2 answers
sian
Student
Sedro-Woolley, Washington
2
Questions
Asked
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what is the hardest part of your day being in the medical field?
my name is Sian, and I am a student at job corps currently studying to become a CMA and i would like some insight on what the daily struggles you face are, whether it be patient's, families or just the workload.
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2 answers
Rita Chuang
Physician
206
Answers
Henderson, Nevada
Updated
Rita’s Answer
I was in the primary care field and the volume of work that needs to be done is quite a bit.
When it was my own medical practice, I was seeing about 40 patients a day and worked from 8-4 pm M-F except Wednesday 8-1. I started at 6:30 AM starting to refill medications. There were usually about 20-30 refill requests. You don't just refill but you need to see when the patient was last seen and when they last had their labs. Then, I would answer patient questions through the portal. Next, patients had labs drawn so I would look at the results and send them a message through the portal about their lab results.
Next, I would start seeing patients. If you are lucky, patients only have one problem to take care of but usually there are several. You need to write your notes, send patients to get lab results, send to specialists, and refill medications. If you have time, then you need to discuss maintenance issues-did they have their mammogram, PAP smear, colonoscopy, vaccinations etc. Between patients, you try to finish typing up your notes and then more refills and questions from patients come in. Then, you need to review notes from other doctors, review labs, review Xrays, CT/MRI, ultrasounds, etc, home health reports, prior authorizations for medications/procedures that the insurance won't pay. During the day, patients will complain that they need to be seen for an emergency.
Wednesday afternoon, I would need to do payroll to pay my staff. On Saturday and Sunday, we would often go into the clinic to get mail and refill medications, answer questions, let patients know the lab results.
I'm very fast do I usually finish my notes before I leave the room. My friend who is a physician would be in the office until 8-9 pm finishing her notes. In the meantime, I'm reading online reviews about patients complaining that all doctors do is stare at the computer. When do they want us to finish our notes? How do we remember everything a patient said?
Remember, you will probably have a family that you need to go to after you finish work. They are waiting for you to go home to eat.
It is exhausting to listen to complaints all day. You sometimes need to unwind and take care of yourself before you take care of others.
When it was my own medical practice, I was seeing about 40 patients a day and worked from 8-4 pm M-F except Wednesday 8-1. I started at 6:30 AM starting to refill medications. There were usually about 20-30 refill requests. You don't just refill but you need to see when the patient was last seen and when they last had their labs. Then, I would answer patient questions through the portal. Next, patients had labs drawn so I would look at the results and send them a message through the portal about their lab results.
Next, I would start seeing patients. If you are lucky, patients only have one problem to take care of but usually there are several. You need to write your notes, send patients to get lab results, send to specialists, and refill medications. If you have time, then you need to discuss maintenance issues-did they have their mammogram, PAP smear, colonoscopy, vaccinations etc. Between patients, you try to finish typing up your notes and then more refills and questions from patients come in. Then, you need to review notes from other doctors, review labs, review Xrays, CT/MRI, ultrasounds, etc, home health reports, prior authorizations for medications/procedures that the insurance won't pay. During the day, patients will complain that they need to be seen for an emergency.
Wednesday afternoon, I would need to do payroll to pay my staff. On Saturday and Sunday, we would often go into the clinic to get mail and refill medications, answer questions, let patients know the lab results.
I'm very fast do I usually finish my notes before I leave the room. My friend who is a physician would be in the office until 8-9 pm finishing her notes. In the meantime, I'm reading online reviews about patients complaining that all doctors do is stare at the computer. When do they want us to finish our notes? How do we remember everything a patient said?
Remember, you will probably have a family that you need to go to after you finish work. They are waiting for you to go home to eat.
It is exhausting to listen to complaints all day. You sometimes need to unwind and take care of yourself before you take care of others.
Thank you so much for the advice.
sian
Lena Warner
Registered Nurse
1
Answer
Pickens, South Carolina
Updated
Lena’s Answer
Rita is correct , it’s a lot of work . I’ve been a nurse for 44 years and have worked in the hospital and ambulatory settings . In the hospital patients are very sick and complex . More so than they used to be . The number of staff taking care of patients tends to be lower than what is needed .
A lot of things that need to be done and followed up on throughout the day . The other factor is that patients can decline very quickly, resulting in a complete change in what you had planned for the day . Families can be challenging. The main thing to remember is that typically they are afraid and just need someone to listen to them.
In the ambulatory setting , reimbursement requires that’many patients need to be seen to have the money to run the practice . It’s a disservice to our patients who need time and attention. I think making sure all gets done , and the patient is well cared for Can make for a stressful day in the outpatient setting .
There will always be challenges. As much as you can organize your work flow , the better . Understand that interruptions will slow you down .
See if there are processes that need to be refined to assist work flow .
A lot of things that need to be done and followed up on throughout the day . The other factor is that patients can decline very quickly, resulting in a complete change in what you had planned for the day . Families can be challenging. The main thing to remember is that typically they are afraid and just need someone to listen to them.
In the ambulatory setting , reimbursement requires that’many patients need to be seen to have the money to run the practice . It’s a disservice to our patients who need time and attention. I think making sure all gets done , and the patient is well cared for Can make for a stressful day in the outpatient setting .
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