FAQ means frequently asked questions.
Today I got a phone call from a spouse of a friend I hadn’t heard from in years. Damned degrees and the time and attention sink they are!
During the call, they asked me not where I’ve been as I kind of dropped off the radar because of school and the gym closing. Instead, they asked me one of the FAQs all healthcare workers get, who would I see for X problem?
This is one of the most frequent questions that we get. Presumably, us healthcare workers know the best doctors/surgeons and our friends and family want to know.
It is the highest mark of respect that we can give these doctors and surgeons to refer a friend or family member.
This friend called me because I had referred them to the surgeon who replaced their knee a bunch of years ago. Now they wanted information on a sports surgeon. Of course I gave them a couple of names. I ranked them as well, telling them that Dr. X was my favorite.
And then I asked them not to tell Dr. X that they were my favorite.
They laughed and we chatted for a few more minutes but they said were going to call the surgeons as soon as they got off the phone with me.
I rang off, after telling them to give their spouse my best and vowing that I would reach out to them.
Even as we give recommendations as healthcare workers, we have to keep in mind the different personalities and expertise of the different surgeons. After all, the total knee surgeon might not be the best fit when the request is a sports surgeon. Not that the total knee surgeon couldn’t do the sports surgery, but that they might not be the correct fit for the request.
No, I am not talking about the look at your rash/bump/do I think the bone is broken FAQs.
Because ew.
That might not be the kind of relationship we have.
Dispatches from the Evening Shift 