I have visited this office on two occasions prior to my appointment on Monday, September 21,…read moreprimarily to have my toenails and ingrown nails cared for. The wait times have never been ideal, as this is clearly a busy practice with many patients, but that was never a deal breaker for me. I also want to recognize Yari, who is hands down one of the sweetest and most pleasant people I have encountered there.
I am 72 years old, and I have never left a negative review for a business or medical practice. Unfortunately, what occurred during this visit bothered me enough that I felt I needed to speak up.
Never in my 72 years have I been spoken to or treated as poorly as I was by Jackie, whom I understand to be a nurse or member of the clinical staff. I was yelled at, spoken to in an unnecessarily harsh and disrespectful manner, and at one point pointed down the hallway as though I were an animal being commanded where to go. What made the situation even more upsetting was hearing her speak negatively about me to another patient. I cannot adequately express how belittled and humiliated her behavior made me feel.
Patients deserve dignity and respect at every age, but I believe there should be an additional level of patience and compassion when caring for elderly patients. We do not go to a doctor's office because it is somewhere we *want* to be. We go because we need medical care. No patient should walk into a healthcare facility seeking care and leave feeling inferior because of the way a staff member treated them.
What troubles me most is that this behavior came from someone working in healthcare. Nurses and other healthcare professionals are entrusted with caring for people when they may already feel vulnerable. Everyone is entitled to have a difficult or overwhelming day, but that does not give anyone the right to project their frustration onto a patient. Healthcare requires patience, compassion, professionalism, and basic human decency.
I was so upset by the encounter that I asked to speak directly with the doctor. During our conversation, the doctor provided me with Jackie's name and indicated that he knew whom I was describing because this was not the first complaint he had received regarding her behavior. I appreciated that he took the time to listen to me. However, learning that similar concerns had apparently been raised before made the experience even more disappointing.
Patients and their insurance help keep medical practices operating. We are not inconveniences, burdens, or interruptions. We are the people the practice exists to serve, and expecting to be treated with basic dignity is not asking for special treatment.
I hope Jackie considers one simple thing: she would not want someone speaking to her mother, father, grandparent, or even to her the way she spoke to me. At some point in our lives, nearly all of us will find ourselves on the other side--as the patient who needs help, patience, and kindness.
The roles can very easily be reversed. When that day comes, we will all hope that the nurses caring for us remember that having patience with their patients is part of caring for them.
I sincerely hope this experience leads to meaningful improvement because no patient--elderly or otherwise--should leave a doctor's office feeling the way I did on Monday.
