Provider vs. Patient (Work Ethics)

OK, it is my time to blow steam!!!!!

Today, my respect for one the Psychiatric Nurse Prationeers (PNP) I work for totally went out the window. 

Her work ethics are to be questioned.

We scheduled a new patient in for her this coming Saturday, at our satelite office.  This was for the convience of the patient's mother, since they live closer to that area of the city.  When the PNP called for her schedule ... I gladly gave read her off her list of patients.  Unfortunatly, for the satelite office, the new patient was the only one scheduled for this particular day.

When she found out there was only the one patient, she clearly said "I am not going to drive that far for one patient".  "It is not convient for me to go that far".  "Call the patient and reschedule that for me". 

Not once did I hear please or could you.

The PNP said, "Well if you don't call, I will call when I get to the office and take care of it myself".  She isn't scheduled to come in until tomorrow (Friday).  The patient's appointment is Saturday.  "Just schedule them for the next time I am to go to the satelite office".  Which is May 16th.

I told the PNP that I would try to take care of it for her.  I then called the mother of the patient and explained to her that the PNP was not going to be available for the appointment as we first thought she was going to be.

What I heard next broke my heart.

The mother went into great detail as to why she wanted her child (7 years old) to be seen so quickly.  I could hear her starting to cry as she went into some of the details.  She wanted the appointment on the weekend so she would not have to have her child miss school and the satelite office was so convenient for her. 

This is a child who has hallucinations, seeing objects, shapes, etc.  The real heart breaker for me was when she told me that her child (7 years old) was seeing bugs coming out her mouth whenever she looked into a mirror.

I was on the phone with the mother for close to 15 minutes working out a solution to the scheduling delima.  All the time, not letting the mother know the real reason was that the PNP was too set on her own convinence of not wanting to drive the extra distance for only ONE patient.

I finally got the mother to schedule for tomorrow (Friday) at our home office.  I told her ... Hey your child would like a day off from school, the weather was going to be fantastic ... spend some quality mom & child time together.  I also told her of a Super Great field trip/excursion that she and her child could take after the appointment.  A fabulous ice cream/eatery not too far from the home office.

Well, I finally convinced her to make that appointment, with the assurance, of myself, that they have a note for school, so the child can be excused for the day, and the promise of giving her directions to the Ice Cream place.

I did not call the PNP back to tell her I had everything worked out for her.  If I had not called the mother when I did, and waited for the PNP to call, then there would have been no way to have gotten that appointment for them tomorrow.

I was so upset after hanging up with the mother, I nearly cried.  I told my office manager about all this, and she was going to talk with the head Psychiatrist about the entire thing.

Like I said ... I have lost total respect for this PNP.

Thanks for letting me vent.