Today Caleb had his orthodontist appointment at 9:00 am. That means leaving our home by 8:00am. Ugh---- 8 minutes behind---I guess we are still on winter vacation time---not back to school time. The fuel light came on 20 miles away from the office, so I prayed my way there----I just didn't have time to get gas until afterwards.
Funny how I hurried up to get there so we could wait--- one hour to be exact.
I don't know about you, but 90% of the time, I take my kids with me wherever we have to go. I rarely get a sitter..... and usually it is Grandma and Grandpa or Baboonya if I do.
23 inspiring thoughts:
This has happened to me ONCE with each specialist that we have. I say ONCE because I always say something about it. I learned my lesson one time when Angela had an ENT appointment. We actually were put in a room pretty quickly, where we then waited for an HOUR! No way! Then, because we waited so long, ended up being 2hrs behind schedule so we missed another appointment that had been set up MONTHS in advance. When the doctor finally came in, I gave a very calm, but not so happy lecture about MY time, and how at that moment in time *I* am the employer (since I'm paying for the time.) and how he would never treat his real employer like that. He was very apologetic, and I was very forgiving. But...it's NEVER happened again in that clinic. (I'm sure our chart has some bright orange "warning" flag on it. LOL) Since that time, when it's happened with other clinics, I always say something, and it never happens a second time with the same clinic. My daughter has a lot of specialists (15 to be exact!) and we often schedule several appointments within the same day since many of them are in the same building on the other end of town. I can see running 20 minutes or so behind, but when you're the first appointment of the day like you were today, there's no good excuse for it. After all, YOU did everything you could to be there on time, right? Emergencies are one thing, but overbooking appointments, or just getting WAY behind is another.
I usually take my kids with me too. Hell0--if I am paying for a Dr. appt. of some kind I'm not gonna pay for a babysitter!!
I am with you on this one. I love taking my kids with me where ever we go. I think it's a bigger pain to find a sitter and a bummer to lose that time with your kids. Especially if there is a lot of driving involved. This seems to me like the norm. If I actually saw a doctor before the hour wait I would be quite surprised.
When do your kids go back to school? They sure have a long break. My kids would be jealous!
Well the wait at our peadiatrition is always that long...the secretary actually asked me NOT to bring all the kids...can you imangine??
I do bring them all everywhere...but now that the older ones can stay home..they do..unless of course the appoinment is for them as well.
hearts; I hate it when dr's make you wait FOREVER!!! I think dr's should NOT be allowed to over book appointments!
if I have to take my two little ones and they put us in a doctors little room, I open the door after they leave so they can HEAR us and maybe move just a bit faster to get us out of there. We arent that noisy but I do let the kids giggle and laugh all they want. its never worked. though!!!
Everyone assumes that doctors over book appointments when in reality that is rarely the case. The biggest problem is patients who schedule an appointment for a simple cold and then come in with a laundry list of complaints or better yet bring in the family and expect the physician to check them out as well since they are already there. No one likes to wait when they have a scheduled appointment and physicians hate to be behind schedule but sometimes it can't be helped. Physicians have lives just like we do and sometimes they get stuck in traffic, have car trouble,experience personal illness, or just simply take the time to pray with a patient who has just been diagnosed with terminal cancer. I'm sorry but if a patient came in and lectured one of my physicians about running behind, they would very politely be told to find another doctor. My doctors work way too hard to be disrespected in that way.
Don't the older kids babysit for the younger ones?
My family doctor, dentist and GYN are pretty much on time. I don't mind waiting 15 9r 20 minutes and sort of expect it. When I am going to an appointment that I schedule around my lunch break, I call ahead before leaving to see if they are on time and state that I am coming on my lunch break.
I'd be FURIOUS having to wait 2 hours.
I used to see an ortho doctor and he was always very late. I was so glad to be done with him.
when do your kids start back to school? we've already started here :(
I have enough trouble wanting to take my 3 children to appointments(as do they)! Good for you for having so much patience!
I take my kids everywhere too...mostly because I have no choice, I have no one to watch them. They are very good at the doctors, but when I had OB appointments, I would have preferred NOT to take them some of the times.
I hate having to wait so long at the doctors (or dentist) too (especially if I've rushed to get there), but thankfully it rarely happens. I usually don't mind so much though unless I have some other appointment to be at. I know they can get behind, and things happen out of there control. It's part of life. If it happens frequently, then that's a problem.
This week I took the kids to various check ups, and the wait has always been between 20-45 minutes with appointments, and up to 4 hours without them.That's some of the perfect time to read the weekly Torah portions. Sigh.
If you were in Russia, they would have pushed you right through with all those kids. I cant tell you how many lines we got to cut in front of with just one or two kids. too bad I guess.
Christy
I admire you for having the decency to POLITELY state your difference of opinion, and the courage to sign your own name to it instead of hiding behind ANON.
YOU are a person of character.
:o)
I am very fortunate that my husband only works five minutes up the road and has a job that is quite flexible when it comes tim when he works. If he needs to flex an hour or two here or there (meaning coming home and working the hours at a different time) so he can be with the kids while I go to an appointment he can. So we do that a lot. But if I need to take all the kids I will. It just depends on the appointment and dh's availability.
how can I buy bibs!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i would need girlie colors if possable. let me know
kimberley
papedge@aol.com
I have had the same doctor for over 19 years. When I first started going to him, he answered the phone, gave the shots and everything. LOL Then he joined a practice, then moved again and finally again to an office complex by a hospital. Each time over the years, the wait has become longer. I can expect to wait a minimum of 45 minutes when I go for a visit. BUT... there is a sign on his wall that says: Please don't get upset if you need to wait, I will spend the same amount of time necessary with you. And he has held to that. I have NEVER ever felt rushed by him. He does not overbook. Sometimes I am in and out, and there have been other times where I was the one who took a longer amount of time.
The girls ortho doc sometimes takes 2 hours. We plan for the wait.
If one appt. runs into another, you can politely let them know what is going on, and they will accommodate the best they can or reschedule. Sometimes we plan our appts around lunch time... that is where the shortest wait comes. :) If you plan to be the first AFTER lunch, there is usually a minimal wait as opposed to the first appt. of the day. Because emergencies from the night before come right in in the a.m. and you might have to wait.
I do not bring all my kids to appts because it takes up too much room in the waiting area for other patients, unless we are at the children's hospital where there is lots of room.
The relationship established with a certain doctor is much more important to me than the wait time. I'd much rather wait for an excellent doctor than get rushed through by a not so great doctor.
BUT>>>>>
If they have an excellent reputation and are just full of themselves? I'll move on. :)
Seriously - you had all 11 kids there with you and you still had that long of a wait???
Wow!
But, then again - your kids were probably extremely well behaved!
The dr's cringe when my kids are in the waiting room making a ton of noise and crying - going after each other - etc... and that is just 3!!!
In the US we view appointments as PROMISES. I promise to respect your time because I expect that you will also respect my time. It matters! We show up early to not miss the appointment - doing otherwise is rude. We expect to be notified - in advance! - if there is a delay or change. We expect an apology (or to give an apology) if the appointment time is missed.
In Egypt - appointments are a sad joke. An appointment at 9am on Monday means that some time on Monday, you might get what you want, maybe. Being a foreigner means that we are, 99% of the time, 'fit in' rapidly ahead of others. We will also be charged double, or triple, or more, the going rate as well. I understand how this works - the doctor (or other person) fills their schedule to help as many people as possible, without any gaps in his day where he'd lose money.. and charging rich folks more than poor, helps those who cannot pay (I had an Egyptian explain this to me, with no malice at all, even though we were cut in line ahead of her at a clinic once, when we compared invoices - huge difference!) But it is still frustrating. As an American, to me, a broken appointment is the same as a broken promise - aka, a lie. I hate that. But, I keep it to myself as best as I possibly can.
Wow...you are brave taking all your children. I think it is wonderful and I enjoy when others bring theirs while I'm waiting!!
Isn't it always the way that if you got to the doctors late, they probably would have told you to go home b/c they were busy, yet you get there on time and they make you wait.
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