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Most of my blog posts are about my views on things that struck me as wrong or hateful, hurtful, or just mean spirited. I’ve never been one to sit by and let things go on around me that were wrong and not try and stop it. In high school, both by brother and I were known to be people who would break up fights. People would literally have fights on the other end of the campus to make sure we weren’t around to stop it. I’ve also never been one to let people say and do whatever they wanted to do to me without me standing up for myself. I have lost jobs, when I couldn’t afford to lose jobs, because I REFUSED to let people lie on or about me. So when I initially read the article about some doctors forcing patients to sign waiver agreements it got my blood boiling. Essentially these “doctors” don’t want you to complain about the treatment they give you. There are web sites that you can go to, Vitals.com, Dr.Score.com and RateMD.com, that have ratings of doctors and their medical care. Medical type posts aren’t usually my foray, they are left to my mother’s blog, A Nurse’s Journey, but I couldn’t sit by and let this situation pass and not respond to it. If you have nothing to hide Doc, you should welcome a rating system!
If you read my mother’s blog, you will see that she has gone through a myriad of medical procedures and has seen a lot of doctors. Many times I was in the room with her when she met with these people, both male and female. While most of her doctors have been great, some of them have been real losers who really shouldn’t be in the medical profession!
One of the best doctors she has ever had is Dr. John Murphy from Kaiser Hospital in San Diego. This man has continually gone past the “line of duty” in caring for my mother and I will forever be grateful to him. It is neat to see the smiles that come across both my mother’s face and Dr. Murphy’s face when they see each other. His care is one of the reasons my mother is still alive today!
Another doctor, an orthopedist in the Kaiser system in Baldwin Park is another story. While he did save my mother’s arm, and I am grateful to him as well, you will have to read her blog to find out what I am talking about, our first impression of him was that he was a complete and utter JACKASS! He walked into the examining room like he was the best thing since sliced bread and proceeded to try and dazzle us with his bullshit. It was only after my mother informed this doctor that she had been a “nurse longer than he had been alive”, that he left the room for an “emergency”, and came back a completely different person. He was no longer cocky, arrogant, and self absorbed. He was now thoughtful, attentative, and professional. I guess that is what happens when two people in the “business” get together!
I spent about nine hours in the emergency room of Kaiser a few months ago with my mother who was very dizzy and whose equalibrium was off. When we finally got back to see a doctor, he was so unenthused about being there that it showed on his face. He rarely looked my mother in the eyes and did a half assed exam of her. He did NOTHING to alleviate her symptoms and let her go an hour later. When he said my mother could leave, I asked the nurse what was the treatment for my mother. She said the doctor “said he told us what to do.” I informed her AND him by the TONE and VOLUME of my voice that “I wasn’t leaving until he told me something”, and sat my fat ass right back down in the room. This was all going on as my mother was trying to wheel herself out of the hospital! He came back and said she shouldn’t “skip meals and needed to take more fluids.” He also said we should monitor her blood sugar. Remember, my mother IS A NURSE! So he wasn’t telling us something that we didn’t already know and weren’t already doing. After a few more days of her feeling bad, my mother went online and with help from her other “nursing friends” found out what was wrong with her. Who needs doctors like him when you can just check the internet???
Of the three situations that I presented to you, one doctor would get so many stars that the sky would be empty, another would get some stars but with a proviso that he can be arrogant, and the other wouldn’t get a star if he bought them at a stationary store. My point? If you are a good doctor, you wouldn’t have to worry about a bad rating. Yes, there are people who complain just to complain. But one patient complaining about you won’t hurt you. It’s the repeated complaints, all sounding the same, from different people, that should worry you. Because if you are a good doctor, your patients will run, skip, swim, and fly , to your rescue and let the world know that you are the best. It’s those doctors that know in their hearts that they are only in the “business” for the prestige or the money that should worry. Because your attitude comes through everytime you see a patient!
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