what do i do...

if i hate my doctor's assistant?

michael, the assistant to my CEP, is the biggest jerk i have ever had the displeasure of meeting. he is condescending and patronizing, disorganized and disrespectful. every time i speak to him (which has only been three times) he puts on these airs that are supposed to make me feel like the biggest moron to walk the planet. i question him about something, and he gets offended and begins speaking to me as though i'm two.

thing is, i'm pretty well-versed in medical terminology, i know most of the treatments for these things, etc etc, because i've been in disability for a very long time. (i work for a major health and life insurance company.) if he says something that confuses me, or that i don't agree with, or that i actually know to be untrue, i'm not afraid to speak up and provide proof. i KNOW it pisses him off, but i don't care...this is MY health we're talking about, and i'm through screwing around.

i just called because i have my ablation scheduled for next week, and i wanted to make sure i knew when to stop my medicines, when to arrive, etc. all the normal stuff i should know before a procedure, right? only i called the main office, not his extension, because the last time i called him, he never bothered. i had to get the office involved to get him to call me at all, and even then, he acted like i was bothering him! (and this was to find out when this was happening!) he is UNBELIEVABLE.

anyway. when i called three weeks ago, i asked him if i would need to make a pre-op, and he said no, to show up at 6:30a the day of the procedure, and they'd do everything then. i was like, 'perfect, thank you, have a day.' done. only this weekend did i start thinking about the rest of it - i take aspirin, as i imagine most of us do, and sotalol, and i needed to know if i should stop taking them.

so he calls me back and says 'this time, you need to take out a piece of paper and a pen, because you've OBVIOUSLY forgotten the instructions i gave you LAST time.'

...i was LOOKING at the piece of paper i'd written everything down on last time, he can kiss it.

he ran roughshod over me for a few minutes, and i finally asked him about the meds, and he had the audacity to say 'we discussed this. anything else?'

!!!!!!!!!!

i spoke up and said 'we did NOT discuss this, i would have written it down with everything else.' and he said 'stop the sotalol 24 hours before, fasting, arrive at 6am. that's it.' and i said 'oh, six am? it was six-thirty two seconds ago. i'll change that to be sure i'm on time. thanks for your time, have a great day.' and i hung up the phone.

but he upset me, and i really, truly dislike him...but i think my CEP is the bomb. i just want to punch this guy in the face. he upset me to the point where i needed to walk away from my desk at work. i hate it when people make me that angry - i always cry.

he's SUCH a word i refuse to type here.

/ bitching. sorry. just had to get it out.


7 Comments

Take a deep breath....

by maryanne - 2008-06-10 06:06:45

Your frustrations are ligitimate. You have tried to speak with the person on a professional basis and it has not been reciprocated.
Although you are frustrated with the situation it doesn't do you any good getting mad...it truly is a waste of your time and engery. I think this person just doesn't have the insight about how their actions impact those around them.

You are right, you need to take care of your health and that is what you are doing. When this is all done, might I suggest you try having a conversation with this person and explain how their actions made you feel. If you don't think you will get anywhere with that tell him that you will be writing a letter to his employer explaining the situation, and ask them to respond to you. I would also send a copy to your GP...it's a good think to keep a paper trail of things like this.

I don't want you to get more upset about this...it's uncessary and unhealthy for you. And yes it is all about you and your health.
best of luck.....

Document, document, document!

by auntiesamm - 2008-06-10 10:06:39


I am a letter-writer and believe things worth discussing or complaining about must be written down. In your situation I would write a letter to this "jerk", tell him how he has come across to you, that you are offended by his attitude and ask him if he is like this with all patients or just with you. Tell him his attitude is counterproductive in the larger scheme of things and you would like him to examine the way he deals with you. Tell him you would prefer not to have to tell the physician you are leaving his care because of this assistant's attitude and behavior; that is is a world-class p---k! Is this a single or multi-physician practice? The behavior you describe is absolutely unacceptable as you well know and this jerk needs to be put in his place. I would imagine he treats all patients the same. You could be the person who really turns this guy's attitude around. A letter like I am talking about is always a "veiled threat" but usually gets results. I am so sorry this person has treated you so rudely when you have so much on your mind already. He should be bending over backwards to answer your questions and be sure you have all the information you need. That is a big part of his job whether he knows it or not! I will be interested in how things go for you. Take care and God bless.

Sharon

hi :-)

by pacergirl - 2008-06-10 12:06:01

Isn't it amazing that some people in the health care profession have no manners at all. When this happens to me this is what I do........

I state very clearly that I just realized that I must be disturbing them and would they please get someone else to speak with me. If they refuse I simply repeat my request.... Someone else please! It always works. Either they calm down or they get someone else.

I try to remember that these are the people with the type of personalities who must be in control at all times. They hate it when their authority or knowledge is questioned. hee hee no one can know everything about all things but they don't know that. It is up to us to remind them! ha ha

In closing I must say.... I want and deserve, to feel comfortable with the people who are taking care of me, my heart and my pacemaker and so do you.

Best of luck to you and feel free to vent anytime.
Pacergirl

Tell the doctor

by Suze - 2008-06-11 09:06:00

I'm sure you're not the only patient who gets this treatment and attitude from this jerk.
Many years ago I had a problem with a nurse in my doctors office. She spoke to me like this guy speaks to you. I asked the doctor (during an appointment) if any other patients left his practice because of this woman's attitude. He said not that he knew of. And nothing else was said.
But the next time I went in...she was gone! And she had been there for a long time! So mention it in a matter-of-fact manner. Sometimes doctors are very busy and really not aware of these problems. It's worth a try.

Sending good thoughts and prayers,
Suze

So True!

by Pookie - 2008-06-11 11:06:29

If you do not speak up, then this person will continue behaving in that manner. If this person gets enough complaints lodged against them.... they could be gone faster than they know!

Like Suze just said: It's worth a try!

Good luck.

Pookie

Step one!

by ElectricFrank - 2008-06-11 12:06:40

The first thing to do is to cancel the ablation and find someone you can trust.
An ablation is a serious and risky procedure. All you need to do is check the archives of this forum to find a number of people who have had disasters with ablations.
I have the same problem in that I am a biomedical engineer and understand the electronics involved in my pacer. I also spend a lot of time studying medical literature. This is very threatening to some doctors. A few I have been able to get things squared away with, but most of the time it I just have to make a change. It is too ingrained in their personality and is why they chose medicine.

good luck,

frank

Wow!!!!

by richan - 2008-06-12 12:06:48

Sounds like it is time to find another cardiologist before you do anything regarding surgery etc. I also think it is time to let your cardiologist why. I think it is important to let your cardio know what the jerk has been doing - your description above is excellent. I hope the jerk gets fired. He obviously should not be in a position where he has to deal with people.
I am sorry to hear about your untenable situation and do hope that you are able to make things work out OK.

Richan

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