Note To Hospitals
I don’t know anyone who is happy walking into the hospital’s A&E (or ER, whatever you want to call it) because something hurts, either internally or externally. I don’t know anyone who goes to the A&E thinking ‘hell! Didn’t have anything to do today so I’ll spend some hours in here wasting my time and the guys/girls’ that work here time too’.
So, knowing that, I would suggest to the ‘lovely’ nurse who greeted me at the entrance to the A&E not to look bad to the people who go on search of some help. I would suggest her also not to say things like ‘we have real emergencies here’ or ’sit down there and wait till we have a minute for you’ or ‘you might be waiting for a very long time’.
I hate doctors (sorry, you are lovely people, surely), I hate hospitals, and I really really hate the A&E (mainly because you get to see some of the most horrendous things the world has to offer), so if I go to the A&E complaining about a massive pain in my lower chest and back, it isn’t because I haven’t thought of my other options, it isn’t because I want to waste their time, or feel like hanging around the hospital for some hours, but because I need help. And sentences like ‘you shouldn’t be here’ doesn’t help.
Saying that, dear, lovely, nurse, I know we all have bad days at work, but we don’t take it on our clients/patients who come to us in search of pain relief. And if you can’t help, or you hate your patients so much, then change jobs. Surely the A&E would be a better place without you there.
On related news, turns out it was good I went to the A&E because I was quite ill. And luckily I didn’t wait too much longer to seek help, as my doctor said, it could have been much worse (hey, I didn’t need an operation after all!). Oh, and I did get to see an old green man (he was very very green, which was awful for him, but it did relief some of my pain, by taking my mind out, and making me think of the Hulk’s grandpa…).
October 10th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Hope you’re ok now though! And yes, I agree with you about people in the service industry. It may happen every day to them, but for the people walking through their doors, it’s all very new and potentially quite scary.
Hope you’re well.