The Doctor Diaries

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Winter is the most dreaded time of year for a pediatrician. In summer, we get to do well check ups and catch up with kids and families that we haven't seen for a while. During fall, we get to do more check ups for families that forgot to come in during the summer-and whose kids are in danger of being kicked out of school because of an incomplete shot record. Spring brings allergies, but mostly we sit around and twiddle our thumbs with nothing to do (OK, totally untrue, but it is a relaxed time for us).

But then there's winter. I hate winter. Why can't illnesses get more evenly spread out through the whole year? Why does the common cold pick wintertime to invade our children repeatedly? What's wrong with summer? It's nice and warm and sunny. If I were a common cold bug, summer is when I would come out to play. Hey, let the flu virus have winter, and I'll just cruise around throughout the rest of the year.

A beloved mom who has brought her child to us for years called our office the other day in tears. She soon had our receptionist crying too. She had been trying to call us for three days for help with her sick child, but the phone had been busy the whole time. Our office has been so swamped with calls and sick visits, our four phone lines and three receptionists can't keep up.

I often wonder how patients feel about waiting an hour to be seen when they bring in their sick child. Do they just accept this as a fact of winter? Or are they completely annoyed that they have to wait an hour just so the doctor can spend ten minutes with them to tell them their child just has a bad cold and doesn't need antibiotics. I almost feel bad when I DON'T find anything wrong with a child when they've been in our office for an hour.

I sometimes go see my own (adult) doctor and, after waiting for more than 15 minutes, I start to get a little annoyed. I can imagine how my little patients (and their parents) must feel after waiting for a whole hour. Our office has tried many different scheduling systems, but every time we think we have a solution to minimize waiting time, winter hits with a vengeance and order flies out the window.

But hey, why am I complaining? I signed up for this job. It's not like I didn't know my life would be chaotic all winter. And seeing kids every few weeks helps me get to know them much better. I actually see some of my patients more than I see most of my extended family.

I guess when you have your own business, it is better to be too busy than to not be busy at all. But, I will be soooooooo happy when spring arrives, and I can sit down and carry on a conversation with the office staff again.

Take home message - on behalf of pediatricians everywhere, I apologize for the chaos. Please bear with us, we are doing our best. Spring is almost here.