Reflectionsof my experience with a Pediatrician who was an ineffectivecommunicator
5thMay 2016
Thewhiff of the eerie smell from health care facilities always takes mymind back to memory lane. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, areflection refers to a quiet and calm thinking and I can vividlyrecall a time I was not feeling well and I was taken to the hospitalto see a doctor (2016). I was not feeling well for about two days andI had no idea of what was going on as far as my health was concerned.It was only then that my two colleagues insisted that I should visita renowned pediatrician who was highly recommended by one of mycolleagues. Unfortunately, the pediatrician seemed to be too busythat day. I really was not sure if he was open for business or notbecause he did not want to see anyone. The doctor was busy on thephone trying to create his own website when I walked in. In fact, hedid not even turn his head to look up when the door swung open whenwe walked in. A few minutes later, I realized that there were somemedical students in his office who had showed up for a lesson on howto become good medical doctors. At about the same time I was tryingto make of what was going on, a lady walked into the office. Itturned out that she had a medical appointment with the doctor butunfortunately the doctor was too busy for her too. So in a jiffy sheleft the office but what caught my attention was how the pediatricianreacted as he uttered it’s good that she has left a minute after heput down his phone down. This is when I realized the importance ofbeing an effective communicator.
Atfirst, I was full of anger and rage as I could not understand why aperson who is supposed to take care of people acted as if he did notcare at all. I was frustrated as a patient because from the way hewas behaving it was more likely that I would go home feeling muchworse than I already was at the moment. I have always believed thatdoctors need to be empathetic and should show concern to the clientsbut I was actually getting no attention at the moment.
Thiswas one of my worst experiences at a health care facility. It feltthat I was unwanted and it seemed that the doctor needed his own timerather than offer his time to the patients waiting in line for him.The doctor was simply arrogant and did not show any concern to hispatients. But even worse he did not care about what other people feltabout his actions.
Itseemed that the doctor felt he was too important and that everybodyand everything else could wait for him. At the moment, it seemed thatthe only thing the doctor cared about was putting his website up andrunning thus defeating the reason behind showing for work in thefirst place. The doctor was insensitive to the patients’ needs andin my opinion this kind of attitude could have been learnt over aperiod of time and it was just something that just occurred during mytime of visit.
Frommy terrible experience, I concluded that it is crucial to treat otherfellow human beings with the dignity that they deserve. Medicaldoctors or personnel working in the medical field are supposed to becautious, empathetic and have to always show concern towardspatients. This experienced emphasized the need that everyone needs tobe an effective communicator. The notation that just being a doctorand having the relevant skills required for the field is notsufficient for one to become a doctor. In a field that deals withpatients and people who need some level of care, doctors and othermedical professionals need to be always careful about theirbehaviors. The busy pediatrician meant well he was working on hispersonal website but he should have at least showed some concern byletting the patients and the medical students know that he would bewith them after a moment. Had the doctor been an active listener,showed compassion and concern for his patients, my attitude towardshim would have been different. The woman who walked out too wouldhave probably stayed longer and waited for the doctor to wind up onwhat he was doing.
Therefore,it is because of this painful and terrible ordeal that I experienceda decade ago that I made up my mind about my profession. I decidedthat I would not be just any other medical practitioner in a healthcare facility but I would be a medical profession with a purpose. Inother words, I strive to make a difference in the health care worldby not just being any other medical personnel but one that makespatients feel better, valued and in good hands during their stint atthe hospital. At the end of the day it is all about being effectivecommunicators and giving patients a memorable experience at healthcare facilities.
Listof References
Reflect(2016) Merriam-Webster [online] Available from
<http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reflect>[5 May 2016].