Originally Posted by surgeonstone

Okay, so my schedule is set for 30-40 patients on a busy day. This figures a certain percentage of quick followups, a certain percentage of new patients that require more time and space for add ons that are emergent.
Everything is going smooth until patient A comes in with follow up studies that reveal a cancer that was not suspected. The 5 minute followup slot is now 45 minutes with a crying patient. In the middle of this the on call doc calls me into surgery to help out with a disaster. The point is as much as we try to respect others time and as much as we try to adhere to a schedule that is realistic, every day is different and every patient wants you to spend time and not rush through their appointment. It's a crap shoot. Sometimes everyone is happy. Sometimes everyone is pissed. But it's all in the service of trying to do the right thing and respect everyones needs.