Medical Receptionists
Greet patients and other clients in health facilities such as clinics, practices, centres and surgeries, and respond to personal, telephone and written enquiries and requests.
A morning at the front desk of the clinic
You are a medical receptionist at a family clinic, booking appointments, greeting patients and keeping the day moving. It is 8:30am. The waiting room is filling, two doctors are running late and the phone has four lines blinking.
Choose what you would do. Then see what happens. There are often good reasons for each choice.
I have had a funny feeling in my chest since last night. I do not want a fuss. Do you think I could just wait for my appointment on Thursday? It is probably nothing.
Tell him it is probably nothing and book him for Thursday as planned
He is relieved for a moment, but you have made a medical judgement you are not trained to make. A sensible rule is to pass anything unusual to a nurse.
Tell the nurse straight away and ask him to take a seat nearby
The nurse sees him within minutes and takes it from there. You did not diagnose anything. You did the right thing by passing it on quickly.
Ask him to ring the clinic's after-hours line if it gets worse
That is part of the answer, but he is standing right in front of you and the nurse is down the hall. A person with a worrying symptom should be seen, not sent away to wait.
I am calling to find out whether my husband had his test results come back. He is too embarrassed to call himself. I am his wife. Can you just tell me what they said?
Say you cannot share details, and offer to pass a message
She sighs and thanks you. Her husband calls an hour later. Protecting privacy while staying warm is something this job asks every day.
Say you cannot help and that she should have him ring in himself
She hangs up frustrated and no message ever reaches him. You protected his privacy, but you offered nothing to bridge the gap.
Check the file and tell her the results, since she is his wife
You have shared private health information without consent. Relationship does not give someone the right to see a patient's records.
I have been here forty minutes. The doctor is meant to be on time. Others who came after me have been called. This is ridiculous. I'm going to complain.
Apologise, check where the doctor is up to and give an honest time
The doctor had an urgent patient, and he is next. Mr Cho is still unhappy but settles. Honest information changes a wait from insulting to bearable.
Tell him the doctor is very busy and that he will just have to be patient
That is true and it does not help. He feels dismissed and mentions it at the end. A time estimate was easy to give.
Move him up the list to calm him down
He is seen sooner, and the people who were ahead of him are now angry. The queue is based on need and booking, not on volume.
How it went
By noon the room has emptied and the phones have eased. Reception is where care begins, and where one careful check can prevent a mistake. Do you think you could stay warm and exact in a busy room?
This is a simplified, fictional situation to help you explore. It is not professional instruction or a test of your ability.
Case study: The two Mr Nguyens
A fictional case set in the reception desk of a busy family medical clinic with five doctors.
The situation
At Lakeside Medical Clinic, Farah was at reception on a Monday morning when two patients called Nguyen were booked within ten minutes of each other. One was Minh, a young man for a routine check. The other was Minh's father, with a similar name and the same address, who was booked for a more serious appointment. Their files were next to each other on the screen, and the doctor was running behind.
What they did
When the first man came to the desk, Farah did not simply say his name. She asked him to confirm his date of birth and address, and saw that he was the son. She marked the correct file and let the nurse know which was which. When the father arrived later, she checked again and noted on his file that there was a family member with a very similar name. She also told the practice manager so it could be flagged on the system.
How it turned out
Both patients saw the right doctor with the right results. The practice added a flag for similar names. Farah said that for her the small act of checking twice is what separates a smooth morning from a serious mistake.
What would you do?
- Why was it important to check a date of birth and not just a name?
- How would you feel with a long queue and someone who needs a second check?
- What do you think patients notice about a good receptionist?