Oh where to start in the story that is the debacle that was my Quest experience?
I made an appointment for 8am, unfortunately it was the only opening available all week. I knew I was cutting it close for my train, so I specifically got there a few minutes early, hoping they would be able to squeeze me in. Now, if you know me at all, for me to get up in the morning takes a miracle; for me to get anywhere early takes direct divine intervention. Ultimately it made zero difference.
As I walked in the door, I noticed a small crowd. But I thought, "Hey, no sweat, that is what I made an appointment for." I also noticed one of the technicians (scrubs) walking out. This detail will come into play later.
A lady helped me sign in, and I sat down to wait. Around 8:02am, I finally broke down and asked how much longer it would be. The "avoiding the question" response was it depended on how many people were "back there." Umm, how many rooms and technicians do you have? Should it not be completely obvious? Do you have people hiding behind the trash can that you anticipate will pop on out? I unwisely let it go.
A few minutes later, I could not take it anymore. Time was at the point where I had to be seen and quickly for me to make the train. I apologetically asked again how much longer it would be, explaining that I had a train to catch. The lady checked for me, stated that they were having problems with the patients in the back and that it would be a while.
I, again unwisely, decided to tough it out, after all, this was the only time I could do this. I realized that the difficult patients were 2 mentally challenged individuals who were taken back when I first arrived. And there were only 2 technicians. So the entire system was backlogged and we had a bottleneck situation. Now, please do not misunderstand me; I completely empathize. I HATE needles and I barely can make myself go through the process as is. If I did not understand why you were hurting me by painfully poking me with a sharp object, I would (probably loudly and violently) protest too! My issue is with a system where people have made appointments and there is no movement forward or effort to see them close to their appointment times.
At this point, the technician who had left came back in with a package of food. She went into the back room to have what I assume was her breakfast. Um, could you maybe perhaps have had breakfast at a time where there was NOT a pile up in the waiting room? And where both technicians were not able to make any progress and the system completely bottlenecked?
I asked to use the restroom, since it was obvious I would have a bit of a wait. I first, wisely, asked the lady to check my order and make sure I would not have to give a urine sample. She stated, no, I would not have to give one. Coming back from the restroom, I noticed a different patient having words with the lady in charge of the waiting room then stalking out. It sounded like she missed her appointment time and was not able to wait.
Finally over 20 minutes after my 8am appointment time, the technician who was eating breakfast called me back. I, again wisely, kept my mouth shut about how she kept me waiting for 30 minutes while she ate. Afterall, she was about to jab me with a needle. The 2nd star they eked out of me here was because despite the wait, she was very good at her job. Although she had to re-stick me for the 3rd vial of blood taken, she was skilled at drawing the blood. I have rolling veins and they were probably a bit collapsed since I had not had any fluids for 10 hours.
In the middle of drawing my blood, another technician poked her head in and said that my technician would have to go help right away because they were having problems drawing the blood still. I was very irritated by this, and was glad when the technician decided to at least finish with me first. I would like to think that I am a relatively patient person, but that definitely would have been the straw that broke the camel's back after waiting over 20 minutes and having already missed my train at this point.
Then, my technician hands me a cup and asks me for a urine sample. Flabbergasted, I stated that I had just used the restroom about 5 minutes ago. I informed her the other lady said no urine sample was needed. Apparently, if I could not give a sample, I would need my doctor to reissue a lab order and come in later to do it. Since I had already missed my train, I had about 40 minutes and decided to stay and try. At least the lady who gave me the incorrect information gave me an apology.
I went to the restroom. Since I already am giving TMI, let us say they were missing some supplies in there. After getting supplies and giving a sample (yeah!) I gunned it for my train, only to miss the 2nd one when a tow truck blocked my path. So missing train #2 I blame on a combo of Murphy and Quest, but #1 was all Quest. read more