Vent: Bad First Impression of MFM Office

catsinawindow

So I'm planning to birth at a freestanding birth center staffed by nurse midwives as long as I stay low risk this PG. However, bc I have a history of PreE with my son, my MWs have asked me to get a consultation with a MFM group to determine if I need extra monitoring and to develop a game plan if my BP starts to rise again.

So I call the MFM office this morning to find out how I should deliver my hospital records (with my son) to them. I told the receptionist how the hospital had sent me a book and my MWs had asked me to sort out the important pages to bring along.

Upon saying this, the receptionist burst into laughter and said "that's the funniest thing I've ever heard! Your MWs want you to pick out the important information! Omg, I'm telling everyone in the office this!"

I'm completely taken aback bc #1 I'm a biomedical researcher and it's not unreasonable that I WOULD be able to pick out the important information. And #2 I feel that her words are very disrespectful to the MWs.

This conversation left such a bad taste in my mouth. I really hope that I'm just hearing one woman's misconceptions about MWs and not the feelings of the whole practice. Anyway, I'm now looking forward to this consultation even less than I was before.

::cookies:: for you if you made it this far!

aylafsu88

The comment does seem very inappropriate and is something that she should not have said to a patient.  However, I can somewhat understand her point.  I would not want to look through my records and pick out what I think is important.  I would want the MW to take a look at all of the information.  I am a researcher as well and while I know some things I do not know everything, especially for L&D.  Hopefully your appointment goes well.  If not could you switch to another MFM office?

MississippiCatfish

I think this is very unprofessional also. I'd mention it to her superior. Not to the dr, because they're so busy they usually won't do anything. Also, the dr probably doesn't even know the person's name or how to go about getting this to the correct hands. I worked in cust service/billing for a hospital and clinic group for seven years and that would be my advice. I wouldn't hold it against the dr. The receptionist could have just started and have very little education or training. I would address it but not let it influence my opinion of the dr.

ETA I will say, although it wasn't her place to say so, it is probably best for you to bring everything. I'm an RN and I wouldn't feel comfortable weeding through to decide what was pertinent.

catsinawindow

Yeah, I know what you're saying, and it was mostly her tone that got to me. If she had simply said "why don't you bring everything, you never know what the doctor might want to look at!" It wouldn't have bothered me. Rather than insinuating that my MWs were being so ridiculous that she planned to tell the whole office about it.

Best case scenario, this consultation will be my only interaction with MFM. If the doctor does rub me the wrong way, I probably will talk to my MWs about whether there are other options.