I work as a medical receptionist at a walk in clinic. I always try to be very friendly to everyone, as I understand the fear someone may have while waiting to see a doctor. I also understand how frustrating it is to have to wait for such a long time while you’re ill just to get treatment, so I always make it a point to offer coffee/tea and snacks to people waiting.
The clinic is very understaffed. The wait times are almost 2 hours long on a busy day, but we try our best to help everyone efficiently.
Every single day I work, my coworkers and I get screamed and/ or threatened by patients regarding appointment costs and wait times. It’s taking such a mental toll on me where I have been getting extremely anxious going in to work. Seriously I would say about 50% of the patients that come in on a given day are hostile and aggressive towards the staff. Management has put up cameras after so many instances of agression and hostility.
I cannot control the wait times. Sometimes the doctors run late and I know that is frustrating but yelling at/ threatening reception does not make it go faster. I have no control over the cost of the appointment.
I am not in the financial position to quit, but I have been applying to other jobs.
Thank you for reading. I needed to get this off my chest.