By DR. MICHAEL M. WARREN
There are many types of members of the health care team. We have talked about many of them in the past and how each impacts your well-being. Now let us recognize the valuable roles of the secretary or receptionist or clerk. They go by several titles but consider, if you will, the potentially disastrous results if all of them were to suddenly disappear from the health care scene. To avoid confusion I will just call the varied members of this group secretaries.
You do not feel well, so you call your doctor. Who answers the phone? Rarely your doctor, right? Your initial contact is almost always with a secretary who treats you with respect and courtesy, fully mindful of the old saying: “First impressions are lasting impressions.”
When you arrive at your doctor’s office to keep your appointment, it is probably the secretary who greets you as you walk through the door; and before you leave, it is the secretary who arranges for additional appointments, discusses payment plans, calls a cab if you need one, and sends you on your way with a cheerful smile.
You are not the secretary’s only concern. There are meetings to arrange, travel plans to confirm and mail and correspondence to handle. There are patient appointments, phone calls, supplies to order, and a myriad of other details that take up hours of the secretary’s time.
What if the secretary is sick or delayed and cannot come to work? The efficient office can turn into chaos and the doctor is in deep trouble. Let’s face it, the physician’s knowledge rarely extends to an in-depth comprehension of word processing software.
Yet, sad to say, secretaries rarely receive the kind of compensation that reflects the value of their contribution. Often, paychecks are barely adequate to meet basic needs: food, shelter, and clothing. Vacation time is usually minimal. Office hours are long and arduous.
You can help. Sometimes, a good secretary is taken for granted. My advice is to be nice, and for the doctor to do the same. When you find a secretary who will put up with all the problems of the office, the patients and the doctor, it is the best policy to do everything possible to keep him or her satisfied and as happy as possible. Show you recognize his or her worth by being pleasant and friendly when dealing with them. Indicate that you are aware of how much you benefit from their help.
Try to understand that the secretary is not always free to act in the way you would prefer, but is usually offering you the best available service. Send a letter or note to the boss (i.e., the doctor) that emphasizes the secretary’s value. Such a gesture from a grateful patient would surely be appreciated.
Often, you are sick or worried when you walk into your doctor’s office, but try to imagine what it would be like without the secretary’s friendly smile, professional approach, and helpful attitude.
You have heard the expression: “It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it?” Well, being a doctor’s secretary is truly a tough job. Be thankful that someone is willing to do it.
Dr. Michael M. Warren is the Ashbel Smith professor of surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch Division of Urology. Email him at michael.warren@galvnews.com.