Monday, October 26, 2009

The 11:30 P.M. Drive-By Therapy


A psychiatrist walked on the unit I work at 11:15 p.m. After reviewing a few charts, he started his walk-by therapy at 11:30 by going in his patients’ rooms (and other patients whose doctor he was covering for during the weekend). So the psychiatrist wakes up these patients and asks them a few questions after they have been in bed since 10 p.m. It is not unusual for doctors to just walk thru the unit talking to a patient for just a few seconds. What was unusual this time is how late he showed up. One of the patients who was awakened, came to the nurse and asked for a sleeping pill so he can go back to sleep. How ridiculous can that be? So far none of the patients woken up has gotten agitated, but the night is young. I remember another psychiatrist who used to do the same thing a few years back, only he did it at 5 a.m. and I think the administration talked to him about that and he soon got tired of working here. At least they did room service.

5 comments:

Sophie said...

That is completely ridiculous and wrong!!

Noel DLP said...

Not only that, the patient got upset because the doctor told him that his involuntary hold was being extended 14 more days! Imagine being woken up to hear that information after expecting that he would be in the hospital for just 3 days.

Nancy Deprez said...

Agree it is totally silly, but hey, at least he got to bill for seeing those patients - major eye roll.

Noel DLP said...

Hi Nancy, he is otherwise a good doctor who the patients and staff like. He needed to bill those patients to keep up his exotic car collection not unlike Jay Leno's

Unknown said...

Noel, this sort of doctor makes me wistful for the days of a shaman shaking a rattle over a patient while blowing smoke over his demonically possessed body.

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