'Can I ask what it's about?'
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Why does this question get people so riled?
I work at a Doctors surgery so ask this when booking appointments, people react to it as if I had just walked up to them in the street and asked when they last had sex. "What's it got to do with you??", "I'm not telling you" or classic "You're just a receptionist" I seem to get 20+ times a day.
We don't ask this so we can have a natter and laugh about you and your problems once you've gone. Different Doctors have areas they specialise in so if we know what your problem is about we might be able to asssign a Doctor with better knowledge or experience of the problem.
If it's embarrassing all they have to say is "Sorry I don't walk to talk about it"?
I work at a Doctors surgery so ask this when booking appointments, people react to it as if I had just walked up to them in the street and asked when they last had sex. "What's it got to do with you??", "I'm not telling you" or classic "You're just a receptionist" I seem to get 20+ times a day.
We don't ask this so we can have a natter and laugh about you and your problems once you've gone. Different Doctors have areas they specialise in so if we know what your problem is about we might be able to asssign a Doctor with better knowledge or experience of the problem.
If it's embarrassing all they have to say is "Sorry I don't walk to talk about it"?
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But that in itself is embarrassing. The other patients are always within ear shot, perhaps people don't want complete strangers to know their at the doctors with an embrassing problem? Is it really so hard to understand OP?
Well yes, but the OP is more likely to be dealing with someone booking an appointment over the telephone.
One thing that is really important, is to ascertain the urgency of the appointment. For each patient who claims a runny nose is a life threatening emergency, there's one who "doesn't want to cause trouble" for whom delay could be dangerous.
I nearly made that mistake. I rang up, got an appointment in 10 days' time, then rang back because I was worried and so said there was a small chance I could 'go blind'. Hyperbole, I admit, but as it happened I was in hospital the next day, for an urgent eye operation.
Keep up the good work OP
I would answer without hesitation. Be it over the phone or in a room full of people.
I am never going to see them again.
When I go into the doctors surgery there is always people there I know or see around.
Anyway, if I have something I think needs seeing to urgently then I will tell them that and a doctor normally calls back. If it's not urgent I pop into the surgery to make an appointment. I am not sure about the receptionist needing to know so can decide the best doctor for it, I thought we all had a doctor assigned. The receptionist would also need to be medically trained if they were going to sit making judgements on our needs.
If I need quick assistance then I will tell the receptionist why without being prompted, if I don't then I don't feel I have to divulge personal information for no real reason at all, nor should I be asked.
Thanks KJ! Yes most appointments are booked over the phone, but some are booked in the surgery, usually if they are already there for another reason.
Perhaps it would help if I explain.
One of our doctors specialises in coil fitting, one has eczema and food allergies, one used to work as in substance misuse rehab etc. If someone says 'my appointment is about my eczema' it makes sense to send them to the doctor that has eczema doesn't it? You don't need to be medically trained to do that do you?
Yes you will have a doctor assigned, but it's not always best to see the same doctor for everything. Plus, if they are away or booked up you might have a long wait on your hands. When there is 13 doctors it doesn't make sense to wait for 1 to become available.
If you're so conscious of what others will think of you, you should book the appointment in the privacy of your own home. Is that so hard to understand?
If it wasn't for us nosey buggers you wouldn't see a Doctor for a very long time, they run late with just appointments, imagine how it would be throwing admin into that? Then you'd be demanding receptionists to manage things.
The receptionist handles appointments.
There are times reserved for urgent appointments, and the receptionist is responsible for allocating urgent cases to those timeslots, and making sure those time slots aren't abused by impatient people.
Instead of seeing the receptionist as nosey or judgemental, see them as trying to help. It *really* is not in anyone's best interests to keep the receptionist completely in the dark.
It's a right pain when that happens.
I don't really consider my medical history to be personal. I couldn't care less who reads it. I am sure the receptionist has access to it anyway.
Sometimes when I phone I get straight through to the Doctor herself and even she doesn't ask me what's up.
Seriously, it really depends in my mood. If I'm in pain and feeling downright miserable then there's a high chance that I may be short with you on the phone. You may say that you won't talk about our situation (which is probably true due to your contract etc) but I still would rather you didn't know.
Edit- When it's in person at the survey, I'll already have in my mind what to say and will be prepared for that question. More details I give, the easier it is for me and the doctor when he/she sees me
As the different views shown between Jimmy Connors and Denise for example highlight, some are bothered and some aren't. There's always the phone or online if you aren't comfortable with it.
You're perhaps both putting yourselves before other patients. It isn't just all about your foibles, it's about allocating a scarce resource, doctors' time.
Receptionists aren't doctors, but they are skilled in understanding people.
If a receptionist makes mistakes in deciding who is an urgent case and who is not, that becomes apparent when the doctors see the patients, and in turn that reflects on the surgery as a whole, and the doctors are held responsible. So they make sure their receptionists are up to scratch.
Of course, patients are absolutely qualified to assess the urgency of their own conditions, aren't they?
It has never happened to me but if I was asked it at my surgery I would tell them to mind their own business, last year I had a problem with haemmoroids for a time, hell would freeze over before I revealed such a thing to a lowly receptionist with people around who might know people who know me etc, it would have nothing to do with her or anyone but the doctor.
Oh I see, sorry for responding.
You haven't really answered why though, you're just serving as an example of the people I'm talking about.
Because some are paranoid and maybe irritable as well. The last thing you said is quite polite enough. I actually wouldn't dare be that rude to a receptionist anyway.