75 Things Patients Do That Annoy People In The Medical Field

Pharmacy technician here. People need to know more about their own medications. You’d be surprised how many people don’t even know the bare minimum such as what the medication is called, what it’s for, and who prescribed it.

Also, people don’t understand that the primary roll of the pharmacy is to keep you safe. The pharmacy is not the “put the fries in the bag” kind of place that even some prescribers think it is.

I am a non clinical person in the medical field, and I need patients to understand that what the doctor says about "seeing you back" and when to expect your testing, is a shot in the dark. They say whatever they want not knowing they're totally booked for 6 months, or that certain tests only run on certain days, at certain times, etc. Making us the purveyors of bad news, explaining to patients the reality of their schedules.

Psychiatrist. Please stop asking for GeneSight testing. Despite what your friend/family member/coworker/primary care NP told you, it is not a test that will tell us exactly what medication will work for you. In fact, the information has very little to do with what medication will or won't work. It tells us how your liver enzymes metabolize different medications, and that mostly has implications for dosing, not efficacy. There are only a few use cases where getting GeneSight testing is helpful, and when we hit one of those use cases I will suggest it myself.

In maternity - 97% of the time your birth plan isn’t going to be how your birth plays out. We try our best but there’s a reason that pregnancy & birth is no longer a d***h sentence: because interventions exist

Also, after being a midwife for 5 years I’m yet to meet a midwife who doesn’t have best intentions at heart, we’re not out to cause trauma or create a bad experience.

"I'll wait until it's a problem."

When it becomes a problem, the diagnostics are riskier to perform and it's a less treatable condition.

ER nurse here…we can’t fix the decades of damage you have done to your body in one day so please don’t take it out on me!

I’m not your maid/babysitter/housekeeper.
You are not my only patient, so I am not on standby to take care of only you.

If I remember you, it’s bad. It’s a compliment if I see you again and don’t recognize you. (Ironically, I work in anesthesia).

Nurse here. Sometimes there is no cure for your condition. The best we can offer is a treatment and even then, sometimes treatments don’t always work.

That I’m only going to care as much as you care and not an ounce more.. maybe I’m a bitter at this but we’re sick of putting more effort in your life than you do your own.

That I’m trying my best.

Do your bowel clean out correctly. The next in the biopsy procedure is pathology and we can't do our job right if you don't.

If I’m running behind, I’m frustrated too. It’s either because I needed to spend more time for something urgent or people before you showed up late.

THE ER IS NOT YOUR PCP.

We don't get paid near as much as you think. Medicare has cut down reimbursement every year since early 2000's. It's nearly impossible to own and run a private practice. People want dedicated care and expect it to be free and easy. It's extremely difficult to meet patient expectations when we are having to see significantly more patients to afford our practice. We are rushed, pressured, and burn out is strong - 6 years into practice.