What is a reasonable wait?

[radiojake]

OK -

So I'm at work at the moment, It's just finally quietened down to the point where I can actually write this, but earlier today it was manic.

I work at a medical clinic, a pretty damn busy one. We're opened from 8am til 10pm everyday and we're a bulk billing clinic (for those of you outside of Australia, that means that the patient doesn't pay anything for the consultation, the government pays for it. It's called free healthcare)

Since working here I've found some people's patience levels to be rather short. We are an appointment based clinic, but we also take in 'walk ins' - people without appointments but still want to wait in the waiting room until they are 'squeezed in' between appointments to see the doctor.

Some people (like just then) start complaining when they have been only waiting 27 minutes. Earlier today we had people waiting over 3 hours. It's a medical clinic, it gets a bit crazy sometimes.

I now hate the question 'How much longer' - because I get asked it countless times a day - and i get the overwhelming urge to almost scream out 'ITS FUCKING FREE HEALTH CARE, YOU WILL BE SEEN'

obviously not everyone is impatient, most people are reasonable and understand that medical clinics can be busy. But the people who end up getting angry or annoyed that they have to wait longer than they thought really piss me off.

What are your thoughts on the waiting time for doctors - Do you ever have to wait too long? Or do you think it's reasonable considering the amount of people a doctor see's every day. Are the people who complain about how long they are waiting just products of the 'now' generation. Used to everything quick and ready when they want it?

I think i just really needed to vent

[MeDeFe]

For free healthcare... If you have an appointment 30 minutes at most, an hour on a busy day, if you just walk in you should hope to get lucky and bring a book or something, unless you're an emergency bleeding to death or something.

[Skoffin]

Eh, if I have not made an appointment I expect a hour wait at the minimum, and bring a book for it. I do sometimes get annoyed if I've waited an hour or two and I'm feeling absolutly terrible.
I get annoyed or angry though mainly when I've made an appointment for a specific time and get there and I still have to wait an hour. The doctor's office I go to currently have a habit of not following the appointments and going by when people get there, (Eg. Say I have an appointment at 9am and five people come in 5 minutes before I do, even though I should be going in at 9 I still have to wait for those 5 other people) making going to the trouble of getting a appointment pretty damn pointless. <<

[Skittles!]

Australia's waiting system is horrible.

[lord voldemort]

Australia's waiting system is horrible.

QFT its cause we are all impatient

[Neutrino]

Australia's waiting system is horrible.

Waiting system? Australia has a special method of waiting which no other country uses? You mean queuing isn't good enough for the rest of the world?
[/sarcasm]

[Skittles!]

Australia's waiting system is horrible.

Waiting system? Australia has a special method of waiting which no other country uses? You mean queuing isn't good enough for the rest of the world?
[/sarcasm]

Well.. America doesn't have Free Health Care because it's too "Socialist", so I dono..

[satanspaladin]

Well i sympathize with you over getting ask the same thing all the time ,
and we all wish to be recognized for the good work we do .

But as you are in a heath care clinic i expect a lot of the people you are seeing
are not very well and may be in pain so you will most likely not be seeing them at there best .so try and remember you are the professional not them
good luck

[The1exile]

Can't you just refer them to another clinic if they think the wait is too long?

[Greven]

2 hours.
I live in Denmark and we have free health care too
The max amount I have ever waited was 1 hour, but for minor stuff I think 2-3 hours is the max.

[jay_a2j]

If I have an appointment at 2pm, I want to be seen at 2pm. I'll give them a 10-15 minute window before I start to get impatient. I went to the ER once and someone waiting says to me, "Good luck, I've been here for 4 hours and I haven't been seen yet." I demanded discharge papers and then left. Patients is not one of my best suits.

[Symmetry]

I have nothing but sympathy here. Healthcare staff in the UK are treated badly.

There's only one excuse, and that's that people are in pain, sick, miserable. The smallest thing will set them off. Especially if they avoided the doctor until the last minute.

I have something similar (but nowhere near as bad) with students. Sometimes my kids are so involved with their own drama that nothing will get through. You just have to be there, and have a stiff drink waiting at home.

If you didn't need to vent about this stuff, then you should worry about your attitude to the job. You sound like you've got a pretty f*cking solid handle on your job. Vent away. There's precious little thanks.

There's only one thing I can give you:

You have my thanks for putting up with us.

Symmetry

[Norse]

Inefficient, interneting medical clinic workers are to blame.

Sack the lot of 'em!

[-ShadySoul-]

Here in Canada we have the same problems. We got free health care, and many walk in clinics. Once, i broke my ankle after rock climbing, i had to sit in the fking waiting room for 1 hour, wait for my x-ray ( 3 hours ) and then my final diagnosis took another hour. I was annoyed and pissed as hell.

[Snorri1234]

Wow, I've never waited for more than 10 minutes in the Emergency room. And we have free healthcare.

You guys just need more hospitals and stuff like that.

[Iliad]

If I have an appointment at 2pm, I want to be seen at 2pm. I'll give them a 10-15 minute window before I start to get impatient. I went to the ER once and someone waiting says to me, "Good luck, I've been here for 4 hours and I haven't been seen yet." I demanded discharge papers and then left. Patients is not one of my best suits.

What is?

[ignotus]

For some medical tests here in Croatia you must add your signature on the list and wait half a year or more (for example CT). If you have money you could go to the few private hospitals but they overcharge you like hell.
In Croatia medical care if free, but it's slow and it costs much. An other problem is bribery in this system which is a common thing.

Last summer when I sprained my finger I waited in the hospital for only 3 hours because my mother works there (she's a vampire, she draws peoples blood ). So what is waiting a long time in Croatia? Two-three days can be a minimum.