2 posts shown.
wiredcanyon2 said:Sorry, I'm not sure I follow. What kind of "rates"?? You want to "reward" the staff extra? You literally just said they treated you like a "diagnosis" instead of a human being, and now you're asking about rates to tip them? :/ Surgeons are slammed, especially with trauma cases where you never know when the next one is hitting. These people don't have the luxury of sitting down to explain every single detail to every patient. They did their jobs—and sounds like they did them well—so you don't owe them anything. Don't make a fool out of yourself!! Just go to your follow-ups like they told you. If you're feeling genuinely thankful to someone, buy a box of chocolates or something, but DO NOT give cash!! I mean, if you have money to burn, go for it, but let's not have people complaining about doctors taking "gifts" just because patients feel the need to bribe them. I'm telling you this not as an angry patient, but as someone who's going to be a doctor soon.
Thanks for the quick reply, wiredcanyon2. That's pretty much how I see it too, but I can't shake this feeling that they're actually expecting something from the patient. The whole vibe, the way everyone carries themselves, it feels so patronizing—like they're doing you some massive favor and everything depends on their good graces... maybe I'm wrong, though, I've been taking quite a bit of pain meds lately... anyway, good luck with the career, cheers.
Hey there,
I might be slightly off-topic here, but I wanted to share what happened to me and see if anyone knows how this works... I ended up in the ER over in Oakland after taking a nasty spill off my bike. When I asked if they had any ice I could put on the swelling, they actually laughed at me and asked if I watched too many American TV shows. After that, I just stopped asking questions...
It was a whole cycle: X-ray, repositioning, immobilization, more imaging, then a consultation with the orthopedic surgeon, then they tried to send me home, then scheduled me for surgery in three days, and... well, they eventually decided to just operate right then because my collarbone was at risk of puncturing through the skin... so they took me into surgery that same night.
The surgeon installed a plate and nine screws, and I woke up in the trauma ward. They looked after me all night and through the first day—swapping out IV bags, giving me whatever meds were needed, checking if I needed pain relief. I was supposed to stay for 5 to 7 days. But on the second day, during rounds, the head of the clinic just brushed past my diagnosis, mentioned something about a clavicle... and said they should discharge me (pay attention to that "they")... and just like that, they let me go the second day after the rounds.
The staff was fine; they did their jobs. I’m not expecting people to bow down to me, but I have to complain that from the moment I was admitted, I ceased being a person and became just a diagnosis. I was treated as a medical case rather than a patient; everyone talked *about* my diagnosis instead of talking *to* me. Nobody except the anesthesiologist actually spoke to me, introduced themselves, or even asked my name. No one bothered to ask what happened, what they were going to do, or how long I'd be staying. Aside from some brief talk at admission and a technician asking my name and what happened when I was on the ward, that was it. Even during the discharge exam, the surgeon just rattled off healing statistics for my specific case and told me what I needed to do—rest and some light arm exercises (which ones? who knows?)—before scheduling a follow-up, making sure to emphasize that he did a great job.
I don't have supplemental insurance, so I paid 20% of the cost myself— $4.25 and even though my stay was short and I didn't interact with many people, I walked away feeling like I ought to be grateful to the doctors, nurses, and techs, and maybe bring a little token of appreciation or a tip. Since I'm new to this, does anyone know what the standard "gratuity" is for a clavicle repair—plate and screws? Because according to some of the support staff, everyone is pretty much looking for one...