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View Full Version : I just messed up and I'm terrible



Dodom
2016-09-01, 08:31 AM
Yesterday at work, a patient came late at night and left an unidentified sample, and left just a bit too quick for us to check it with him, so it'd have to be thrown away.
But the requisition was properly filled, so if I could catch him, I could at least give the paper back along with a new container WITH a label this time. If not he'd have to go back to the clinic and get a new copy out of the archive and depending on the clinic it may well take all day.
And that's where I messed up. His requisition had a cellphone* number on it, and he was likely still in the hospital, so all I thought was if I hurried I could call him before he took the bus home. Turns out, he did not have the cellphone with him, it was at home and his grandma picked up the call.
So I was left to explain that actually the hospital calling late for Danny(fake name, obviously) was a mistake and no, nothing had happened to her Danny, she was worried, and if she's pissed off now it'll be entirely understandable.
So now I'm feeling all stupid and guilty and worried. If she makes a professional complaint it won't be a big case but it'll be justified, and even if she doesn't I still acted without thinking and worried someone for nothing and I'm so mad at myself.

Sorry, right now I just needed to rant.



*: Actually I'm not even sure it was a cellphone number anymore, I thought those numbers starting with 938 (fake numbers too, just to be safe) belonged to a cellphone company, but Google returns nothing about such a deal, I may have just heard an urban legend and not questioned it due to the subject not seeming important at the time.

aberratio ictus
2016-09-01, 09:14 AM
Hey, you tried to help. It wasn't a stretch to think he might have his cellphone with him (I mean, who doesn't nowadays?). It is regrettable you scared the old lady, but you couldn't have known in advance.

Where I come from, most people in your position wouldn't have cared enough to do any more than shrug before they threw that thing away, and that you tried to be helpful is a big step up in my humble opinion.

Dodom
2016-09-02, 08:01 AM
Update:
The patient did get the message and returned right after my shift was over. So even though my action was misguided at least it had a happy ending.

Ruslan
2016-09-19, 03:57 PM
You didn't do anything wrong. If a patient left contact information, it is so that they may be contacted when the need arises.

AliceLost
2016-09-19, 09:42 PM
Yeah, I fail to see how you acted improperly. You needed to contact a patient, and called them on the number they left. Anything beyond that regarding where their phone was or who answered it isn't your responsibility

nyjastul69
2016-09-20, 12:52 PM
Update:
The patient did get the message and returned right after my shift was over. So even though my action was misguided at least it had a happy ending.

I don't think your actions were misguided at all.

Dodom
2016-09-20, 01:36 PM
Thanks, but as much as I'm glad things turned out alright, it was not my brightest move to assume the phone number they left would be a cellphone they'd have on their person right now. Not unlikely, but not certain, so a middle of the night call wasn't the best idea.

Bohandas
2016-10-17, 12:17 AM
Yeah, I fail to see how you acted improperly. You needed to contact a patient, and called them on the number they left. Anything beyond that regarding where their phone was or who answered it isn't your responsibility

As far as I can tell they're worried that it was inappropriate to call in the middle of the night without being 100% certain that it was a cell number