Do's and Don'ts in the Healthcare Professions

I get a lot of students in my classes who are gunning to go into one of the healthcare professions -- pre-med, pre-dental, pre-nursing, pre-physical therapy, pre-physician's assistant, pre-chiropractic... a lot of "pre's." Particularly on the first day of class, everyone is very nervous but also so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, as my mom, herself a pediatrician, used to say. But it's a long road from my class to hanging a shingle...

Last week I found myself at a new dentist's office for a check-up and x-rays. Now, I'll be the first to admit I'm not much of a dentist person. I think most people aren't. But I have had some very excellent -- and very personable, kind, even witty -- dentists, and I will say that I genuinely liked them and my drill time spent with them.

Not so, New Dentist.

Based on this visit, and on experiences I've had with all sorts of healthcare professionals as a doc, a patient, and a mom, I thought I'd compile a list of Do's and Don'ts for anyone who makes it beyond my class:

1. If you are a dentist, DON'T sigh heavily, make any sort of "tsk-tsk" type sounds, or shake your head disapprovingly while you count out to your assistant the numbers of the patient's teeth. Those of us who go in to the dentist begrudgingly and not on the recommended every-six-month schedule pretty much know that we're gonna need some "extra work" done. We know we screwed up. But we also have our reasons, some of them silly (e.g., fear/paranoia), some of them legit (e.g., lack of insurance/funds). We're in the chair because we have finally sucked it up and decided to allow you to fix our disaster. It does not make us more compliant if you make us feel bad about ourselves. So don't.


2. If you are a pharmacist or pharmacist's assistant -- but especially a pharmacist because you are supposed to be in charge of your staff -- DO read every prescription and patient profile carefully. Yes, I've already heard the excuse that your pharmacy is so busy, blah, blah, well, we're all busy, that is not an excuse, you have a job that you are paid to do behind that counter. The next pharmacist who hands my husband a bottle of Amoxicillin for our son who is allergic to penicillin and who has that fact plastered all over his charts -- I will cut your head off. And DON'T argue with me that Amoxicillin is different from penicillin, "so, ma'am, it's OK." First of all, it's, "so, Doctor, it's OK," and you know what, it's not OK. I have consulted directly with USC Pharmacy School, and, guess what? It counts!

2A. If you are an M.D., DO double and triple check the patient's chart for drug allergies! Refer to #2 above. The pharmacist cannot necessarily be depended upon to catch your egregious error! If you are an intern or a resident and I catch your egregious error, I have already called your attending doc directly in the middle of the night and you are going to catch the worst hell of your career any moment now. Is that your pager beeping? Yeah.

3. If you are a school nurse, DON'T "reassure" parents that "we all just have to make it to May 31st." When it's mid-August, that's a whole school year away, and if you're already miserable, maybe you should consider a career change.

4. If you are a Certified Diabetes Educator, DON'T enter the hospital room of a newly diagnosed Type 1 Diabetic child, hand him or her a teddy bear with a medical alert bracelet on it, and start singing some ridiculous song that goes something like, "Hi, I'm Sticky the Teddy Bear, and I have diabetes, la-la-la" with some big idiotic smile on your face. It's not fun. It's not funny. It's not cute. It does not cheer anyone up. The child and the family have just been hit with a giant brick in their collective face. No. Songs.

OK, that's enough advice/ranting for one day. More Do's and Don'ts in a future post. For now, get back to studying ;) !!!