GP receptionists like me shouldn’t have to play God with who gets the Covid vaccine. The abuse we receive is profound | A medical receptionist
Pre-Covid I was just a medical receptionist. Post-Covid I am a crowd control officer, bouncer, first aid supervisor, call centre operator and therapist.
It all started last year when a popular radio jock announced in February that we all needed to get flu vaccines to help if you got Covid. Yet they were not released by the Department of Health until April. We had two months of thousands of phone calls explaining we could not book something we didn’t have. The incessant phone ringing lingered for hours after I finished work. When the flu vaccine finally arrived we booked as many people as possible. By June it had finally settled.
The phone calls picked up again when we got given our first doses of AstraZeneca to deliver to patients. The calls were so constant that we were often unable to get a line out to call a specialist or an ambulance. We resorted to using our mobile phones for this.
Our regular patients drove up to see us because they hadn’t been able to get through on the phone for days.
The irregularity of the eligibility criteria was confusing, frustrating and an absolute shambles. Healthy, fit Rural Fire Service and volunteer firefighters are definitely important but are they more or less important than a 92-year-old with a comprised immune system or a 70-year-old with lung cancer?
These questions have been raised by myself and probably many other medical receptionists as we noticed our bookings were filled with young people who were internet savvy and elderly people, who relied on conversations to get things done, were often being left behind to wait more than a month, sometimes two, for a vaccine with their own local doctor.
The unfair way in which this rollout has been done is evident in my day-to-day life.
We were lucky enough to be able to organise an afternoon of appointments for the people in our community with special needs because we realised it was going to be up to us or these comprised people, invisible to society, would be left out.
Receptionists should not have to feel like they are playing God as to who gets the vaccine sooner.
The pressure this creates is monumental.
Our practice receives X amount of AstraZeneca and X amount of Pfizer. We open up our bookings for this amount. We do not have “spares” or a secret stash of vaccines hidden away in a cupboard for whatever excuse you have as to why you are more important than someone else.
As soon as something is announced on TV we know within minutes.
When our prime minister announced “just call your local GP and move your second AZ vaccine forward”, it just exploded with up to 14 calls on hold at a time all day long.
We cannot move your appointments forward without notification from NSW Health.
We cannot move your appointments forward without the stock.
We cannot move your appointments forward without doctors and nurses available.
We cannot move your appointments forward without the time available to do so.
Often we are the last ones to know. We have the general public abusing us because we cannot do what has just been announced until we get verification from NSW Health. Just because you heard it does not mean I can do it.
As soon as it was announced Australia would be getting the Moderna vaccine, which our practice will not be getting, the calls started for that.
Legitimate questions I was asked included: “Can you just order a dose for me? I’ll pay for it.” No, is the answer. Another call five minutes later: “You know I just called about the Moderna and you explained how the vials could contain anywhere from two to 21 doses, well what if I organised 20 friends, would you be able to get them in for me then?” Just no.
Now that restrictions have been put into place regarding certain industries that need to have their staff vaccinated by November, the phone calls and abuse has increased tenfold as people are panicking about losing their jobs.
Once a patient called and demanded to be booked in within three days for Pfizer, screaming at me when I explained this would not be possible. He gave me every reason under the sun why he was more important and I should remove someone else and put him in. I pictured his red face as he was yelling and wondered what his blood pressure would be like, but I was also extremely grateful that I didn’t work for someone like him.
Trying to run a medical practice at the same time is getting difficult. We are taking too long to return emails, send faxes or contact patients regarding their appointments. The doctors are trying their best not to put too much pressure on us but things are definitely falling by the wayside.
The abuse we receive is profound.
Then there came the day when I had enough. I had made errors with booking people in when they were not eligible because they had lied or been deceptive about their age or situation. I walked away from my desk and walked around the block trying not to scream and cry. The last few hours of my shift that day were a struggle.
I took a week off and spent two days crying and looking for another job. I spent my first morning back at work vomiting with fear over how I was going to cope.
Thankfully my manager had made the decision to move all vaccination bookings to online only.
While this has eased the burden it has not stopped the abuse.
Unfortunately this is the new normal. We are not paid extra even though our workload has tripled. Unfortunately there are not enough kind words.
Please people, just be kind.
The post GP receptionists like me shouldn’t have to play God with who gets the Covid vaccine. The abuse we receive is profound | A medical receptionist appeared first on Chop News.
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