[Strawberry]

I just spoke with 'Nurse Nightshade' at my doctor's office. My reason for calling the office was to inquire as to why the office had not sent my chart notes, as requested, to Medtronic so that my order for test strips could be completed. I just can't believe the nurse's response which was................."what are test strips and what are they for"?

And we wonder why our healthcare system is in such a sad state of affairs?

 

[Shanny]

That is really pitiful - wonder how she ever got licensed?!

 

[Strawberry]

I'm wondering if anyone investigated her background when she applied for the job? Who knows?? Maybe she is an imposter like some of these stories you see on television where a doctor poses as a surgeon and knows just enough medicine to perform surgery and then he is found to be a fraud??

 

[foxl]

Well ... at least she was willing to admit her ignorance and ASK!

We have all been new on the job once. At least.

And remember, those "nurses," as doctors' offices call them, and they call themselves, are really just assistants. They have no real clue.

 

[Strawberry]

My sister works for a medical office and I'm aware of the types of questions they often receive. However, this nurse or assistant outright lied to me. When I called Medtronic back and talked with them, the young woman there offered to send me a copy of the fax from my doctor's office that the "nurse" said did not exist. Somebody doesn't know how to read and I think it is the assistant.

 

[jwags]

I do think the bigger problem here is people like that will be given more and more power as doctors and the real nurses get overwelmed with patients. I hope you gave her a good lesson in Diabetes Management.

 

[Patdart]

Is she a blonde by any chance? ( I am, so don't come down on my head, but it is the sort of thing all the jokes are about.)

That needs to be reported to your doctor pronto.

 

[Strawberry]

Pat, Actually I only spoke with her on the phone. I don't have an appointment with my doctor in the near future, but in September. I will be looking for name tags to see if she is working that day. I suspect that the 'nurses' in that office come from a "pool" of circulating nurses. One I spoke with last month huffily told me "Doctor never speaks with a patient on the phone (I was having major side effects of a BP drug).

 

[Patdart]

Boy, that makes me mad that she treated you that way about your BP meds. My late husband was a physician and he'd have fired the 'nurse' on the spot. Be sure to let the doctor know about this! They stay so busy that they frequently don't know unless their workers don't mention it, and in some cases that could be too late!

 

[Strawberry]

Pat, I'm beginning to wonder if Doctors even have that power anymore? In my city, most doctors have admitting privileges to one or more of the three local hospitals. One hospital is Catholic, the other two are Protestant. The Doctors that have admitting privileges to the Catholic hospital cannot schedule any kind of "birth control" classes for their patients. They are bound by their agreement with this hospital.

My current doctor has admitting privileges to the Catholic hospital and the organization that owns the hospital also has rules for the doctors. In other words, they tell him what he can and cannot do.

It seems like medicine is more of a government issue these days rather than a moral or social issue. Just my humble opinion however.

 

[Adjitater]

Medicine is about making money and not about patient care.

 

[foxl]

In my friend's practice, the OFFICE MANAGER hires medical assts and determines who they work with. And heaven help us if the OM does not LIKE the MD ... the MDs in that practice have NO hiring or firing authority whatsoever.

So while you can complain to your doc (and I WOULD), it might not go anywhere at all.

 

[Strawberry]

foxl - I agree with you 100%. In the medical office where my sister works, the OM is a jerk! When I was seeing a dr. in that office I had a deep laceration on my index finger that I could not stop the bleeding. I didn't feel it was necessary to call 911, so I called the Dr. office. The stupid OM told me to drive myself to the nearest city which is 20 miles away and see a Dr. in the Urgent Care dept there. I told her that I'm holding pressure on this wound and I'm supposed to drive myself? I could have maybe driven the 5 miles to my doctor's office, but twenty miles in city traffic ---- no way. I sat with a pressure bandage for over 30 minutes and the bleeding finally stopped. You're so right.......the OM seem to have more authority than the Dr's.