Last Word
Patient Patience
Karlen McLean, ABOC, NCLC
We've all had difficult patients who really stand out as problematic for the practice. They make for interesting stories, and, more importantly, you can learn lessons about how to handle a similar situation next time. Here are a few I learned in the dispensary.
SIXTEEN MEDS
An agitated woman came into the office and slammed her glasses on my desk, declaring that she couldn't see out of them. I listened quietly, and after she calmed a bit, I gave the frame more pantoscopic angle which put the lenses closer to her eyes.
She was satisfied but still left in a huffy mood. A few minutes later a man came in, took my hand, and said, “I apologize for my wife. She is taking 16 different types of medication and she's not herself.”
I realized that everyone has problems and reasons for doing things. It helped me to be more compassionate, and made me a better listener.
THE CURSER
A man stormed into the office, cussing about how his glasses didn't fit, kept sliding down, hurt his nose, and so on. I asked him to please take a seat and calm down or I would not serve him. But he just kept on cussing, so I finally walked away back into our lab.
A few minutes later I heard him say, “Miss, I'm very sorry and I promise that I won't swear anymore. Can you please come back and help me?” I returned, adjusted his frame, and he was a polite patient thereafter.
MR. IMPATIENT
A man came in on a very busy morning. He kept interrupting staff members who were with seated patients, insisting that he only needed a screw replaced. We each assured him (repeatedly) that we'd be with him once those ahead of him had been helped. But that wasn't acceptable—he wanted help now. He was pacing and muttering, and making the other patients nervous.
I asked, “Sir, are you retired?” He affirmed, to which I responded, “Relax! That's what retirement is for! We'll get to you soon.”
The other patients all chuckled, smiled, and nodded. The impatient man turned red and left, and the other patients applauded! I may have ticked off one patient, but won four others as solid friends. He returned calmly on another day for his repair.
| You're Fired! |
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| R. Joe Simmons, my instructor at Miami-Dade Community College, not only taught the practicalities like optical theory and how to take measurements, but he also taught us how to run a business. Simmons taught that some people and problems just weren't worth it from a business aspect. If a patient is harming the business, they need to be let go. Simmons gave the example of a man who came in shouting about how rotten the clinic was, how he couldn't see out of his glasses, and how the staff members were all incompetent. He refused to calm down and be helped; instead he continued to rant. Finally, the staff got his name and pulled his chart. They refunded the money he'd spent on services and product and told him that he was no longer wanted as a patient. He exited fuming, but stayed gone. The patient got a free vision exam and a free pair of glasses—a $250 hit. But it was decided on the spot that he'd do more harm to patient and employee morale and monetarily if he remained on the patient roster, so he was fired. |
| Senior editor Karlen McLean has been in the optical industry for 35 years. She has spent half of that time in the dispensary. In this monthly column, Karlen shares her own experiences, and hopes you'll share yours. Contact her via email at Karlen.McLean@WoltersKluwer.com or online at facebook.com/eyecarebusiness. |
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