sometimes you're the scrub...Part II

Normally, which means most of the time, I really enjoy work. I like what I do. I like the people I work with. I like the patients that come in. And no matter how bizarre, and whether or not some people come in because they are lonely or because they're dying I like the variety of the day. It makes things interesting. However, lately I can't stand my job. Perhaps it's because I'm there too much. I've picked up extra hours lately, and maybe it's just too much. I got to work today to find out that my partner was scheduled to work with a different Doctor than the ones in Urgent Care, and that the other MA that was scheduled to work with me called in sick. We were already short-staffed today, so I ended up working by myself for awhile with two doctors when there should have been three of us for the two of them. It was crazy. Finally one of the other MA's came over to help me out, but it still seemed as though my candle had already burnt its' way through both ends. The rest of the morning was busy, and I was crabby and trying to shake the mood. In the early afternoon we finally had a lull, and one of the doctors who had come in at 1 o'clock went to his office to work on co-signing some charts. He asked me to come and find him when there were patients waiting, which I reassured him I would do. Then some triage calls came in, a patient needed an IV-then didn't need an IV-then did and then it was decided that she was going to go to the hospital to get an IV, and then I started to work on the in-service for Friday morning which I normally have a full day of the work week to work on, but we've been so short staffed that I've been trying to come up with it between patients. I had sat down to begin working on the presentation when one of my partners (we finally had three people in the afternoon which was VERY nice) went to get the doctor who was charting in his office. He got to his first patient and promptly came out exasperated stating, and I quote, "that poor patient just told me that they've been waiting in the room for the past twenty minutes. Why didn't you come and get me, I was just sitting in my office charting and I could've come and seen them and now they're all upset, etc etc etc". To which I responded, "Dr. Carroll, I'm very sorry, I got called away to triage some calls and forgot to come and get you." Well, the answer did not satisfy him and he went back to the exam room, finished with that patient, came out and briefly mentioned it again, and then went back into room number two. He exited that room when he was done and repeated that "now I have three patients that are upset because they had to wait and..." he proceeds to again explain to me for the third time of why he was in his office charting and blah blah blah. Like I'm stupid and didn't understand that the first three times? I repeated myself, "Dr. Carroll, I'm very sorry that I didn't come and get you right away, I got caught up with doing some other things and was not around when those patients came in. You had two other team members that didn't get you as well and I'm very sorry that they had to wait twenty minutes to be seen but I simply forgot. I don't know what else you'd like me to do or say." His response, "well Becky, I just feel as though I can't trust you anymore". In the words of my cousin Marni's blog, "Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm?" Really? You can't TRUST me anymore because I didn't personally come and get you one time out of a hundred? And don't get me wrong, I know how frustrating it is to sit and wait in a doctor's office. I truly get that, and do feel badly for the patients that they had to wait twenty extra mintues. But if you're going to tell me that you can't TRUST me anymore, that's another issue entirely. UN-BE-LIEVEABLE!! And to be honest, I can't imagine what it must've and still must be like to be this gentleman's children or grandchildren. And my hope is that his trust with them is not as fragile as it is with his co-workers.
Alas, I know that the only reason the whole situation bothered me was because I've been stressed out this week, and I feel my energy wearing thin. I'm tired, and spent. Wedding plans, future education plans for Ryan, work, going home this weekend, potentially moving, etc all this stuff seems to be piling up and I know that I just need to have a vacation soon. Luckily one is coming up in February and I can't wait. I finally understand the need for a Honeymoon. Yes, it's going to be great to be away with Ryan for a week, but the other nice aspect is that I'll be "away" for a week. I'm really looking forward to it.