I scheduled an appt with Dr. Morris's office to have a mole looked at after asking my mom who she sees. My mom gets carcinomas that develop on her arms that seem to occur annually, so it's important that she have a good derm. When I called the office, the voicemail says straight away that Dr. Morris was not accepting new patients unless you have an immediate family member who is an existing patient. I thought this was odd but felt lucky that I'd be able to see her since my mom is a regular patient. Dr. Morris wasn't able to see me but her PA, Emily Black, was available which was just fine. Everyone was very nice...at first. Emily looked at my mole, took a sample to send to the lab and sent me home to await lab results. This is where things went wonky...
The nurse that called me left a voicemail saying it was melanoma and I need it removed. This was just before the July 4th holiday so I wasn't able to call anyone until over a week later. By the time they had returned to the office, I was a wreck. They said I did not have melanoma but that I needed to have the mole removed and they apologized for how the message was worded. I decided to schedule the appt. and dismissed the incident as just bad timing.
And then I came in to have the mole removed. Emily did the procedure, which was fine but I still hadn't met Dr. Morris. Emily and a nurse entered the room and began the prep. They didn't talk to me much, so I was taken by surprise when Emily asked me if my mom is a patient. I said yes and she replied with, "is she the one that gets warts all over her feet??" to which the nurse replied with a loud snort and stifled laughter, as they looked at each other and giggled. The whole scene was so bizarre and childish, none of it really hit me until I got home. That's when I got really upset.
I called a few days later to ask about it. The office manager said Emily was just trying to make conversation. Really?? Idle conversation with patients include details of other patients care?? On top of that, my mom comes in so regularly, how do they not know who she is? The manager said Emily does know who my mom is because I wrote her name on my intake forms, to which I replied, "then why did she ask if my mom gets warts all over her feet and then laugh at me with her nurse?!"
Nobody there had any answer for me and the office manager basically used her skill in gaslighting to make me feel like I'm sensitive or delusional. I asked if they have racial bias because I'm a woman of color. She denied this. I asked if I had offended anyone. She said no. I asked if they cherry pick patients, but she didn't answer that. That's when it all came together for me.
Unless you have personal ties to this woman, I do not recommend her as a derm. I never received an apology. I never even spoke to Dr. Morris, let alone meet her. Emily Black and the nurses did a great job at making me feel like they could care less. It reeked of grade school bullying and condescension. I still have received no explanation or apology. As for the mole? They removed it but I developed an allergic reaction to the antibiotic cream they told me to use, so I now have a dark scar on my leg the size of a quarter. I was too irritated to return, so I've just had to deal with having this big scar. A nice reminder of my lovely time at Dr. Laura Morris's office! read more