Doctor’s Waiting Room Etiquette
There is nothing more frustrating than sitting for hours in the waiting room. Make your next doctor’s appointment painless with Modern Manners Guy’s 3 easy tips.
Richie Frieman
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Doctor’s Waiting Room Etiquette
After a trip the doctor’s office yesterday, I learned two things:
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I have no patience
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According to People magazine from August of 2011, Kim Kardashian is getting married “to the love of her life.”
Sadly, the October issue chronicled her divorce. But useless socialite gossip aside, the third thing I discovered at my doctor’s appointment was a lesson in the do’s and don’ts of the waiting room.
Proper Waiting Room Etiquette
Between my own doctor visits, my pregnant wife’s doctor visits (we’re having our second child in June!), and my daughter’s appointments, I visit a lot of doctor’s offices. And they all seem to be run like a well-rusted machine. It starts out as a friendly, welcoming place, but as the room fills with people waiting for their turn, it turns into the DMV, with impatient grumblings about the long wait.
Let’s get one thing clear: I’m not here to bash doctors. In fact, I love the House Call Doctor! I totally understand that things can take longer with different people. As well, I know that doctors probably hate making people wait for them. So really, it’s up to us as patients who have to handle the waiting game properly.
So before you fill out 15 pages of redundant information (the same ones you filled out just 3 months before), check out my top 3 Quick and Dirty Tips for the etiquette of a doctor’s office waiting room:
Tip #1 – YOUR Time is Money
Regardless of the fact you made the appointment 6 months ago, it just now dawned on you that you have a doctor’s appointment this afternoon. Between all the millions of things we do each day, this appointment is probably something you’re not looking forward to. Then you show up and find out there is a bunch of paperwork you have to fill out, and your 2:00 appointment, now lands you in front of the doctor by 3:00, if you’re lucky. Nothing like waiting an hour for a 10-minute procedure, right?
The best way to avoid a long wait is to plan ahead. Granted it’s not like the airport, where you need to arrive hours in advance, but don’t show up at the exact time of your appointment and expect to just waltz right in either. Show respect for their time and for your own and do your part by showing up early. You know you’ll be handed paperwork, you know there’s no way around it, and you know it will be tedious. So just accept it. In addition, to avoid a longer wait next time, request the first appointment available on the day you need. It’s a trickle down affect of business in doctor’s offices and if one person needs more attention, it starts a chain reaction of delays. So if you’re first in, and out on time, the entire day will go smoothly for everyone.
Tip #2 – Be Prepared to Entertain Yourself
As I stated above, I love going to doctors’ offices and reading magazines from the last time I was there—which is usually several months ago. It always shocks me that doctors’ offices have out of date magazines. I think it’s something they secretly discuss at conferences every year, just as a personal inside joke to play on us patients. Even though any given month, George Clooney will be dating a supermodel, it’s still annoying to read about the wrong one, right? So, when it comes to your doctor visit, be prepared to entertain yourself.
The other week, at my wife’s appointment, they would not allow patients to use their smartphones in the waiting room. WHAT?!?! That is madness! My iPhone is practically attached to me at all times. Why? Whyyyyyyyy? However, after a few minutes of crying, I wiped my eyes and realized that since sonogram machines and smartphones don’t mix well, I should have brought something to read, or to do to entertain myself. It’s not the doctor’s job to keep you occupied (but it would help). And, let’s not be surprised when we get there and everything worth reading is completely out of date, ruined, or missing pages. Next time you go to the doctor, you will feel much better if you bring something to keep yourself busy during what will likely be a long wait. A good book, a magazine, that day’s paper, or a few episodes of your favorite podcasts (ahem, Modern Manners Guy). For extra fun, leave a magazine there and see if it’s still there when you go back the next time.
Tip #3 – Be a Boy (or Girl) Scout
Boy Scouts are always prepared. Now, I don’t think you’ll need a box of waterproof matches or a pocketknife when you go for your annual check-up, but it’s always good to be prepared for what they will ask. You know you are going to need your insurance card and you know the one in your wallet is outdated. We’ve all been there. As well, you know you’ll need to have a list of your medications, your history, and other medical info. And saying, “It’s a white pill for allergies…It’s, like, tiny…Um…It comes in a square box…” will only make them madder. Trust me. I speak from experience.
I like to keep a record of all my past history with the doctor I’m visiting, at least for a year, and bring it with me. As well, I always write down the medications I’m on with the correct spelling beforehand.
When going into the battlefield known as “the doctor’s waiting room,” you want to have as many advantages over your opponent as possible. So if they don’t drive you mad with paperwork, you’ll be that much closer to the goal line.
After all, you don’t want to hold up the rest of the patients because you can’t find your insurance card or remember your primary doctor’s phone number, do you? Guilty!
Do you have a great story about a doctor’s waiting room? Post all the details in Comments below. As always, if you have another manners question, I look forward to hearing from you at manners@quickanddirtytips.com. Check out my Modern Manners Guy Facebook page, follow me on Twitter @MannersQDT, and of course, check back next week for more Modern Manners Guy tips.
Waiting Room image courtesy of Shutterstock