ask what you need to see the Doctor about?". When I say "No, I'd rather not discuss it." she says "OK, I'll put it down as personal." Well, all of my visits to the doctor are personal, and none of them need to be discussed with the receptionist.
What do you think?

you know - i truly think that everyone in the world should be made to do this job just for one fucking day.

today ive worked 10 1/2 hours. ive been shouted at, abused, expected to diagnose several conditions, expected to tell patients what medication they are on even if they havent got a fucking clue despite a list being printed out and given to them - like i should just know exactly what medication all of our 7000 patients are on and when they run out of it, ive dealt with crying women, foreign ladies and gents who dont speak a word of english, several chemists who havent got the foggiest idea what they have ordered for whom and when, a district nurse trying to tell me there was no blood form for an elderly patient despite the fact she already did the blood test last week, people expecting me to simply "magic" up appointments despite having no non urgent appointments available, and a visit request 2 minutes before we closed at 6pm.

shall i go on?

and i get the princely sum of £6.69 per hour for this shit.

at least in the police i ll get paid to take shite.

I've never been asked why I want to see the doctor, unless I've asked for an emergency appointment or to be put on the triage list for a call!

Some of you are so arsey, refusing to tell the poor receptionist what is wrong, when she has clearly been told to ask as part of her job.

I am amazed anyone does the job tbh, I couldn't do it (it's hard enough working for a dentist).

I always ask the recetionist if they can help me if they ask why I want to see the gp they always say they can't help me and I will need to see the gp. If no appointment then I ask for the nurse - as they will get gp if needed

you know i am timed TIMED on the phone - 30 seconds per call.

so i really really dont want to know. all i want to know is if you want an appt. i offer a time. you say fine. i confirm it, say thankyou and goodbye. 30 seconds is what im allowed so for those who want to regale me with your ailments im not really interested.

I don't see the problem - they are just trying to help you and the doctor. For example, if it's about a Gynae issue, they might book a double appointment to give time for an examination or smear, so it would save you coming back another time.

Vicarinatutu I would suggest you look for a new career you're obviously deeply dissatisfied with your job.
I won't discuss a medical problem with a receptionist by the way. Absolutely not.

snots at soh!

oh shit no i meant at your funny post

career girl - i have and am. im off into police in 2 months. yes i fucking hate it. hate hate hate hate hate hate hate it. is that ok with you?

our practice is relatively small (no where near 7000 patients i shouldnt think) and generally the receptionist recognises you on the phone which might make some people awkward if asked. Generally we dont get asked anymore - when we used to i would generalise (eg, medication review)and that was usually sufficient.

The time i did get cross was when i was at uni and the lady was probably fed up with time wasters!

careergirl,no wonder she is dissatisfied when people like you talk about receptionists as if they are some subspecies

actually i still cant believe the time limit on a phone call! thats outrageous!

We often have people booking to see a GP when they want, say, their ears syringing or a dressing changed. Others want a Diabetic review, Asthma review, etc which are all done MUCH more efficiently with a specially trained nurse.

Others want to discuss Coils etc, and only some of our female GPs are qualified to fit, check or remove them.

Some of our GPs are specialists in Rheumatology, dermatology, etc etc. Why waste your own time in having to re-book / wait for one GP to consult another?

We ALWAYS really try & get you to see the same GP wherever possible, for continuity of care, but if your GP is booked, we need to know if it is urgent or something better dealt with by someone els, or - as said by others, would get an automatic double or triple appointment time.

Our receptionists really DO try & help, but if you don't want / are not in a position to say, just say "it is personal" and no more questions are asked.

it is, by far, the lowest paid and most stressful job i have ever done. and yes i hate it.

Its triage...its not something to get uppity about...

Its so they know that "I have a 10 week old baby who is continualy being sick and is clearly in pain" gets an immediate appointment whereas "I bought an exercise dvd and the bit at the beginning says to check with my doctor before commencing with it" doesn't necessarily need an appointment that day.

I can't stand the "chip on my shoulder, since when were you medically qualified and I'd prefer to discuss this with the doctor you nosey cow" attitude

Ours usually say "is it urgent?" - which often causes difficulty if she thinks it isn't. So unless it was particularly embarrassing, I wouldn't have a problem telling the receptionist as sometimes I think it may help if the Dr had an inkling about why I was there before I walked in.

ShowOfHands:

"At least put twister out. Something. Anything."

That would really screw up the appointment times, though, wouldn't it? You'd come in needing your diabetes medication script refilled, and by the time the doctor could see you you'd have a herniated disc and a dislocated shoulder.

Won't anyone think of the waiting times?

Ewww at the thought of playing Twister with some of the unclean characters in my GP's waiting room.

My current gps receptionists are good. I was sat next to someone who was v I'll the other day and they came & gave her a drink& offered her somewhere to lie down. They never ask what appt is for unless it's for the nurse. There is same day appts available usually AND they arrange home visitswith only a quick query. They also did loads of chasing up for me to be seen at the EPU after a locum got it wrong.

Old GP surgery did none of this and I would get told off for wanting to see specific GPs (11 in the surgery so didn't want to keep explaining on long term problems)

"They never ask what appt is for" doesn't mean they are good..it means they aren't required to at that surgery.

They sound good in other respects, but that is a real misconception..that "good receptionists never ask".

I just tell them. I'm not sure why this is something to get worked up about. Receptionist is just doing their job correctly. Get over yourself.

Ours are fab. One of them's trained to do blood tests as a last-ditch attempt if the proper blood test woman is fully booked and she's been ever so obliging squeezing me in just after the morning "phonelines are open NOW" rush when I needed a fasting one taken on a certain day of my menstrual cycle... she was also better doing it than the flipping full-time needle poking woman was when she had to do it and couldn't get the vein(and I've got probably the nicest veins in the world for blood tests being taken - they're so obvious that they make nurses squeal with glee).

My old ones were dreadful - they had this ghastly no advance booked appointments system where you had to call in on the day you wanted to see a doctor but would constantly change the time you had to call in with no warning; despite having no facility to advance book appointments (which you kind of need if you're working and don't need an urgent appointment) you'd take the day off work to sit on the phone and try to get in to see a doctor - only to hear them booking appointments for their favourites in the waiting room after a 20 minute chat about Eastenders that night. They also liked to interrogate you really loudly over WHY you wanted to see the doctor, and had a glass screen and their chairs so far back that you had to really shout your reasons - so everyone heard. Basically the entire surgery seemed to actively seek out ways to make your life inconvenient - we noteably had a doctor bodge my coil fitting because he was rushing to get to the pub for lunch; I was yelled at (literally) for my weight, while having the highly weight-related proceedure of a smear test done (talk about a captive audience)... just constant annoyance and rudeness from them.

Current surgery cannot be helpful enough for you - they've got sensible opening times; they let you book in advance so you can actually get in around work; the staff don't snarl at you when you go in; and surprisingly because they're not just obnoxious and abusive to any slightly overweight person - they've got me shifted 3 stones, well 3 1/2 now I believe, in the last year. I've got some issues with one particular doctor because of something he's done - but the practice as a whole is fantastic. Also has a walk-in centre attached to it so if it's anything nurse sortable and you don't want to book in a docs appointment you can just go there.