Not The Warmest Reception

I am in the process of getting ready to see a new ObGyn because I really do not like my current provider. Nervous as heck, I leave early for my appointment so that I arrive twenty minutes early. When I park, I see the sign that says to call to check-in. I call and talk to the receptionist, answer the screening questions, and double-check that I need a mask. Then, I head inside the building.

There is one person that goes into the office just ahead of me. I wait off to the side while they fill out their paperwork, and the receptionist calls my name. I fill out the paperwork, and she hands me a sticker sheet of labels with my information on it. I take my labels and go sit down.

Thirty minutes later, fifteen minutes past my appointment time, several other people have been and gone. I assume they’re seeing one of the other doctors. But there is one couple that has been waiting longer than me. They ask the receptionist what the delay might be. She makes some calls, and then about ten minutes later, they’re called into the back. At this point, my assumption is that we’re seeing the same doctor and that perhaps there was a delivery or something.

Thirty more minutes pass, and I still haven’t been called up. The couple from before leaves. Now I’m concerned. The receptionist has not checked in with me, and I tried to speak up, but my anxiety got the better of me. Finally, I get loud enough to ask what’s up.

Me: “Excuse me, but may I ask why the delay?”

Receptionist: “What was the last name again?”

Me: “[My Last Name]. I had a 2:15 appointment with [Doctor]?”

Receptionist: “Huh. Let me go check what’s going on.”

She goes to the back and comes back.

Receptionist: “Well, it looks like whoever checked you in didn’t do it all the way, so they didn’t even know you were here!”

At this point, I want to both cry and yell because SHE WAS THE ONE WHO CHECKED ME IN.

Receptionist: “Well, they know you’re here now, so let’s get your paperwork filled out.”

Me: “I already did it — the consent form and the contact form.”

Receptionist: “Oh, well, let me get you your labels.”

Me: “I already have them!”

I was dumbfounded. How do you just forget a person? The kicker is that we had definitely made eye contact more than once over that hour, but she never asked me what I was doing just hanging out there. She just let me sit there.

The good news is that I love my new doctor. I’m just going to be keeping an eye on the office staff… and be a little more assertive!