Being part of a small practice allows us to build strong relationships with people....a good thing by and large. We have a happy working relationship with our staff which has on occasion spilled over into personal things.
In the office, the relationship between Danika and Andrew is that of lead medical assistant and medical assistant. They are also mother and son, which provides some great interactions.
Now Andrew is an exemplary employee as well as outstanding medical assistant. His skills are second only to Danika, who also had the honor of teaching him as he went through medical assistant training. His work ethic is beyond reproach and he takes very seriously each patient encounter. He has a pleasant, friendly, caring personality and has a way of connecting with patients to make them feel at ease.
There is one patient, for example, Fred, who loves Hawaiian shirts. He has never come to the office for a check up or urgent complaint that he is not wearing one of those bold colored, big floral pattern button-down shirts. This is a source of conversation between him and Andrew, especially as Andrew is getting Fred ready for his appointment...checking vital signs, height, weight...as well as performing any lab work necessary. The chit-chat goes back and forth and Andrew invariably will make a comment about the shirt. It was not surprising, then, when one morning Fred showed up, without an appointment, asking to speak with Andrew.
It so happened that Andrew was busy with another patient, so Fred had to wait. I noticed that in addition to his hallmark Hawaiian shirt, he was carrying a small parcel. Once Andrew was free, he met Fred across the front office window where Fred presented him with the parcel which contained a Hawaiian shirt. The details surrounding this gift I do not know; Andrew and Fred obviously shared an affinity for them, and Fred's generous nature moved him to do something kind for someone who had shown him kindness. Danika finds this mildly amusing and, I think, feels some maternal pride at how much patients respect and appreciate what we do for them.
There are other patients, however, whose attentions to Andrew provoke that maternal defense mechanism akin to a lioness protecting a cub from some dangerous predator.
Our physician assistant, Maureen, is a tremendously hard-working and skilled practitioner. She is thorough in her examinations and proactive in patient care. She also has a large number of middle-aged and elderly female patients (MAEFP). As Andrew is Maureen's primary medical assistant, it falls to him to take care of things like prescription refills, reporting lab results and the like, as well the usual tasks for patients here for appointments. The "desktop work" typically done by phone and many times he needs to leave a message to call back.
If one of these MAEFPs calls back, they quite reasonably ask to speak with Andrew; however, of this large number of patients, roughly half will speak to no one but Andrew. When they come to the office they can become openly hostile if Danika or another medical assistant have charge over supporting Maureen in the course of their appointment. On top of this, if they call back in response to a voice message some of them will speak "only to Andrew."
Danika, being not only Andrew's mother but also a stiff-upper-lip, proper British lady, is fun to watch and listen to as she "takes on" these "predatory patients."
"Cleary Medical Associates, this is Danika, how may I help you?" she will say as she answers the phone. "I'm sorry, Andrew is not available now, Irene, how may I help you?"
"I'm sorry, Irene, what is it you need? Andrew is with another patient; what can I do for you? Yes, I know that he does a great job with blood draws; many patients have also commented that his skills are very good. Yes, I know that he pleasant and has a good sense of humor. How may I help you today?"
"I see that he called to give you some lab results. I can do this; the results are on your chart. No, Irene, I am capable of giving you these results; Andrew is not available," she continues, an edge to her accent becoming more pronounced; her eyes narrowing as she fights back the impulse to hammer the telephone receiver against the desktop.
By this time, Andrew is free and says he can take the call. As Irene is now on hold, Danika, addressing Andrew says, "NO! She is not going to manipulate us! She thinks that she can only talk with you, and she needs to understand that anyone in the back office is able to address her questions or take a message."
Danika gets back on the phone call, now a little more composed, and very professionally lets Irene know that we work as a team, and the most important thing is that patients receive their testing results in a timely fashion. Obviously Irene agrees and allows Danika to give her the test results, which will necessitate her scheduling a follow up appointment. Danika sets the appointment and ends the call saying, "So we will see you next week, Irene..... Oh, Andrew works everyday and he should be here on Wednesday, but I can't guarantee it. If he isn't, there will be a medical assistant here helping Maureen. Have a nice day. See you next week."
So for what it is worth, it is a blessing to have back office staff who possess outstanding clinical skills. We have struggled for many years to bring together people with a strong work ethic, diligent, caring and personable. It is also a blessing to work with staff who provide not only great medical support, but who are hugely entertaining.
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