Healthcare careers are some of the most rewarding yet aggravating jobs. Not only are people’s lives at your mercy, but some patients have no mercy when it comes to their downright bothersome behavior. And be it our patients themselves who nag us to the point of no return or it be a concerned family member biting at our ankles, we can all agree that there are different types of less-than-savory characters you are sure to stumble upon practicing medicine.
Poorly Prepared Patient.
Unless you’re having an ER visit, I can’t fathom why you would go to see your physician when you don’t have a clear knowledge of medications, health history, etc. And don’t just tell me you’re completely healthy and then tell your nurse that you take about 4 different colored pills everyday that you can’t remember the names of. As if we aren’t running around trying to diagnose enough in our day on next to little information, you’re making it a zillion times harder. (*facepalm*)
The Chatty Cathy.
Nothing is worse than a patient that won’t speak up. That is, except maybe for ones that won’t politely shut the heck up. It’s not that we don’t want to talk to our patients. Getting to know my patients is a great privilege in my job. And, communication is totally key toward diagnosing a health problem. However, I don’t want to come off rude when I tell you I seriously do not have the time to hear all your irrelevant gab when I have dozens of others that need to talk to me as well. So keep it short and sweet.
The Boisterous Bellyacher.
Sure the waiting room magazines might be older than your favorite pop musician, there might be a baby crying near you, or you might have to wait longer than anticipated….but please keep your cool for gosh sake. Throwing a hissy fit will not make the wait any shorter or anyone happier. Believe me, it’s not ideal conditions for anyone. But, rest assured, we are there to help you to the best of our ability and we did not intentionally cause you discomfort. No need to complain and threaten to call the hospital CEO or your lawyer…
The WebMD Hypochondriac.
We are all guilty of Googling up a storm sometimes. And, the web can be a great resource for grabbing information easier than ever before. However, some people don’t just jump but they LEAP to totally offset conclusions. Like “no, mam, you do not have testicular cancer despite your high fever.” There’s no shame in using the internet as a tool to help your doctor but, we are trained and have seen it all. We can diagnose you better than you can diagnose yourself.
The Ingrate.
In any healthcare setting, you can expect to be visited by folks from various walks of life and dealing with entirely unique situations. So you can absolutely expect to come across some less than friendly patients. They might be disrespectful, rude, or just send you negative energy. As a physician or any other medical practitioner, you should bare in mind that oftentimes this attitude is not a reflection on you or how they feel towards you, but rather how they feel in the situation in general. No one likes to be sick or injured so it could easily make the sweetest person a bit grumpy.
