Should I get her fired ?

I am not a nurse so I am not sure what is appropriate or routine, but I sort of wonder that she didn't take at least a quick look at you on hearing you appeared with a bee sting complaint. Anaphylactic shock has a set of symptoms to be checked for.

As to the receptionist, she probably doesn't know about the potential seriousness of bee stings, but should have some guidelines/complaints for getting a registered medical person's attention. Whether or not she behaved in a discriminatory way (yucko! and out!), it doesn't read from here that she had professional behavior or wording.

On being a higher up treated this way, you have the power to be listened to. Any employee could go into anaphyactic shock from a bee sting though. Might be an indicator for better specs for the receptionist position, and better advisement to whoever sits in that chair.

AAAH! Thanks, jesusgirl. Supposed to scrape it out with a credit card. That's right.

Gautum,
Did she even ask you if you were having difficulty breathing?

I've got to tell you, the more I think about this, the madder I get. I'd write the whole thing up and send it HR and Risk Management. Bad...very, very bad. Boo! Hiss!

Hate to rain on this parade - but bee stings happen all the time.

If you were having a severe reaction while in the waiting room I'm sure the secretary would have done something about it - like grabbed the nurse immediately.

If you weren't having a severe reaction it's kind of like scraping your hand on the corner of your desk.

My guess is that the secretary at work deals with all kinds of people with all kinds of issues who think that their issue is life or death when most, in fact, aren't.

I do think it's wrong that she didn't relay the info about the cream to you though. Totally out of line that was.

It's not a parade. It's a question of whether or not the secretary was qualified to make a medical decision. As a secretary, she is not. If she holds a nursing or EMT degree, that's another matter. From Gautum's description, it appears she just plain, old didn't give a rat's ass. That is the issue.

Bee stings, bug bites, nasty things, but jer's right. They happen all the time.

If you were going to have an anaphylactic reaction, you'd have been having problems about the time you were working on the stinger. (I've had an anaphylactic reaction - they happen fast). Painful, annoying - yes. Annoying that you weren't told about the lotion - very. That you're any kind of VP/VIP <shrug>- the docs/clinics I go would tell you to go hang on that, and rightly so.

It does seem kind of odd that there isn't some kind of basic level nurse doing the initial receiving/triage - that's what I'm more familiar with. Very few docs offices/clinics here have straight clerical folks at the front desk.

Perhaps an enquiry into why initial screening isn't handled by a med person would be a good way around it.

Well, that was my point, the nurse should have peered at you.

My mother nearly died of a bee sting and a long time friend has antidotes dotted about, in her purse, her car, her office - she can't get another one and not react fast. [she happens to have a fairly high political office but is just another person like all of us, no matter the stature coming in the clinic door.]

I know most beestings are nothing. I am not so sure shock might have gotten this woman's attention.

I am a little worried myself - will I as my mother's daughter have an anaphylatic response? Her brother had one to penicillin.. but so far I am clean of it. The little I remember of anaphylaxis is that the sensitivity increases multiply. It isn't so much the first instance but the later ones that do it.

With ehbeth, I am for having some med savvy in the reception area.

Skipping from bee stings on to strokes (et al), time matters a great deal with them. I think there should be a quick force in such a situation, if the possibility of stroke is ascertained. And there's the question, to me. It should probably be an RN at or very near the desk.

Well, exactly. That's my point too. Would she know a stroke or an MI in progress? Doesn't sound like a safe situation there at all. And the position of a patient shouldn't matter at all. Everyone should be treated the same. Period.

I guess that's why I thought the reaction to try to get someone fired was, well to be sort of polite, peculiar.

If she's not trained for the position, don't try to have her fired. If someone should be in trouble, it's whoever thought a non-med person should be first contact. If the person currently at the front is more of a clerk, well, then let her do her clerking, and get a nurse up front, assessing.

One of the first places I worked after university had a tiny clinic. Two nurses and a part-time doc. You didn't even see anyone about any paperwork until the nurses/doc were done with you.

OK, three of us in tune.

I'm not for the firing thing, necessarily. That's why I suggested she be in medical records or something. I'm getting the idea that this is more of an attitude thing though as well as being that of a secretary not versed in triage. That would put the whole thing in a far different light.

I'm not speculating anything anymore though. Guatum should be able to sort the whole thing out.

I am not for the firing thing necessarily either, agree. But this person is not right for the reception desk in a med clinic.

Thanks, I have reported it to HR with a recommendation that she be removed from the frontline duties.

When someone goes to the medical center, they don't go there for fun. While not expecting any sympathy, I would have had expected common courtesy from the front desk staff. "twiddling yr thumbs" is not what I classify as a courteous statement.

if she has the guts to speak to a VP like this, I can just imagine what kind of behaviour a junior person in the organization may be subject to !!

Those are treated like queens/kings - you should have tried the medical center before you got up to the ranks

Gautam- I am glad that you reported the incident. It is one thing to be treated poorly by a clerk in business settings; it is quite another in a setting where a person's life/health is at stake.

I have seen this over and over again, in my years in the work world. There are some people, usually in lower level jobs, who have that tiny bit of power, and use it to run roughshod over others. In most cases it is a minor annoyance, but in your example it could have been very serious.

Speaking from my HR hat side, I hope you've also asked HR to assess the workof whoever put her in a frontline position - their job is the one that really needs to be on the line. If it was an HR decision - that HR rep should be getting a good sit down and talking to - perhaps even an HR higher up needs a whack.

You comported yourself well gautam.....it's not the emergency part of the sting that comes into play as much as her nasty shitty attitude towards someone who was concerned they could be in stress. Report her by all means and let her know that if she doesn't have people skills there is generally an abundance of opportunities in the fast food industry.....squinney has stood by my side on several occasions when someone in the service end of the medical profession has attempted to blow me off and she will tell you it's an extemely ugly site.

I can't believe you were so calm. I'd have thrown her goddam computer to the floor.

Good job, G.
Calm, rational and correct.
That's why you're a VP.

Good Gautum.

The head of my company's health services just called me and apologized on behalf of the entire medical team. She has assured me that they will look at their procedures once again, with special emphasis on the training of the front desk staff.

And although I am hoping that a situation where I have to use the medical center again will never happen, they have promised me a different experience next time I am there.

Matter resolved. Chapter closed.