Please Don't Shoot the Messenger...

Yesterday I spent six hours on the phone rescheduling patients from one clinic to another clinic. Many of these ladies have been rescheduled previously. I prayed for the easy way out,in hopes to have my call answered by a machine. I wasn't that fortunate. I understand completely why these ladies are so frustrated but after six hours of being the recipient of verbal abuse, explaining why we are closing a room, yet again, and moving their appointment back (for the majority) to another location I was completely, and thoroughly done!

My supervisor asked a couple of my coworkers to help because they were at slower sites. I honestly appreciated every call they made to assist. My day began with an email saying all of the May patients in one room had to be moved to another site by the end of the week... and finding out only TWO days had been completed since the 21st of March, when we were first informed, this was overwhelming. Seeing one of my coworkers sit up front checking email and Craigslist over and over instead of offering to help was mind boggling.

How many times are we suppose to call and tell a patient we have a staff shortage or a room closure and expect them to come back to us? We've spent months - since October - rescheduling patients. Always the same situation. Close one room - move patients - open another room. I have to wonder if we have the staff for the 'other room' why can't the employees working in the 'other room' just work in the original site.

So much confusion. We call to reschedule. We call to remind them the day before and it's the same story day after day. The registrar explains to the patient she is at the wrong site and gives her directions to the site across the parking lot. The next registrar apologizes profusely because the patient's appointment was moved due to our error. We take the late patients because of the confusion and then take attitude from our coworkers because they feel they've been put upon. These same coworkers who complain because they must work an eight hour day and see sixteen or so patients, with no regard for the fact that the registrar up front has worked a ten hour shift and seen every patient that has passed through the front door.

The phone rang and I jumped. I dread having to start the calls again but since I'm only in the second week of May I will put on my big girl pants and step off the cliff... seven more hours.