* * Anonymous Doc: "I'm too busy-- come back later!"

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

"I'm too busy-- come back later!"

I get called to do a consult on a newly-admitted hospital patient.  I knock on the door.

"Hi, I'm [me].  Your cardiologist wanted me to come see you, and--"

"Oh, can you come back later?"

"Uh, I guess... why?"

"They said I'm having physical therapy, and I wanted to get ready."

"This won't take long..."

"I'd rather you come back later."

"Okay, do you know what time physical therapy is?"

"They said they're coming any minute."

"Okay, I'll come back in an hour.  You should be back by then."

"Oh, but that'll be lunchtime."

"Okay..."

"At least you can let me eat lunch in peace."

"Okay, I'll come back after lunch."

"I can't nap?  It's like torture here."

"I think I'm just going to do a quick exam now, if that's okay."

"No-- I said it's not.  Come back when I'm not so busy."

"You're in a hospital."

"I know. And I'm very busy today."

"I think your doctor may have called the wrong kind of consult anyway.  I'll let him know I quickly saw you."

"Goodbye!"

"Goodbye."

4 comments:

  1. "I'll have my people call your people when I'm ready..."

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  2. Honestly, if I were in a hospital as a patient, that conversation would never even have occured to me.

    Really, that happened?

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  3. Entitled much? Geez. Seems to be a lot of that going around where you are...sorry.

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  4. Paging psychiatry....

    ReplyDelete