Doctors receptionists are they rude to you?

Question

I have found that some receptionist not all i must add have a terrible attitude to patients these days, they speak with authority which they dont have. Do they realise if you attend the doctors you are not well, so why have they no sympathy especially with older patients. Also what is this silly question they ask you..is it an emergency... when you want an appointment. If it were an emergency wouldnt i be calling 999.
What is your opinion on this?
Any genuine receptionists please accept my apologies but these bad ones are ruining it for you..

Answer 1

Yes, a lot of them really are very rude. It's almost like you're an inconvenience to them and how dare you come to the reception desk and disturb them. I have been a receptionist in lots of places, including a doctors surgery and I promised myself I wouldn't ever be like the rude ones and I never was. I once got a box of chocolates and a card from an old lady thanking me for taking time out to help her (she wanted several different appointments - nurse, doctor, blood test etc for different things) and she wanted them all on the same day. It was a bit of a pain to do but it wasn't her fault that she needed all these appointments. I was SO touched by this. I thought as my colleague handed them over to me "I was only doing my job". I am now a secretary but occasionally have to cover reception and I'm still commented on how polite I am to people. I just don't think it's right being rude to someone. That's my job and they are not better or worse than me and I know I certainly wouldn't like being spoken to like that. Even if people are rude to me, it just makes me smile even more. It's very hard for them then to continue to be rude when someone is being very polite to you.
Yeah, I get annoyed about the whole "emergency appointment" thing. Like you said, if it was a real emergency you'd go to A & E or call 999.

Answer 2

Well in my experience in the medical field I have seen quite a few rude receptionists as well. My guess is they are overworked and underpaid. Here are some other reasons why receptionists may be rude...these reasons doesn't justify such behavior but explains a little of how such behavior is created: 1. If you have an overloaded medical practice where the number of patient requests regularly overwhelms your office staff, the demands placed on your front desk medical receptionist is intensive, and often times, it can be almost unrealistic. No matter how well organized and professional your medical receptionist is, no human being can literally perform more than one task at a time. 2. A medical receptionists job is much like that of a link cook in a busy restaurant; they may have 8 different orders cooking on the grill, in the deep fryer and the burner, but no cook can scramble eggs, pull the catfish out of the deep fryer, sauté mushrooms and put together a BLT at the exact same time, much like your front desk medical receptionist is unable to cater to 3 on-hold customers, the new incoming phone call, customers standing in line and checking out patients who have just finished their visit effectively. Simply put, no matter how efficient your front-desk receptionist is, they cannot perform more tasks than their human body allows them. I feel your frustration and I think new technology that is emerging namely automated receptionists will allievate some of the stress of medical front offices. The automated systems would be a computerized kiosk in the waiting rooms where a patient can check in and correct information that has changed. You sound like a good nurse and one that is very patient in stressful situations. Keep up the good work.

Answer 3

I have a close friend that is a doctors recptionist.The horror stories that she tells me...wow.
On the other side, I have had to change my doctors because of having great difficulty getting an appointment.You have to be there at 7.45am queueing up the pavement.As a cancer patient, I have to say the local surgery were very uncaring.I had been mis-diagnosed by one doctor.When I had complained after diagnosis, they made sure that life was as difficult as possible for me.From that moment, they really changed towards me.My prescriptions went missing, they promised to send a nurse out, then said I didn't meet their criteria for home visits.I suffer from panic attacks, depression, have heart problems, yet don't qualify a home visit.
There are good and bad patients, and good and bad receptionists.

Answer 4

Yes, yes, and yes! My doctor and my kids' doctor are great, but both offices have horrible receptionists. When you call, they act as if you're bothering them. I understand that the job can be stressful, but unless I put you in that stressful mood, I do not feel you should take your attitude out on me.

About two weeks ago, I called my doctor's office to see if I could get a same day appointment. When the receptionist answered the phone, I told her my name and asked her, "Is it possible to get a same day appointment?" There was this long pause, and she says in a arrogant and annoyed voice, "What do you mean 'same day appointment' ??" I told her if it were possible, I would like to see my doctor today. She paused again and said, "What is your problem and why do you feel you HAVE to come in today?" If I could have snatched her through the phone, I would have.

And don't even get me started on their poor customer service when you're IN the office. They are talking to the other receptionists, ignoring you, and then when they finally wait on you, it's as if it's the last thing they want to do.

I don't switch doctors because (as I said) my doctor is great..but it is very frustrating to deal with the receptionist.

Answer 5

Having worked as a receptionist in a g.p. surgery, it is the most stressful environment i have ever worked in, and i am now a fully qualified nurse in accident and emergency, and have never answered so many strange and uneccessary phone calls as when i worked on call in a G.P.surgery " i.e an on call " request for a G.P. to make a home visit in the early hours to deal with a "minor ciggarette burn (but it hurts) a request to find an all night chemist to purchase condoms! (this was approx 2am) a request for a home visit to "have a look 'cos i can't remember if i took out my tampax last week and i smell (11.45pm on Sat night) my boyfriend wont come near me. The best of all, (03.45) i've been scratching my head all night and somethings crawling under my nail now, should i call an ambulance?
Believe me being a dr's receptionist is an art in itself, however there are those that need to get their heads out of their behinds and become human, but generally speaking its a difficult job and the patients make it all the worse by being rude, abusive, violent (honestly) i was pinioned into a corner by a patient with (sadly) mental health problems with a knife to my throat for the longest 40 seconds in my life. spat at by a young mum who i couldn't fit in for a couple of hours, the child had nappy rash, and almost stabbed in the arm by an addict who was late collecting his prespcrition for his substitute drug, and had to wait, he vaulted the desk and brandished a bloody syringe, (he was a known H.I.V. patient) We do our best, and often the patients do not make it easy, but there is no excuse for lack of manners and desk etiquete. But, please be aware the person we have just dealt with may not have been as nice as you and we are trying to cope with others, emergencies, and the doctors who are often as difficult as you lot!!!

Answer 6

Whenever I go to make an appointment, I just go in and tell them that I want an appointment as soon as possible, what doctor I want to see, or not, and I usually manage to get one within a couple of days
I don't think I give them the chance to be rude to me

Answer 7

Sometimes they are, but you have to understand they are under a lot of pressure. Doctors are often rude and abusive to *them*, they have to juggle multi-line telephones while they deal with walk-in clients, and deal with a ton of paperwork and insurance company hassles. It's not an easy job, not that that excuses rudeness, but sometimes they are overwhelmed and don't have time to sit around and make small talk.

Answer 8

Yes I totally agree, I tried to get an appointment, I was really ill and was jaundiced, told her I needed to see a doctor,well none are available,do you think you can make iti nto surgery,no,I can't even walk,so she reluctantly sent a doctor, when he came he sent for an ambulance and I was rushed to hospital. She expected me to travel 5 miles across town.

Answer 9

Not only Dr's receptionist but also many other are worse than their boss. I used to say that if a preson is more intelligent he/she is polite and mature but if he/she is uneducated they always show rudeness to others...

Answer 10

my doc was pretty laid back but his receptionist when she was on her shift 'made' it her business to find out what you wanted him for, of course i'd be completely rude and tell her its none of her business lol, if you'd sent 4 tests well that was it she's say the results loud and proud in front of the whole reception lol, 1 nosey cow dun my nut in lol, 1 of these dayz i'll get my own back lol