New here 1st baby rude U/S tech!?

myrtlebliss · May 2013

Hi all! This is my first post here, first baby. Measured 6 weeks today saw a heartbeat!! So awesome. Slightly annoyed w/ the ultrasound tech though! I had to go in on Tuesday b/c of spotting mostly brownishDr. said probably implantation bleeding but ordered a early U/S anyway. The tech acted annoyed that time saying it was too soon to be doing one but we did end up seeing the yolk sac again today she was rude, asked me what she was supposed to be scanning for, seemed annoyed until she found the heartbeat. Also when she said the due date was Dec. 30 she mentioned that her ex husband was a Capricorn too that he had chosen drugs over her her daughter she had to divorce him! Why is this woman trying to rain on my parade?

NJMom050911 · May 2013

I would report her. Totally unacceptable behavior.

notkateanymore · May 2013

I don't think it was your parade she was raining on. She just seems like an unhappy person. I wouldn't let it bother you. You got to see the HB, so it's all good.

myrtlebliss · May 2013

Right on, seeing that HB made my day no matter what! I wonder if she's the only one available to conduct U/S in that office, maybe I'll ask about that next time! Sourpuss!

cherylnicole · May 2013

woah woah Queen of Sheba. Slow your role.

I think you're making it a bigger issue. Maybe she's having a bad week, maybe she thought it was too soon, maybe she's just a b!!tch. Either way, if you allow people to "rain on your parade", then they will.

golfingdarwinfish · May 2013

I don't think she was trying to rain on your parade. It sounds like she has issues with her ex-husband relating to their daughter, so perhaps prenatal ultrasounds just remind her of him and she needs to find a new specialty.

Just disregard her and enjoy the fact that she found the heartbeat. I think sometimes really early ultrasounds are stressful on techs because it's a very emotional time for the patient and their SO, so it actually puts a bit of pressure on the tech if they aren't seeing something or have a difficult time finding it. Considering she calmed a bit when she found the heartbeat, it really could be that she was just concerned.

We all have bad days.... On the other hand, you just saw a heartbeat and should be celebrating and not dwelling on her unhappiness.

tealowl · May 2013

From one standpoint, I can see her getting annoyed by doing early U/S's...remember, that's alllllll she does, it might be a pet peeve for U/S techs? I have no idea, just throwing that out there.

However, her rambling about her kids Dad and her divorce and his astro sign is bizarre, and not the kind of small talk a medical professional needs to be having. You probably won't have her again, so I'd just let it go, I wouldn't complain about it, it's just not very tactful of her.

Pinkypumpkin313 · May 2013

cherylnicole:
woah woah Queen of Sheba. Slow your role.nbsp;I think you're making it a bigger issue. nbsp;Maybe she's having a bad week, maybe she thought it was too soon, maybe she's just a b!!tch. Either way, if you allow people to "rain on your parade", then they will.nbsp;

Regardless, it's unprofessional and unacceptable. I'd be pissed too if someone acted like that.

cherylnicole · May 2013

Pinkypumpkin313:
cherylnicole:
woah woah Queen of Sheba. Slow your role.nbsp;I think you're making it a bigger issue. nbsp;Maybe she's having a bad week, maybe she thought it was too soon, maybe she's just a b!!tch. Either way, if you allow people to "rain on your parade", then they will.nbsp;
Regardless, it's unprofessional and unacceptable. I'd be pissed too if someone acted like that.

She shouldn't have said anything about her family. However, to say "why is she trying to rain on my parade" is saying this tech is going out of her way to ruin her day.

lifesaverz · May 2013

whether or not you choose to let it bother you, that was totally unprofessional & unacceptable on her part. I'm sorry, but if I have to keep my sh** together & act like a professional at work, then other people should be able to do the same. She was out of line. Personally, I prob wouldn't complain, but would prob ask for someone else next time if that's possible. I think people in positions like that, dealing with sensitive matters such as pregnancy should have a better bedside matter/sensitivity. I saw a rude OB once, before pregnancy, & would never go to her again.

myrtlebliss · May 2013

I bet she really is just annoyed at having to do early ultrasounds, I had figured as much. I actually had a good laugh about her behavior when I called chatted with my mom to tell her I saw the heartbeat. Lol. However, I do think it would make me nervous to have her do my scans every time. I think she should do what the doctors ask her to try to be a little more sensitive to what patients might be going through as well. Thanks for the input ladies!

Pinkypumpkin313 · May 2013

cherylnicole:
Pinkypumpkin313:
cherylnicole:
woah woah Queen of Sheba. Slow your role.nbsp;I think you're making it a bigger issue. nbsp;Maybe she's having a bad week, maybe she thought it was too soon, maybe she's just a b!!tch. Either way, if you allow people to "rain on your parade", then they will.nbsp;

Regardless, it's unprofessional and unacceptable. I'd be pissed too if someone acted like that.
She shouldn't have said anything about her family. However, to say "why is she trying to rain on my parade" is saying this tech is going out of her way to ruin her day. 

Agreed, however even though I know that everything isn't always about us, this should have been an exciting moment that was about her.

Pinkypumpkin313 · May 2013

ETA:Double post.

tealowl · May 2013

MamaSargeToBe:
You have a right to someone who will at least keep their mouth shut if not be positive.

No, she doesn't. No one gets the right to have everybody in the world excited for their own personal reason. You can't expect that.

It sounds like this woman just doesn't have much tact or common sense. She just wasn't nice. Oh well. Some people just aren't.

I've worked in the medical field for years. I do lots of repetiative things every single day. Some things do get on my nerves after awhile. When you answer the same questions day after day after day. I know the people I talk too, it could be the first time they've asked that, so I don't show them I'm annoyed of course, but will I eye roll it later w/my co-workers? Sometimes.

My midwifes office has the worst receptionists. They always act annoyed when I call, some of them have poor phone skills. They are never smiley when you come in, they'll give you short curt responses to questions, they're just not...pleasant. But, I don't really have to deal w/them. I just need an answer or an appt made, I don't need them to burst into a song and dance everytime. I'm sure they are overworked and tired or have their own personal problems going on. It doesn't make me want to switch my midwife, because I really like her. I'm not going to complain because I just don't care enough.

golfingdarwinfish · May 2013

MamaSargeToBe:
Pinkypumpkin313:
cherylnicole:
woah woah Queen of Sheba. Slow your role.nbsp;I think you're making it a bigger issue. nbsp;Maybe she's having a bad week, maybe she thought it was too soon, maybe she's just a b!!tch. Either way, if you allow people to "rain on your parade", then they will.nbsp;
Regardless, it's unprofessional and unacceptable. I'd be pissed too if someone acted like that.

This.
I work in retail. The customer is always right. Sometimes they're actually wrong, and I hate them, and yet, I have to maintain professionalism, deal with their problem or complaint, and I don't ever get to stand there bitching to them about my bad day [or life].
Anyway, in this situation, you are the customer and if you're unhappy with the service, I think you should do something about it. I don't think it's fair to you if it did bother or upset you (which it obviously did, or you wouldn't have posted about it, that you should have to be sympathetic or empathetic to her.

I tend to tread very lightly if I think a complaint could possibly jeopardize someone's employment. I could see casually bringing up the tech to the doctor, but I would probably think twice about lodging some sort of official complaint.

Also, medical professionals have bad days, and honestly, the tech didn't argue with her, name call or anything of the sort; being a chatty Cathy and bringing up her own life isn't against the law. If she had told OP an uplifting story we wouldn't be having this discussion.

I really don't want to live in a world where we stop being sympathetic/empathetic to someone over something like this.

cherylnicole · May 2013

VCGolfNYC:
MamaSargeToBe:
I tend to tread very lightly if I think a complaint could possibly jeopardize someone's employment. I could see casually bringing up the tech to the doctor, but I would probably think twice about lodging some sort of official complaint.
Also, medical professionals have bad days, and honestly, the tech didn't argue with her, name call or anything of the sort; being a chatty Cathy and bringing up her own life isn't against the law. If she had told OP an uplifting story we wouldn't be having this discussion.
I really don't want to live in a world where we stop being sympathetic/empathetic to someone over something like this.

agreed 100%

tealowl · May 2013

MamaSargeToBe:

and my line of work is significantly less important in terms of how my behavior may affect clients that a medical professional (IMO).

I don't think you working in retail is less important at all! I started out in retail, and learning customer service that way has been really useful now that I work in the medical field (which has been insurance, medical billing and now financial assitance for low income patients).

I get cussed out weekly for things beyond my control. Most of the time I bite my tongue, but sometimes I have to be short with someone, because they are not allowed to harrass and cuss at us, we're allowed to hang up if the caller gets unreasonable.

golfingdarwinfish · May 2013

MamaSargeToBe:
VCGolfNYC:
MamaSargeToBe:
Pinkypumpkin313:
cherylnicole:
woah woah Queen of Sheba. Slow your role.nbsp;I think you're making it a bigger issue. nbsp;Maybe she's having a bad week, maybe she thought it was too soon, maybe she's just a b!!tch. Either way, if you allow people to "rain on your parade", then they will.nbsp;
Regardless, it's unprofessional and unacceptable. I'd be pissed too if someone acted like that.

This.
I work in retail. The customer is always right. Sometimes they're actually wrong, and I hate them, and yet, I have to maintain professionalism, deal with their problem or complaint, and I don't ever get to stand there bitching to them about my bad day [or life].
Anyway, in this situation, you are the customer and if you're unhappy with the service, I think you should do something about it. I don't think it's fair to you if it did bother or upset you (which it obviously did, or you wouldn't have posted about it, that you should have to be sympathetic or empathetic to her.
I tend to tread very lightly if I think a complaint could possibly jeopardize someone's employment. I could see casually bringing up the tech to the doctor, but I would probably think twice about lodging some sort of official complaint.
Also, medical professionals have bad days, and honestly, the tech didn't argue with her, name call or anything of the sort; being a chatty Cathy and bringing up her own life isn't against the law. If she had told OP an uplifting story we wouldn't be having this discussion.
I really don't want to live in a world where we stop being sympathetic/empathetic to someone over something like this.

I don't want to either, but honestly, most people don't think twice about their actions or words and how they affect others. If she complains, maybe this tech would learn something valuable.
I have had customers call and complain over the smallest, STUPIDEST things. I had someone say I should be fired over not being able to get them a stupid Pandora bead because it was on backorder, and as I don't work for Pandora, I have absolutely no control over that. Now, there was no way I was actually going to get fired for that, but I did have to sit through discussing it and feeling like a complete when honestly I did nothing wrong. That woman was the one having the bad day and I felt like she took it out on me. But I did learn something from it, and take that experience into working with other customers who were particularly awful.
You don't get to pick and choose. You don't always get to have a bad day and expect everyone to just understand that. I know I don't, and my line of work is significantly less important in terms of how my behavior may affect clients that a medical professional (IMO).

Working in the medical profession and working in retail are different. In medicine, the client is not always 100% right. Many medical professionals have terrible bedside manner. I would rather have a surgeon with impeccable precision & instinct bit poor bedside manner than one that was mediocre but was always a pleasure to be around.

When I was in the ER I had an attending physician refer to me as "the miscarriage patient". Did I enjoy it? No. It broke my heart every single time I heard it. If I had to, would I see her again because she practiced the technical aspects of medicine well? Yes.

Edit: I'm not against the tech learning something from the experience, I agree with you that this would be a good learning opportunity for her. Looking at what you added to your last post about the way it should be handled, it looks like we are actually in agreement

GeauxM&V · May 2013

myrtlebliss:
Hi all! This is my first post here, first baby. Measured 6 weeks today saw a heartbeat!! So awesome. Slightly annoyed w/ the ultrasound tech though! I had to go in on Tuesday b/c of spotting mostly brownishDr. said probably implantation bleeding but ordered a early U/S anyway. The tech acted annoyed that time saying it was too soon to be doing one but we did end up seeing the yolk sac again today she was rude, asked me what she was supposed to be scanning for, seemed annoyed until she found the heartbeat. Also when she said the due date was Dec. 30 she mentioned that her ex husband was a Capricorn too that he had chosen drugs over her her daughter she had to divorce him! Why is this woman trying to rain on my parade?

I can understand your urge to report her, but I honestly don't think any good will come out of it. The fact that you got a heartbeat is wonderful news, so just run with those emotions instead of the negative ones. If you can, maybe request a different tech next time.

lp0 · May 2013

Honestly her having a bad day doesn't excuse her being a b!tch about doing the early scan or being unprofessional. The early scan was the doctor's orders and if its her pet peeve then she needs to find another profession. It's not right that the patient feel uncomfortable because this chick has a bug up her a$$. I probably wouldn't go out of my way to complain but maybe mention next time you talk to your doctor.

At my u/s on Friday the tech really beat me up when she was looking for my ovaries. I had two transvaginal u/s when I was pregnant with DS and a few prior because of some issues with my cycles. I was never in pain during or so sore afterwards (for two days). I plan on telling my doctor when she calls me back to schedule the NT scan because obviously she needs more training or maybe she can really hurt someone. I'm nervous she could have hurt my baby or me, I've never been so sore.

MEP923 · May 2013

That is completely unprofessional. I would call an Office Manager or let the doctor know at your next appointment. Congrats on a great ultrasound though.

Eta: I just actually read the thread. I am a certified medical assistant and we had a class entitled "professionalism". When you work in a job like this you get schooling and it is a career. You are taught in detail what is professional and what is not and she was not professional. You have a right to complain. The first time I met with my doctor he told me "You tell me if my staff is not pleasant 100 percent of the time" That is a little extreme but it was one of the reasons I loved the office (BTW everyone has been professional at all times)

vpatchen · May 2013

NOT okay. One of my favorite parts about my first u/s (also early 7weeks1day) was that the tech was SO amazing! She was thoughtful and supportive the entire time!!

Sorry about your experience.

zou bisou · May 2013

Lol, I can't imagine just blabbing to a random patient about my druggie ex leaving me and my daughter all because the baby I'm scanning is going to a be a capricorn too. What a weirdo.

I probably wouldn't bother reporting. She sounds like she's been in a tough place and needed to talk to anyone or anything. And someone who has that little clue about what's professional and what's not is going to slip up and say something much worse. She's probably not going to work there for long. And if it was just an off day for her, good. Hopefully you won't have to deal with it again.

And heartbeat, cool.

hjweber · May 2013

NJMom050911:
I would report her. Totally unacceptable behavior.

I would report her, too. But as another poster said, don't let her "rain on your parade." I was diagnosed with a blighted ovum with my first pregnancy and the new u/s tech actually pointed out the "heartbeat" to me that wasn't even there (before having the more experienced tech come in and definitely not see anything). Talk about a bad experience. With DD, I requested the u/s tech that has been there since I was a child and will be requesting her again this time. No newbie is going to do my u/s.

hjweber · May 2013

And also,

In the medical field, ESPECIALLY, you don't bring your personal problems to work with you....and you definitely don't share them with your patient. It's just not the right thing to do.

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