Good Thing Stupidity Isn’t Contagious, Either
Arkansas, Ignoring & Inattentive, Medical Office, Nurses, USA | Healthy | February 21, 2019
(My wife has been under the weather for a while. They send her home early from work one day, so I take her to our favourite urgent care clinic. They did really well when she had pneumonia last spring, so we have no reason to doubt their abilities this year. But… the nurse is inattentive. She walks in, sits down, doesn’t look up from her laptop while taking history, and then flees as soon as she can. In meanders the “doctor,” a nurse practitioner. I’m sure there are good ones out there, but I’ve yet to meet a truly competent one. He checks her ears, throat, and breathing, all from the outside. I don’t recall him actually looking in her mouth once. We tell him she’s sneezing blood, vomiting mucus, and having intense sinus pressure.)
Practitioner: “Sounds like an asthma flare-up to me.”
Me: *incredulous* “Asthma attacks cause sinus pressure, pain, and vomiting?!”
Practitioner: “Okay, with a minor sinus infection.”
Me: “Really?!”
Practitioner: “We’ll send over an antibiotic and a steroid and give her a shot.”
Me: “For asthma?”
(He is dismissive of my concerns and leaves. One week later, my throat is swollen and sore and I can barely speak. My wife, feeling a little better than me, calls the clinic.)
Wife: “I was in last week and saw your nurse practitioner. He said I was just having an asthma flare-up, but now my wife has it! I didn’t know asthma was contagious.” *pause* “He’s an idiot and you should screen your people better.” *pause* “No. Screen your people. Make sure they know what they’re talking about when they see someone.” *click*
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