If I have made an
appointment with you, I owe you punctuality. I have no right to throw away your
time, if I do my own. ~ Richard Cecil
Louis
looked at me pityingly over his half glasses; the expression on his face could
be perceived as a smirk to those less self-possessed than I. He gently took me
to task (me!?!) about not taking time to pick the pansies. He graciously shared
with me his life experiences at a prestigious eastern medical center.
It seems
that Louis, a fellow at the time, had been running very late on his endoscopy
case, and his head was about to explode as he tried to speed up, as the Great
Doctor (the greatest bowel surgeon in all the land) was scheduled to follow him.
Fearing to offend, he had genuflected and asked forgiveness of the Great Doctor,
to be calmly told that it was of no moment, that he, Louis, should slow down and
take his time. From that moment came Louis’ life resolve — that to be
punctual was to waste one’s opportunity to revel in life. And that’s what he
does — the staff notes that he is habitually late for his first case.
If
you’re there before it’s over, you’re on time. ~
James J. Walker
Louis went on to tell me that I was the
first (the first?!?) medical colleague to ever take him to task for being tardy.
That there was tacit understanding if he, Louis, preceded you on the endoscopy
schedule that he would always arrive and start late. It seems that it was his
calling to encourage staff, patients, and colleagues to slow down their medical
bustle.
My realization: Louis had not had Mrs. Thorpe as his first grade
teacher.
Along with “Hay is for horses,” Mrs. Thorpe had instilled
punctuality in our sponge-like brains. Many physicians need a Mrs. Thorpe.
I’ve
been on a calendar, but never on time. ~ Marilyn
Monroe
Tardiness is endemic among physicians. Given the
catch-all mumbled excuse “Sorry, medical emergency ... would love to tell you
more, but HIPAA, you know...” we show up late for procedures, for office, even
social activities. But many of our emergencies could be reasonably anticipated,
our schedules booked with a bit of slack. Is such tardiness simply rude
behavior, brought about by Thorpopenia? Or are we, like Marilyn, simply too big
to be held to the time constraints of petty minds? Nah. Medical professionals,
like lawyers, dentists, even hairdressers, should be able to run on schedule. We
need to enforce the expectation of timeliness, just as Mrs. Thorpe tutored our
eager young neurons.
Punctuality is disappointing if no
one is there to appreciate it. ~ Anonymous
Want
your docs to arrive in your suite on time? The key is to show appreciation for
your gastros’ timeliness.
At SGNA 2004, one nurse told me of her unit’s use
of positive reinforcement for a perpetually tardy doc. When he arrived on time
for his cases, the nurses gifted him with a bright pom-pom creature with
antennae, google eyes, and big feet, the kind I remember being popular when I
was in high school. Not only did this physician start appearing on time,
demanding his pom, but the other docs began to kvetch, demanding their own poms
for timely starts. At that suite, on-time is now the routine. Is it the same at
your suite?
Punctuality is the art of guessing how late
the other fellow is going to be. ~ Anonymous
But
you still need to be to the suite on time — is this double standard of
positive reinforcement for simple courtesy fair? I say, whatever works. Habitual
lateness of physicians has a demoralizing effect on your staff, which must
arrive on time. And I’ve not heard of sanctions against tardy docs working.
He
was always late on principle, his principle being that punctuality is the thief
of time. ~Oscar Wilde
How about
you and your personal time? Do you agree with Louis that keeping one eye on the
clock robs your ability to smell those flowers? I firmly disagree. When
preoccupied with arriving or completing tasks in the nick of time, and obsessing
about being late, and preparing an adequate excuse and apology, I find that I
can’t enjoy the journey. I prefer rolling in on time, smelling those flowers
as I canoodle in. Choose to plan ahead, and enjoy the journey.
Better
three hours too soon than a minute too late. ~William
Shakespeare
Dr. Patricia Raymond of Rx For Sanity,
whose humorous colon screening musings are in the recently released book Fifty
Things to Do at Fifty, joining 49 others by Garrison Keillor, Bobbi Brown,
Suse Orman, and a bunch of other folks you’ve heard of. ‘50 at 50’ is
available now at bookstores or at Amazon.com, with proceeds supporting cancer
research. Many of her musings and her unique medical humor may be enjoyed via a
free subscription to her twice-monthly e-zine Passionate HealthCare,
which teaches us to ‘Love Caregiving, Just For the Health of It’. Sign up
today at www.RxForSanity.com.
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If I have made an
appointment with you, I owe you punctuality. I have no right to throw away your
time, if I do my own. ~ Richard Cecil 