A year ago my husband went here to get a mole removed that had gotten big where his collar rubs against the back of his neck. The health practitioner was a really nice guy, who had been in the military, and told him they couldn't punch it out the way would do so at a dermatologist, but that he could do a field cut with stitches, and they could send it to get it biopsied, no problem. He did it right there in the office, it came back benign, and he got his stitches removed ten days later by the same guy. It was a positive experience.
Not so today. My husband now has a strange mole on his back he wanted to get checked and removed, same as before. Every dermatologists in the area is 6 months out. So he figured he could just do the same as last time.
We waited two hours until the EMT guy came in and went over his chart, checked the mole, and did his vitals, He was super nice and mellow, nice bed side manner. All was well until Lea the nurse practitioner barreled into the room. And I do mean barrelled. Her energy was fast and unnerving. And if she had read my husband's chart before coming into the room, she would have seen that he suffers from anxiety, and health anxiety in particular. Not to mention, if someone came in about a potentially cancerous mole and you see they suffer from health anxiety, or any anxiety for that matter, wouldn't you want to be calm and easy going with them? That's just good bed side manner and good common sense. She immediately said they don't remove moles there and she wouldn't touch it. My husband said that he had been there before and gotten it done. She then asked: "Are you sure?" Totally gaslighting him. He replied: "110% sure," and I backed him up as he had just been there a year ago to the exact same place. I mentioned the guy had been in the military and she said his name, so my husband asked if he could make an appointment with him to do the same as before. She told us they are not allowed to give out schedules. We did not want a schedule, we wanted to make an appointment. She repeated they could not give out schedules for security reasons. My husband had made an appointment the last time to get his stitches removed, so why couldn't she have just found out when he was in, and made an appointment for my husband to see that practitioner, who could remove the mole and send for biopsy, same as before?
This was the most unhelpful health person I have ever encountered in my entire life and I am 56. She should not be working in health care. Not only did she not have any offering of what to do, except to give us a list of dermatologist (which we already had from Medicaid), but she had the worst, most insincere and in unempathetic attitude on top of that. Plus, because my husband is on medicaid he also asked if the lists would be doctors who take medicaid, which she seemed confused by. So completely unhelpful. Then she said there was maybe someone in Longmont who could remove it, but she would have to call. She left the room for another twenty minutes and while gone my husband began to have a panic attack and almost began crying. I wanted to cry too, but my anger was stronger, as to how we were being treated--by someone who is supposed to treat patients with care and kindness. It feels like our entire society is becoming more and more lacking in empathy and care for one another, but to find this at the doctor is not only unacceptable, but also heartbreaking and infuriating. We felt totally lost leaving there, and no answers to the situation. How can people in the health care profession make someone scared about potential cancer be so unaccommodating and unkind? I honestly don't know what this world is coming to if at base, we cannot be kind to each other, especially when dealing with people who are sick, or potentially sick.
On top of it, the woman at the front desk was on the phone the whole, time, completely unfriendly, and would barely acknowledge or speak to you. She just wanted you to deal with the computer sign in, etc. Why do these people get into health care if they do not want to deal with other human beings? I guess they just do it to get a steady paycheck, but go into accounting instead, or tech God's sake, if you don't want to really engage in a kind and courteous manner with other human beings.
My husband and I ended up walking out, and when the nurse asked why we were leaving we said; "Because you're not a very nice person, haven't helped us at all, and have a really terrible bed side manner. My husband added, "Maybe do better next time."
Bottom line, I am completely bereft after this visit at the state of health care in the US. This is Boulder, one of the nicest places, and most expensive to live places in the country, and this is what we have? Shame on this nurse, and shame on this facility for keeping someone employed who really shouldn't be working in health care if this is how she treats people. Too sad. read more
