The downside(s) of a small private family practice

[Reality Check 2]

Today, 2 days after Christmas - doc is gone. Me and sub NP running the joint.

 

My MA is hacking up a lung and looks horrid. The office manager won't LET HER go home. Says we are shorthanded with folks on vacation.

 

Office manager solution - have her wear a mask.

 

I am sure she will quit within the week due to this and multiple other issues.

 

One of our MAs is up front answering phones. I asked the office manager (politely) if that MA can come back and help so mine can go home. Mentioned that one of the 3 front desk folks could answer phones for 1/2 day. I must have grown a horn. Looked at me like I was speaking Greek.

 

Far be it for the office manager to come out of her cave and actually help - say - I don't know - ANSWER THE PHONE FOR 4 HOURS SO A QUALIFIED MA CAN HELP ME - ME, THE ONE SEEING PATIENTS AND MAKING REVENUE.

 

Merrry Fricking Christmas to me. Nothing has changed.

 

Sure she will tell the doc tomorrow when I am gone that I was demanding or something. 

 

Deep Sigh - holiday cheer over and done.

[ventana]

Send the doc a very nice professional email - or better yet call them ASAP and ask for permission to institute the solution as you have presented and explain why - medically this is needed (sick MA)

 

honestly, I would just tell the MA to go home, and take responsibility for it "yes I told her to go home - she was on deaths doorstep"

 

let the chips fall - (stop caring what others think/do and do what is right for the clinic)

[TWR]

RC-2 Tell us how you really feel!! I was laughing so hard reading you last post here. Have a better New Year!!

[electric130]

Sounds like a very poor working environment.  If you are sick you should be able to go home, end of story.  I can totally understand your frustration on all fronts.  How many providers do you have to need 3 people up front?  

We have two providers, at least one at all times and only one front desk receptonist, one nurse and one MA.  Our office manager is also a nurse and does everything as well, nurse call backs, MA work etc...

Seems like there is plenty of man power that could have covered for your MA, nobody wanted to take on any more work.  I honestly feel bad for that MA.  

[Reality Check 2]

I am not actually this exasperating in person - mostly - don't ask my husband..... I vent with a keyboard.

 

I remained very calm yesterday and just made the suggestion to the office mgr during lunch. I had plenty to do and no time to really pursue it any further. It is still very obvious that I am not really in charge when he is gone.

 

When the doc is gone, we have to go through his refills and all the phone calls and all the BS after a long holiday weekend. There was no shortage of crap to do. I could have not seen patients at all and still been busy all day. 

 

Right after lunch, the MA who was answering the phones up front came back and told my MA to go home. No one came and talked to me. My MA was surprised and quite pleased. I ran with it.

 

The office manager had to answer some calls and deal with some stuff and came to me several times with questions - she was so far out of her comfort zone and her league - I didn't laugh - I answered her questions, showed her how to find things on the computer - stuff she should know, by the way. 

 

It all worked out and I got through my afternoon and saw plenty of people and all the BS refills and calls got taken care of. The doc came in this morning to a very very low load to deal with.

 

The hardest part for me is this is NOT how I was raised, trained and it doesn't flow with my work ethic. Pretty sure my Mom wasn't just in the Army - she must have been secretly been a Marine - adapt, improvise, overcome - what was expected.

 

I have answered phones in a previous life and at clinics, worked retail, cleaned toilets, unjammed printers, called vendors for repairs, shoveled snow, and it was just what had to happen - part of the job - nothing beneath me and nothing more than what needed to be done. So, it bugs me beyond belief when faced with someone who supposedly knows how to do a job and they simply can't figure shit out. 

 

The ortho doc I worked with was Napoleon and had people all anxious when he was around. To make my life easier, I scrubbed in early with the tech who didn't know us on a late shift and set up the mayo for her and walked her through the first steps of the surgery and took away all the extraneous instruments that she didn't need and put them on the back table. He wasn't quite so much a jerk and she didn't get yelled at and everyone had a better day. She thanked me later when he wasn't around. 

 

The hospital lost an instrument one day - on call, on a weekend, in the snow - and the other one broke in the surgeon's hand - not kidding - it was a bad day. This surgeon was an adaptor. He stopped - looked at everyone at the table and said - I am open to ideas - how do we do this? No anger, minimal frustration, a clear desire to get this done - six of us came up with a solution within a few minutes and the patient was fine, no harm done, nothing controversial, completely kosher, sterile and we did it. He thanked everyone and the head nurse wrote down the work around in his magic book of solutions for future use.  It turned out to be a good day. 

 

So, this worked out. You guys heard my rant and laughed at it and offered up solutions and good responses. I am better for it. 

 

Will I stay in this situation? Probably not for long. Have to find something and I have a few things in the works already. 

 

In the meantime - I will continue to adapt, improvise and overcome whenever needed. And try to smile while doing it - try, I said.....

[GetMeOuttaThisMess]

I am not actually this exasperating in person - mostly - don't ask my husband..... I vent with a keyboard.

 

I remained very calm yesterday and just made the suggestion to the office mgr during lunch. I had plenty to do and no time to really pursue it any further. It is still very obvious that I am not really in charge when he is gone.

 

When the doc is gone, we have to go through his refills and all the phone calls and all the BS after a long holiday weekend. There was no shortage of crap to do. I could have not seen patients at all and still been busy all day. 

 

Right after lunch, the MA who was answering the phones up front came back and told my MA to go home. No one came and talked to me. My MA was surprised and quite pleased. I ran with it.

 

The office manager had to answer some calls and deal with some stuff and came to me several times with questions - she was so far out of her comfort zone and her league - I didn't laugh - I answered her questions, showed her how to find things on the computer - stuff she should know, by the way. 

 

It all worked out and I got through my afternoon and saw plenty of people and all the BS refills and calls got taken care of. The doc came in this morning to a very very low load to deal with.

 

The hardest part for me is this is NOT how I was raised, trained and it doesn't flow with my work ethic. Pretty sure my Mom wasn't just in the Army - she must have been secretly been a Marine - adapt, improvise, overcome - what was expected.

 

I have answered phones in a previous life and at clinics, worked retail, cleaned toilets, unjammed printers, called vendors for repairs, shoveled snow, and it was just what had to happen - part of the job - nothing beneath me and nothing more than what needed to be done. So, it bugs me beyond belief when faced with someone who supposedly knows how to do a job and they simply can't figure shit out. 

 

The ortho doc I worked with was Napoleon and had people all anxious when he was around. To make my life easier, I scrubbed in early with the tech who didn't know us on a late shift and set up the mayo for her and walked her through the first steps of the surgery and took away all the extraneous instruments that she didn't need and put them on the back table. He wasn't quite so much a jerk and she didn't get yelled at and everyone had a better day. She thanked me later when he wasn't around. 

 

The hospital lost an instrument one day - on call, on a weekend, in the snow - and the other one broke in the surgeon's hand - not kidding - it was a bad day. This surgeon was an adaptor. He stopped - looked at everyone at the table and said - I am open to ideas - how do we do this? No anger, minimal frustration, a clear desire to get this done - six of us came up with a solution within a few minutes and the patient was fine, no harm done, nothing controversial, completely kosher, sterile and we did it. He thanked everyone and the head nurse wrote down the work around in his magic book of solutions for future use.  It turned out to be a good day. 

 

So, this worked out. You guys heard my rant and laughed at it and offered up solutions and good responses. I am better for it. 

 

Will I stay in this situation? Probably not for long. Have to find something and I have a few things in the works already. 

 

In the meantime - I will continue to adapt, improvise and overcome whenever needed. And try to smile while doing it - try, I said.....

 

I can relate.  Sometimes it is just easier to do it oneself than to defer to others.  While neither of my parents were military it sure felt like they were while I was growing up.  It didn't help that my first job back in early 80's was with a typical type A surgeon who wanted it all done ahead of time.  When something wasn't right, whether it was a personal screw up or something beyond our control, it wasn't a pretty picture.  I like to blame him to this day for my "hissy fits".