Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Little things...

Lately I finding myself doing something to clients...  just because I can.  It's a small thing but when I do it, I laugh to myself at how petty I am being and how... juvenile...  which is probably why I laugh about it anyway.

I purposely keep my stethoscope in my ears longer than usual, specifically when the client insists on talking to me while I am ausculting the chest.  It seems that putting something into my ears is code for "talk as much as you can NOW!"  I guess that they think I can hear both the heart and their voice because I have those ear pieces in my ears?  I have no idea.

So now I keep them in until the client finally stops talking, take them out and say, "Oh, I'm sorry, what did you just say?  I couldn't hear because I had the stethoscope in my ears so I could hear your dog's heart beat."  Even if I could hear them.  I just lie. 

I know, it's a little thing, but a little thing that makes me...   giggle.    :)

6 comments:

  1. Mine do that too. And the stethoscope is a dinky part of the neuro exam. After a silent exam I put it on, and they immediately start talking.

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  2. It's like a compulsion - the minute you put those ear pieces in that people feel the need to give you the second half of the pet's history. I have tried closing my eyes, head down, not responding for a good minute, all of which seems to make them want to talk even more. Usually I have to give them the 'just a sec' one finger gesture (not that one), to get them to stop their verbal diarrhea so I can actually hear something.

    I too enjoy the ' I'm sorry, what did you say?', but fewer and fewer people seem to realize what they were doing and look slightly embarrassed.

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  3. Hahah! I thought I was the only person who did that.

    I like when the patient decided to talk on their cell while I'm trying to auscultate their lungs.

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  4. I'm hard of hearing. Clients WATCH me remove my hearing aids, put the stethoscope buds in, and then they start talking.

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  5. lol, I've always done it, starting after the very first PE I did fourth year of vet school.

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  6. Yeah, I'm a nurse and I do that to the visitors who insist on yammering at me while I assess my patient. Actually, now I just send all visitors out of the room. And if my patient starts talking while I'm listening to his/her chest, I give an exaggerated flinch, pull my earpieces out and explain that it hurts my ears when they talk.

    Guess in that way, I have a slight advantage over vets.

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