I had a deeply concerning and unprofessional experience with Iris, the nurse practitioner at this MinuteClinic.
I am an RN with prior ICU and MinuteClinic experience, and I have undergone numerous TB skin tests for employment. I also received the BCG vaccine as a child in South Korea. During my appointment, Iris looked at the mild redness on my forearm and immediately stated that it "didn't look good." I calmly explained my vaccination history and noted that a Mantoux test should be read by measuring palpable induration, not the surrounding redness.
Rather than discussing my concern professionally, Iris responded, "Telling me how to do my job, just what I needed at the end of my day." I clarified that I was not trying to offend her and was only sharing my relevant history. She then criticized the clinician who had placed the test, stating that the clinician should have sent me elsewhere or ordered a blood test. She also questioned how I could have previously worked at MinuteClinic without already knowing this, which felt unnecessarily belittling.
Most concerningly, Iris appeared to measure the entire area of redness rather than the actual induration, which was minimal, less than approximately 2 mm. She then indicated that I would be billed based on that reading. Because TB skin test results can affect employment and lead to unnecessary follow-up testing, accurate measurement and documentation are essential.
For clarity, BCG vaccination does not create a separate measurement cutoff for interpreting a TB skin test. However, the test must still be read by measuring induration rather than redness, with the result interpreted according to the patient's risk factors. A TB blood test is often preferred for people who have received BCG, but that does not excuse incorrectly measuring redness or treating a patient disrespectfully.
I have worked with many excellent nurse practitioners, including clinicians at MinuteClinic, so this experience was especially disappointing. My concern is not simply that Iris disagreed with me. It is that she responded dismissively, made disparaging comments about a colleague, and appeared to use an improper measurement technique after I raised a legitimate concern.
I strongly encourage CVS to review the documentation from this visit, evaluate whether the test was measured and recorded correctly, and address the communication and competency concerns involved. Patients should be able to question their care without being mocked or belittled. Based on this experience, I will not return to MinuteClinic for future services. read more