r/mildlyinfuriating • u/transfatpikachu • 1d ago

I just wanted a hot dog Doctor’s appointment scheduled at 9:00am, still waiting almost an hour later

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I have a lot of doctor’s appointments, and I know how busy and hard these people work. I’m not mad at them and I’d never be rude. I know it’s not on purpose. Nevertheless, it’s still a bit infuriating to make time for a scheduled appointment, arrive 15 minutes early (required), and then wait this long with not even an acknowledgment of the delay from anyone. Sigh. 9:55 now, still waiting.

Edit: I really appreciate all the comments! The doctor ended up coming in shortly after 10. This was a specialist ortho appointment for my shoulder. Still no acknowledgement of the delay, which would’ve been nice, but I’m more annoyed that my concerns were pretty much brushed off again during the whole 3ish minutes he spent with me. I know waits can get long, I wouldn’t care as much if the doctor had at least seemed somewhat concerned with my issue. Sigh… gotta love American healthcare!

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u/UnderstandingFit3009 1d ago

If they make hospital rounds prior to going to the office the day could already have gone sideways.

Source: retired physician who always tried to stay on schedule and hated running late

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u/morganf74 1d ago

It can’t hurt to at least acknowledge the delay though. For me, that’s usually my frustration.

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u/Humboldt-Honey 1d ago

I was just at the doctors where I was waiting in the room for over an hour.

It was funny to me because it was a brand new PA since my last one disappeared on me and I guess he didn’t have time to look over my file.

I had to tell him he was supposed to inform me I have Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, I just happen to already know.

Poor guy was trying tell me how my chemo treatments might go when the nurse barged in to tell him he was running late, he just ignored her and kept talking over her like she wasn’t there 😅

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u/KoalaTHerb 11h ago

Ya, new PAs have it rough to start. They don't get the training do doctors, and most their specialized learning is done after graduation when they join a specialty clinic. I've known many PA and NP like this. New to a clinic and absolutely overwhelmed with the 40-60 patients they have to see - all of which they have to completely start from scratch with their whole medical record. My mother in law had a lot of trouble with this when she started a new clinic

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u/remberzz 1d ago

Yes! A simple, "Sorry to have kept you waiting", goes a long way!

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u/Medical-Chart-9929 1d ago

Totally get that. Mostly try to, been burned before that acknowledging it led to the frustrated person complaining about that for about 10 mins of our 15 minute slot, which then compounds to the rest of the patients bc I can't rush them out when we can actually start talking about the reason for their visit.

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u/grptrt 1d ago

I recently had an AM appointment and the receptionist finally had to tell everyone in the waiting room they would need to reschedule because, as you said, things had gone sideways at the hospital.
It was mildly annoying but I understood this doctor was doing his best to help someone who was probably having a terrible day.

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u/KoalaTHerb 1d ago

Physician as well. And this is the answer. Morning hospital rounds, surgery add-ons, emergency consults. All the unpredictable things that cause people to run late.

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u/Background_Survey646 1d ago

I'm going to piss of a large portion of reddit, but, the doctor's time is more important. The patient is there for help. The doctor has to manage many patients who want help. This idea that the patient being on time is equal to that of the doctor (who is onsite and delayed due to helping others with typically unpredictable issues) is a false equivalence.

Yes, humans have other priorities, but workplaces and other outside parties should be more accommodating of medical delays. If someone's boss is pissed because they're late getting due to receiving medical care, that isn't the doctors fault IMO. That's a societal issue.

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u/KoalaTHerb 21h ago

I'd agree. Every patient doesn't want you to rush through their visit, but they also want you to be exactly on time. If you want the first, you won't always get the second

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u/1738_bestgirl 1d ago

I mean yes it is a societal issue and a big part of that issue that we have a workforce shortage in health care. The barrier to entry for Doctors in the US is not just a huge time investment, but also cost, and mentally taxing.

On top of that Doctors burn out because they get through medical school just to have to deal with the absolute sham of the current medical system.

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u/PolymorphicShaking 12h ago

So you're saying a doctor's life has more value and if you're not a doctor you should just die?

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u/Firm-Force-9036 1d ago

Yeah gonna have to agree that while the circumstance is indeed frustrating it’s quite clear many many commenters do not work in medicine.

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u/Individual_Ad9135 1d ago

Yeah, but a primary care doc doesn't have hospital rounds, do they?

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u/whatevendoidoyall 1d ago

OP said it was an orthopedic doctor so they could've been doing hospital stuff.

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u/SSSprings0808 1d ago

Depending on the type of doctor,  they could have been called away for an emergency.  Both my OB and my child's pediatrician came in for my overnight delivery,  because things weren't ad expected.  So it happens.  It's nice to have grace for people needing help 

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u/1738_bestgirl 1d ago

Because we straight up don't have enough doctors.

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u/Tetha 1d ago

In hindsight this was a funny episode when I broke my hand. This was managed by an entirely over-run surgery practice as it does. I was getting there, and I was waiting for the doctor to come around after getting into one of the two treatment rooms.

Suddenly I hear the doctor in the other room raise his voice, and in rather aggressive ways, of "Do you even understand the risks for your own body you are taking here? By not taking care of these dressings and stressing them like that?!"

Just after that, a loud BANG. There he was, my doctor, standing for a moment, looking just downwards, breathing heavily, just slammed a door. I went like "Hm?" and he was like "Nothing about you. Difficult client. I need a ... moment to breathe and some supplies." I just murmured "Oh I'm not here."

Eventually he and the doctor he was educating him came in, and he leaned back and we sat in silence for 5 minutes or so.

After that we had a chat about how my bass fret reach has reduced, what I am doing and he just concluded I didn't need more support, I just had to keep moving.

Wonderful lad. I hope I never have to cross him badly.

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u/orthopod 1d ago

Ask you need is one extra family member in the room asking questions...

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u/notevenapro 1d ago

My guess was ortho surgeon stopping to see inpatients on the way in.

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u/WizzoPQ 1d ago

Totally fine, it just needs to be a) acknowledged and b) apologized for. Ignoring it is completely unacceptable, I have people that rely on me as well

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u/PiccoloAwkward465 1d ago

blah blah blah, we hear a lot of shit from doctors. The rest of the world works on a REAL schedule. If anyone has the power to make a change, it's YOU!

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u/Nivashuvin 1d ago

You could absolutely work out schedules that leave enough space to account for delays and have every patient be seen on time. Most doctors would like that because it would leave space for a mental break here and there.

It would also result in fewer patients being seen per day. You might now have to wait another month or two to even get an appointment. Maybe you’ll never get an appointment if the clinic will have to triage and other patients with more pressing needs constantly gets seen before you. Oh, and the people who own the clinic - the ones actually responsible for most doctor schedules these days - would never allow it, because it makes less money.

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u/PiccoloAwkward465 1d ago

Yeah yeah the same bullshit. "Oh doctors would love if they weren't "controlled" by big bad insurance!" Cool well it seems like the skilled pros selling their skills at that clinic probably have a bit of a say. They love to pretend they have zero power in anything.

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u/Nivashuvin 1d ago

Doctors are just employees. They have as much of a say as any other employee, which is barely anything. They can always leave and work somewhere else but most places work the same these days.

Just because doctors have some power of patients doesn’t mean they have much power of anything else.

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u/PiccoloAwkward465 22h ago

Weird because in my position at a fraction of the pay we have a good say in overall direction of the company. Gosh I guess their position is real hard, being certified professionals with skills in high demand. What could they do???

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u/Nivashuvin 15h ago

You’d be surprised. Medicine is highly hierarchical and doctors aren’t actually at the top. You get more input it you get far enough to be truly indispensable - AKA when you skills bring in real money - but the doctors manning your typical outpatient clinic aren’t that.

Medicine in general is deeply, deeply dysfunctional. Is this surprising to anyone?

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u/Medical-Chart-9929 1d ago

No one's discounting the valid frustrations, but there are things out of out control like the other docs stated. You can be mad and want to be angry at us, but no, we don't always have it in our power to make a change. Esp when someone before you or at 4am needs extra time or a procedure to not die.

  • a doc who feels you and hates running late

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u/PiccoloAwkward465 1d ago

I was gonna argue but I don't think I could say anything you haven't heard before. Best of luck out there.