I had a very poor set of interactions with Lance at the Tower Oaks Testing LLC in Rockville, MD.
When I gave him feedback upon completing my test, he became angry, agitated, argumentative and dismissive.
It's appalling to me that he would behave in such a manner. It clearly needs to be addressed.
I am sharing this client as a client, but also as a public health registered nurse.
Lance should be advised that at no moment should he touch the tester. There was an X on the carpet where I assumed I should stand to have my photo taken upon arrival. However, he physically grabbed me by the shoulders and moved me forward, closer to the camera (both of his hands on my shoulders). He could have easily verbally directed me to where I should stand. This is a basic ask, yet he refused to acknowledge how inappropriate his behavior was, and continued to talk over me and dismiss my concerns. Not only should he not grab me/touch me because he entered my personal space without consent, but also to protect his employment. It was just him and I in this room, and his behavior made me deeply uncomfortable. Second, post-pandemic and during a time when we are seeing a rise in COVID cases, it is a basic precaution to keep your distance (especially if unmasked, as he was ), along with respecting the client's personal space.
When he checked me in and I handed him my license, he attempted to pronounce my last name correctly and casually stated, "Wawawa." This was completely unnecessary as he had my ID and quickly verified my registration/identity. The service he provides should be culturally competent, which means treating my name respectfully just as he would treat names such as Jones, Johnson, or Clark.
Third, he should not have entered my personal space again when he pulled out my chair for me to sit down at my assigned testing station, and positioned his mouth next to my head/ear and stated, "Now how do you pronounce your last name?" This is inappropriate on so many levels. He once again entered my personal space, and he should consider how inappropriate it is to do this to anyone, much less a tester of the opposite sex, all during a time when we are seeing a rise in COVID cases locally and nationally. read more