27 job offers, all of them offering a huge salary, incredible benefits, and infrequent call in places with low crime rates, wonderful year-round climates, great activities, and excellent schools. None of them actually tell you where these places are, of course (they want you to call to find out). Perhaps on the banks of the beautiful river Wah-Hoo?
16 ads for medical education conferences on such topics as "The neurological manifestations of toenail fungus" and "Halitosis- Can you bill extra for putting up with it?"
1 letter to join the U.S. Army reserves, saying the army needs doctors with my skills (yet showing a picture of a guy doing surgery, which definitely ain't my skill).
7 offers to buy "exciting real estate opportunities" in medical office plazas.
8 letters inviting me to seminars on medical billing and coding.
24 ads from drug companies touting the virtues of their now once-a-day drug, which is otherwise identical to their previous twice-a-day drug (now available as a generic, of course) but costs 478% more per pill.
10 ads from financial services people holding "free" seminars at overpriced restaurants to help me manage my money.
5 ads for me to subscribe to journals I've never heard of.
3 ads to buy textbooks, such as "More about chronic back pain than you'll ever want to know, 34th edition."
1 ad from the Grumpyville Ballhogs wanting me to buy season tickets.
And a letter from a patient saying she was firing me for being out of town when she needed to see me.
18 comments:
How depressing. In this area of the US where our recycling rates are pretty high, small offices black out the addresses and dump it in the recycling. Suspect they all went in the shredder. Same thing.
Actually, I'm pretty compulsive about recycling this stuff. It was all put in the appropriate receptacle.
Grumpy:
Most of my mail goes in the recycling bin, and it's not any better for nurses, either.
Love that firing letter...hope it was one of your "favorite" patients you would have fired anyway.
Of course, to avoid the Key-Slapping Slippard, you'll want to take the job in Boola Boo-Ball. I hear the kayaking on Woo-Wall is terrific!
Really people "Fire" their doctors... *blink*
I'll never understand the american healthcare system....
xx
Jaxs
Muck- thank you. Glad to know someone caught it.
Jackie- I never will, either.
And a partridge in a pear tree?
That would be the thing to top it all off...
I'll wait for edition 35. Maybe then it'll be an ebook.
Well, in defense of the patient who fired you, my son had an appointment with a doctor once, about an hour away from our house. I took him out of school early, and drove all the way there, in bad weather. Keep in mind, we had received an appointment confirmation in the mail a week before, and the day before the appointment I received a phone call from the doctor's office confirming the appointment. We got there and the place was quiet. There was one person in the office and that person told me 'oh no, the doctor is on vacation this week.'. I was not happy, to say the least. I realize it wasn't his fault, someone on his staff messed up, but still... :o
Kim- I absolutely agree with you. That is wrong, and inexcusable on the doctor's part.
grumpy- you could always have a bit of your brain ablated and be a perfectly good surgeon.
My mother died a year ago tomorrow. She is still receiving junk mail on the average of 15 pieces of mail a day, mostly from non-profits and political candidates, all wanting money...
Where they never have troubles! Or at least, very few...
As if I didn't love Dr. Grumpy before--now he's quoting my favorite Seuss book!
I fired a doctor once who told me the neurological symptoms I was describing were "impossible." My next doc's eyes got huge when he heard my symptoms and he got me an immediate emergency neurology consult. Um yeah. I had a major cranial nerve going berserk. :) But just being on vacation when I call? Naw. I keep the good docs. :)
Actually, I didn't officially fire him, I just never went back, lol.
I fired a doctor. From my hospital bed, no less. In front of his residents. He had the gall to stand there and accuse me of creating my own medical history and records on my home computer. He was angry because he could not pin down my diagnosis. ::shrug::
Good for you on the meds thing - I've always admired docs who were slow to jump on the betterfastermore drug bandwagon. Especially brand new meds (not just reformulations). I'd rather not be the "next best thing" guinea pig...
I think you should join the army and and go to the Middle East. Think of the blog material! Actually, the patients there are probably so normal and needing of care that there would be nothing funny to write about.
Grumpy you tease! tell us about the patient letter!
Really people "Fire" their doctors.
I changed OB/GYNs after my doc, whom I had to see every three months for a while, was an hour late on my appointment. I was waiting almost nekkid in the exam room. I had asked the nurse what was going on. No excuse offered. I finally got dressed and left.
This was after he had kept me waiting on the previous two appointments.
PS I also did not appreciate being called by my first name by the young receptionist. "Ms" will do just fine, honey.
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