This morning, my wife called the SurgiCenter (where I am scheduled to have surgery on my thumb tomorrow--it has trigger finger) to see if the surgery is still on. She was told that it is--but that it has been changed from 12:00 noon to 9:00 AM--and that I should show up at 7:30. Well, I (somewhat reluctantly) will be there tomorrow; but I called back this lady, and made it a point that I am never again to be moved around, like a pawn on a chess board. (If the doctor has some cancellations, and cannot see me at that time, it is okay to cancel me altogether--but not to move me around. This has really ticked me off! I do not live for the purpose of making things more convenient for the doctors in my life. And I emphatically do not consider myself subordinate to those doctors--in any way, whatsoever. If I have to find new doctors and a new hospital in the future, I am fine with that. But I will never again have a doctor acting like I need him more than he needs me. (If he really does not especially need me, then we should part ways. Immediately, if not sooner, as the old saying goes.)
could just tell them you are not a morning person and reschedule I have to say though, I have never had a doctor move the appointment to earlier without asking, that does seem rude now I have arrived on time and waited over an hour before... which sucks too
That may have been a good idea. But it was largely the principle of the thing: If they had rescheduled for, say, 2:30 PM, I would have also been quite upset. I agree. Yes, I have, too. (More often, it is broken up this way: I wait for 30 or 45 minutes in the waiting room, and then another 30 or 45 minutes in another room, after the nurse calls me back.)
That makes no sense. It implies that if your wife hadn't decided to call, you'd never have learned about the rescheduling. Why are you assuming the change had anything to do with the doctor? You may well be justifiably angry at the centre itself but I don't think the unilateral attack on doctors is fair.
I used to get the first appointment in the morning, and the doc still kept me waiting. Could never start on time. Then there was the drunk doc after lunch...not impressed with them in general.
That, surely, is the way it appears on the surface. But she was told that they intended to call later in the day, and announce the change. Well, when I called back the SurgiCenter, I was told that the doctors often have cancellations, so they wish to rearrange the remaining appointments--frequently at the last minute. Note: I have since had the surgery; and it went well.
I have a theory about this problem. Most doctors know they want to study medicine while still in high school. They embark on a path to finish undergraduate school and medical school with some additional training for specialized programs. Many don't have to work at part-time jobs and have the resources (ie. family support, financial aid, scholarships, grants, etc.) to pursue their career in the medical field. At NO time, does the average medical student have the time or interest in pursuing anything remotely close to social interaction other than with others in their career path. This means they often do NOT have any people skills. One day, they look up with a pen in hand, prescription pad in pocket and the ability to make life or death decisions for any patient assigned to them. They are trained to be haughty. They are trained to believe they are better than the mere peons that come to them with their medical problems. They only answer to one or a few supervisors (who were also trained to think they are g-ds). Many people cannot cope with having power and, like it or not, doctors (and police officers) are the only field in which someone can have blood on their hands with virtually no scrutiny (re: police officers) this has changed a bit in the current climate of civil unrest over police brutality, but that will die down and people will go back to ignoring cops bullying people).
