I signed up for a physical... and boy was I in for a treat…read more..
To begin, I made the decision to see Doctor Chaudhary based on a cursory glance at her reviews on Zocdoc. She seemed to have good reviews so I went ahead and booked with her.
When I arrived 10 minutes early to fill out first-time paperwork, I was astonished that there were so many people filling the small waiting room. "Oh well," I thought. "Must be a popular place." I repressed my concern.
About an hour-and-a-bit later, after I'd long-finished my paperwork and the room had only gained more waiting patrons, another lady entered and had a "quiet" discussion with the woman up front which shortly thereafter led to her being admitted into the back to see the doctor.
Mind you, they were already an hour and some change late to my appointment that I was 10 minutes early to.
I tend to pride myself on patience because I know that sometimes things go awry and people could use the emotional space to do their jobs but that irked me a bit. So I approached and asked how long it would be before I could be seen. I was assured I'd be next.
As per my recollection, at this point, one or two people who had shown up after me (and had appointment times after mine according to the sign-in sheet) had been admitted. I was getting annoyed.
Oddly, a representative and rather pleasant fellow from Astra Zeneca had entered the office presumably for a meeting. After waiting far less time than I, he seemed to decide that he would never be seen and he made his way out without ever even being engaged by an employee.
About an hour-and-forty-five minutes after my appointment time was scheduled for, I was brought back into a room where I refreshed my disposition on the assumption that they were having an off day and trying to make the best of it. I then went through the typical routine with the nurse... and then I waited another 20-30 minutes.
When the doctor finally entered, she seemed nice enough but was noticeably NOT Dr. Chaudhary. I can't quite remember her name but it wasn't the Doctor I'd signed up for.
She seemed nice enough, rather chatty... but in a funny and well-humored sort of way.
She rattled on for a bit about signing up for more services through them and put her stethoscope on me. Then continued to talk about eating healthy... then without skipping a beat she thanked me for coming and went to make her escape.
I interrupted her to remind her I was here for a physical. She asked me what I thought a physical was and peppered in a couple more jokes then indicated she was continuing on her way out.
We were both laughing, but I was as of yet unsatisfied. And so awkwardly, I felt it necessary to interject further. "I know it's funny that I have to say this, but usually when I get a physical they have me undress and check around a bit to make sure everything's okay."
She then made a joke about rectal exams being outdated. This was getting real weird. I didn't want a rectal exam. I wanted to be checked out, not just talked at.
Needless to say, I didn't leave feeling they'd done their job. At minimum she hadn't answered the 2 questions I'd come prepared with.
Shortly thereafter, in the waiting room and still feeling unsatisfied, I asked the receptionist what a physical usually entails. I gathered she might have known that I was suspicious of what they were up to and was careful how she responded. I dispensed with the tip-toeing and just told her straight up that all the physicals I'd ever had involved more poking around and checking me out and that none of these things had happened.
She told me that physicals are sometimes done in multiple parts. Perhaps she was right. I'm not entirely sure. All I know is that spending 3 hours at the doctor's office for someone to tell me to eat healthier and put a stethoscope on my back was an egregious waste of my time.
Later on, I did a quick google search to make sure I wasn't going crazy: According to that quick google search (and my numerous past experiences) "During your physical exam, your doctor will evaluate your general overall appearance, and perform head, neck, abdominal, neurological, dermatological, and extremities exam. He will check for any abnormalities or signs of disease or illness."
Did any of these things happen? No. Instead, a doctor (a different one than the one I booked with) offered a less-than-sufficient engagement. I walked out with little more than what I could've gained watching a Jenny Craig advertisement and a whole lot of frustration.
Few times in my life have I left a purely negative review. Normally, I feel that companies deserve to be let off the hook because it's so easy to type away and ruin a reputation. I take this very very seriously and don't make the decision to leave a review like this lightly. -- My take on this is I would recommend people go elsewhere. This place already seems to have too many people to deal with and may not treat you respectfully.
