It's amazing how quickly my blood pressure can rise. I hate when I get myself worked up about something, but inevitably, it happens. And I am convinced that this only happens when my focus is not where it needs to be. Not that my woes aren't understandable, but like the Psalmist says, those who trust in Jesus should rejoice in Him and not dwell in our woes like the wicked do.
So I'm going to get this off my chest and let my woe go. I am highly annoyed at my doctor's nurse. Actually, I doubt she's a nurse. There's no way a registered nurse should act that incompetent. At my son's annual check-up last month, she asked me what shots he needed! Thankfully, I am a registered nurse who has a clue and knows that he doesn't need anything until kindergarten. But let's just say, this girl and I had a very strange conversation about my son's immunization history that just about sent me over the edge. She just couldn't figure out why he didn't need another Hep B shot since he's only had 4 already. (Hello woman! He only needs 3, so I'm pretty sure that vaccination has been covered!) Then, when I asked about flu shots, she looked at me funny and answered "I don't know anything about that." Oh my goodness! Incompetence makes me angry.
I'm typically patient and understanding, but this was not an isolated incident. And although it happened 2 weeks ago, it's still making me mad. So mad, in fact, that I actually had an entire letter in my mind that I was prepared to write and send to the doctor's office manager about the incompetence of their nursing staff. As a registered nurse who has run my own clinic, I know incompetence when I see it. And trust me, I've seen it too many times at too many doctors' offices.
But this afternoon, my husband said something that made me think. If I'm that mad about incompetent care, maybe I should go find another doctor. Otherwise, I'll be known as "that patient" who wrote "The Letter." And he's right. As a former clinic nurse, I know that I would be the patient with the label. And I'm not ready to go find another doctor at this point because I really like the one I see. He's amazing, despite his incompetent medical assistant. Maybe I just need to take a chill pill.
Maybe I need to show some mercy to this girl and remember what it was like to be the new nurse. I don't have to let her actually give my boys their shots (I'm definitely not ready to let her use a needle with my kids at this point), but I can help her out and show her some tricks to pediatric care. I mean, I am a pediatric nurse. In my opinion, my boys are getting pretty good full-time nursing care.
I'm just going to have to let this one go. This woe is gone. As the Psalmist says, those of us who have experienced the love of Jesus should not be consumed by the things of this world. Instead, we should be rejoicing in Jesus and praising the Lord. When I ask myself what Jesus would do with this situation, I'm pretty sure that writing a letter describing the flawed communication, training, and competency of the "nursing" staff isn't on His to-do list. No, he would be assertive and kind. He would be constructive in love and He would show patience.
Thank you dear husband for setting me straight. And thank you Jesus for your example of mercy and love.
And I am a little relieved! I, too, had visions of a label if you had sent the letter. Guilty by association? Thank you for having a listening heart.
ReplyDelete