Our pediatrician is the only doctor working out of his home turned office. He has one nurse assisting him and a receptionist. I have very few complaints, overall (except for the fact that my doctor waited until this winter to send my son for a hearing evaluation instead of doing it last spring when I asked). All three of the staff are extremely friendly and capable. I never have unreasonably long waits and if I call to make an appointment they can usually get me in within a week or less. They also have a walk-in option for their patients only, every day from 12:00pm to 2:00pm, so if my kids have an urgent problem I can go any day of the week.
Last summer the office was renovated. The building is probably about a one hundred year old house. He uses the main floor for his office but it needed some updating. I noticed (in the many times I’ve taken my sick kids there in the past six months) that after the renovations they never replaced the few toys that had been in the waiting area. No toys. No books for kids. Maybe two magazines for adults. I thought maybe they had plans to get some new ones as the few toys that used to be there were very old and ratty looking. But, after six months with no hint of new toys coming, I had an idea.
I have a couple garbage bags of clothes/household items/toys sitting around waiting for me to find a place to donate them. I thought maybe my doctor’s office could use some of the toys for their waiting room. Most of the toys I’m getting rid of are still in very good condition. We just needed to downsize in order to upsize when all the Christmas loot arrived.
So while I was waiting at the doctor’s office this week I asked the receptionist if they would like a few toys for their waiting room. She said “NO!” so fast and forcefully I almost expected her to pull out a shotgun and order to me to back away slowly. She informed me that they have noticed their office has been able to stay on schedule more frequently since they removed the toys from the waiting room. Also, there is less noise in the waiting room and they don’t have to deal with kids who don’t want to leave the toys in the waiting room to come into the exam rooms.
I have to say, I was really surprised. I mean, it is an office dedicated to the care of children. And while I can understand their reasons for not wanting a lot of toys, I’m not sure I really agree. Because this practice is small they are never terribly behind. And isn’t a little noise to be expected with children? Coming to the doctor’s office is often precipitated by an illness or some other unpleasantness. Shouldn’t children be allowed to play a little to distract them from why they are there? Don’t parents deserve a little bit of help to keep their kids busy? Waiting rooms are torture enough (especially if you have a sick kids) without any kind of amusement.  Personally, I think the practice should be willing to sacrifice a little bit of peace and quiet for the peace of mind for parents of their patients if it makes the waiting easier.
January 28th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
Dumb. Isn’t it how long the doctor takes with each appointment that determines how on schedule the office is?
I can only see two valid arguments to not wanting toys in a paediatrician’s office:
1. “We are too lazy to put away the toys every day at five o’clock.” (Okay, this isn’t really a valid argument because first of all, they would never admit this, and second, like you said, it is an office dedicated to the care of CHILDREN — not the convenience of PAID staff!)
2. Germs. Toys in any public place are supposed to be bleached regularly. I’m guessing even more often in a doctor’s office where most people who come through the door are SICK. Maybe the doctor is trying to avoid FUTURE appointments with his patients. However, this isn’t one of the three arguments off the top of the receptionist’s head, so obviously isn’t of high concern. Ironic.
However, I think all offices should have something for kids to do. My doctor’s office has kids books and a large plastic slide. (So, if a kid pukes on it, it would be pretty easy to clean!) And if they fall off, they’re only busying up radiology, not the doctor’s office. Ha!
January 29th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
It is places like this that have driven me to take matters into my own hands. Each child has their own bag to bring a few small toys/books, a notebook and multi-colored pen, and a snack. I carry an emergency supply in my purse, too. To keep it fun for them, they are only allowed to have the bag (and contents) when we are at the doctor’s/church/etc (not at home).
As J.B. pointed out…how nice that the nurse’s concern was keeping the schedule smooth (and quiet) instead of the wellness of the children!