Nasty nurses

L

Leta

Registered User
This is just to share my experiences with some nurses at my ob's clinic. I will not name the clinic as my ob is a very nice lady and my aunt personal friend.. But the attitude of her nurses really pissed me off.. So would like to share and wonder if anyone faced such experiences like mine..

During my 1st pregnancy, I have some brown discharges in my wk 8 or so. Being a 1st time mom, I was definitely worried and anxious so I just popped into my Ob's clinic without any Appt. I went in there as early as it opens preparing to wait till all her appts are over or when there is a slot for me. I was not able to call in to make any appt coz i discovered the discharges during evening time the night before.

When I arrived there and explained my situation, I was taken aback by the nurse's reply. She said that doctor is fully booked and that I should have went straight to the hospital. And she even said that I have a miscarriage! What she said really make me feel even more terrified and anxious!!

I feel so upset about it.. I mean how can she make such comment when she is not the doctor. It was really very irresponsible of her. It really scared the hell out of me.

In the end, I have to call my ob directly and then the nurse said to me that she will arrange for me to see her but I need to wait till there is a slot.

And now in my 2nd pregnancy, again I had an unpleasant experiences. I was trying to make my 1st Appt with my OB when I am in wk 8, so I tried booking through the clinic but was told that she is totally booked till mid June. But I managed to speak to my OB personally and she asked me to let her nurse know that she wanted me to go in mid may during my wk 9. So I called! But was told off by the nurse that I dun need to let them know since I made my own arrangement with my OB. I was really upset and do not understand why the nurses are always so rude.

Any sharing?
 
Sorry to hear about your bad experiences! I've never had such an experience but if I did, I would tell my OB right away!
 
Yep... :( my situation is a bit different..where my OB over here will only help me to monitor my Bb development.. And when I am nearing my due date I will go back to Singapore for delivery coz my family is there to help me with confinement and so on

Therefore I feel I cannot asked for more since my OB is doing this favor for my Aunty in taking care of me :(
 
I think you're asking a question that no one can answer. Why are the nurses rude? Why are most of the professionals in HK rude might be a better question to ask? I would say the answer is A) there is no incentive or reward for being polite in this city B) they don't get paid to be kind and smile at you--customer service in HK isn't what it is in other places.

In my first pregnancy, I found out I was pregnant and I also had spotting so I went to the OBGyn that I knew of (I was newly back in HK and this was the only doctor I had been to--my mother-in-law introduced me)--the lady didn't do much to help comfort me. She spoke to me like a robot and after my pregnancy was confirmed there was no "Congratulations" or even a smile--she coldly said, "Put your clothes back on and come into my office." Then she proceeded to overwhelm me with information and scare the daylights out of me about all the possible diseases and defects my child might have and how I have to get tested, blah, blah, blah.

This is the same lady who told me when I finally started to gain weight in my second trimester (I was so sick in my first that I lost weight) that I was getting "too fat" and that I'd better be careful because I would have to "lose all the weight after the baby is born." Her concern about me gaining weight was purely cosmetic--because I would "look bad." It wasn't like, "You had better be careful because if you gain too much weight you could develop gestational diabetes" or something like that. And actually, my weight gain was totally appropriate at that point so...

Also, after going back to the States to give birth (and doing so completely naturally, without drugs, after 43 hours of labor and an 8 pound+ baby) and then returning to HK, I had to go in for a checkup and I told her that I gave birth naturally (because she asked) and she scoffed at me and rolled her eyes like, "Yeah...whatever." Can you guess why I refer to this doctor as "the crabby lady"?

Why did I go to her for so long? Well...I tried other "name brand" doctors in HK and they were either outrageously expensive or even more rude than this lady. (one "name brand" doctor in HK yelled at me for so long during a consultation that I left there in tears). The "crabby lady" was cheaper than most doctors and she wasn't as busy as most doctors (probably because she has such a cold attitude) so I didn't have to wait.

The thing is, after my experiences with the HK Maternity system what I've learned is that you can't hang all your trust on the doctors or their nurses here. You can't let them affect you. Unfortunately, you can't walk into their office and just trust that they're going to treat you well. You can't take what they say for 100%.

I look at the whole thing as if they are all just advisers, I am hiring to give me advice--if I want to take their advice, I will. If I don't think their advice is worth much, I go somewhere else for different advice. If they or their staff give me attitude, I give it right back to them in the same proportion. You are not paying them to be walked on by them--especially in the private clinics.

So, the next time one of the nurses gives you attitude, just correct them. I had to do that the last time I was at the public hospital and the nurse was barking orders at me like, "You, sit there, now!" I turned to her and said, "You need to ask politely by saying 'please'." She looked at me with total surprise. See, some of these workers have never been taught any manners because no one ever corrects them when they're rude--they get away with it. If the problem persists, take down the nurses' name and tell the doctor about it or even better, write a formal letter to the doctor explaining that she needs to hire staff with better customer service skills. Sometimes, making those same nurses lose face (or their job, if they don't stop being rude) is the only way for them to learn.
 
Agree with what thanka mention re general rudeness of professionals in HK

That said, I also wanted to highlight there are exceptions. Dr Edmund Hon and his team of nurses (****y and Cody) are absolute joy. He is patient, took time in answering and explaining any question we had, didn't try to scare us with numbers and stats. The nurses were pleasant and efficient and always tried to slot me in when I needed an 'emergency' consult. As for charges I think his is the lower end of the recommended drs.
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Jzlyn said:
Agree with what thanka mention re general rudeness of professionals in HK

That said, I also wanted to highlight there are exceptions. Dr Edmund Hon and his team of nurses (****y and Cody) are absolute joy. He is patient, took time in answering and explaining any question we had, didn't try to scare us with numbers and stats. The nurses were pleasant and efficient and always tried to slot me in when I needed an 'emergency' consult. As for charges I think his is the lower end of the recommended drs.
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True, there are exceptions. Thankfully! :)
 
But I have to say all other people in service industry and even government dept are MUCH more polite and pleasant than those I have come across in US and UK
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Biggie said:
But I have to say all other people in service industry and even government dept are MUCH more polite and pleasant than those I have come across in US and UK
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Really? Even the waitstaff? When they don't receive tips and get paid $30 HKD/hour? Hmmm.... Where are you from? As far as the government goes--the whole government is just more streamlined and efficient--I do have to give HK a round of applause for that.
 
Most waiters are quite nice and definitely very efficient for most of the restaurants I go to here. I guess if I had a bad service experience I just dont go back. And tips is not a factor cos they only get that at the end. In new york city and London, waiters are horrible and incompetent, or just so pretentious like they are doing you a favor for letting you dine in their fab restaurant. Maybe suburban or rural places the people are nicer
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Biggie said:
Most waiters are quite nice and definitely very efficient for most of the restaurants I go to here. I guess if I had a bad service experience I just dont go back. And tips is not a factor cos they only get that at the end. In new york city and London, waiters are horrible and incompetent, or just so pretentious like they are doing you a favor for letting you dine in their fab restaurant. Maybe suburban or rural places the people are nicer
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Ah, we must run in different circles. I only eat in local restaurants. As someone who worked as a waitress for years, I can tell you that tips do matter--at least in places where they are usually received. It is probably true that outside of the major US cities, people are much nicer. But, having said that, tipping is a countrywide phenomenon in the States and if you get crappy service you can voice your opinion with a crappy tip--at least you do have some power there. Depending on the laws of the state, tips can mean the difference between paying your bills and not paying them (in some states like Florida, the restaurant does not have to pay the staff minimum wage because they receive tips). Well, glad you've found some decent waitstaff in HK. Now, how about taxi drivers? :)
 
Maybe even within hk there's a difference in service level depending on the area. I mostly go to local restaurants in causeway bay. Cab drivers I agree is more of a mix bag. My experience is 50/50 nice versus rude ones. There are rude reckless ones, but I've also had many nice drivers who would get out of the car to help me with strollers etc.
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Hi.. I agree that in the other service industries, you can also meet nasty waitress or sales who really turn you off. But having to work as a nurse ESP in an OB's clinic, I thought their attitudes shd be of more caring and with more thoughtfulness. But NO they are working like a robot ;( sad to say that
 
The doctor should definitely know that her staff is not up to par. That is ethically wrong for a nurse to tell you that you have miscarried when she is NOT your doctor and she isn't qualified to say that when she hasn't examined you. I would either go somewhere else if you're not happy and write a letter to that clinic. My doctor was great and the nurses were good too. When I called in to book an appt because I had spotting early on, they tried to get me in as soon as they could.
 
At my practice I can call/email the midwives if I have any concerns. They are great. If it's serious then the OB will get involved. She simply doesn't have the time to deal with EVERY little thing and I fully understand that. She has an extremely busy schedule and lots of worried mums. I guess it depends on what practice you choose and also whether they are Chinese or western.
 
Leta -- I had several first-trimester scares, including bleeding and loss of fluid.
And, thank God, I moved from my small one-doctor clinic to the clinic of a big hospital, Baptist.
While Baptist has its faults, its nursing staff were GREAT every time I had a problem. I could call at any time and get good advice. When there was any chance of a problem, they "squeezed me in" at the last minute -- they did this on three occasions. And once, when I had an episode at an odd time, a staff member called me at home and told me to go to the hospital's 24-hour outpatient clinic.
The nurses remember me personally every time I go in -- which is something, since they have SO many patients.
I think this is because of economies of scale. The prenatal unit has 3-4 full-time docs who are there all the time and what looks like a dozen nurses / receptionists. They can shuffle to make time and space.

As for service in HK -- it's certainly not as gracious as it is in other places. This is a place that prizes speed and efficiency above all else. But I rarely find it very rude. 90% of cabbies will go slowly over speed bumps for me if I say I'm pregnant. I don't have problems at local restaurants, even cheap take-out, rice-box places.
I think it's also the customer's demenor. I speak fluent Cantonese and I'm a naturally polite / soft-spoken person, and it usually works. And I tip. Even a small tip will go a long way if you're a regular somewhere.
 
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