Are Medical Clinics Wasting Your Time?

This morning I waited in a doctor’s office for over an hour to get a checkup that I scheduled months ago. I set my alarm early, scrambled out of bed and ran to the bus stop so I could be on time.

After waiting hours at a time in past appointments; I scheduled this one at 9:00 a.m., one of the first appointments of the day.  

I arrived on time, checked in and was sent to wait in the office.  Usually once you make it out of the waiting area and into their office it usually means a ten to fifteen minute wait until the doctor comes.

Nope.

I waited in that office for over an hour.  I put on a paper tunic and sat awkwardly waiting for her to walk in.  After half an hour, I opened the door and looked into the empty hallway. “Did she forget about me?”

I sat back down.

I had to be at a school seminar in an hour.

I changed back into my clothes, told the receptionist to re-schedule and ran to catch my bus.

What a waste of time.

If doctors expect their clients to show up on time, then they should be courteous enough to do the same.  Clinics schedule appointments every day and should know approximately how long appointments take.

Every profession has to schedule and meet deadlines. If a client books a hair appointment, massage, dentist appointment, chiropractor appointment, they expect to get in on time. Why isn't it the same with medical clinics?

Other professions also book appointments that might take longer than others. This means taking these time variations into account and scheduling appointments according to the situation. Why can't medical clinics do the same? 

I would be more forgiving if this wasn't a regular occurrence. I don’t mind waiting 10, 15, or even 20 minutes but waiting hours at a time is just ridiculous! It’s poor planning. These are not walk-in clinics; these are scheduled appointments, there is no reason why anyone should be consistently behind schedule, day after day. 

I know doctors are busy people but so is everyone else. I understand it is a hard career but they made their choice to go into the field. 

If you’re going to do anything; in any career, be professional and do it to your best abilities.