I’m advised by lawyers and insurance companies to put a disclaimer on my voice mail, “If you are experiencing a life threatening emergency, call 911.” Most people already know to take emergencies to the the Emergency Department. But I do find many people call because they have a sense of urgency.
In the medical world, people reach out when they are worried about a loved one or themselves. They are scared or concerned, and it is time to take action. I know how important it is for you to get professional, timely medical care. I have a lot of availability in my schedule, and the next step is to schedule that appointment.
Just as important as medical care is the well-being training I do. I work with physicians and other professionals every day. People want to do great at their job and be true to themselves. This lets them take care of their family and show up for their community. So when a person checks-in about work or requests a call, I don’t mess around. I respond quickly, confidentially and professionally. For them, the next step is to schedule that appointment.
Let me give you a non-work example. The TSA line at the airport here in town is pretty variable. Over the summer, we nearly missed 2 flights, even after arriving to the airport 2 hours early. This was causing me and my family a lot of travel anxiety and stress. The silly thing is that getting scheduled for a TSA precheck appointment is pretty easy. It’s just that life gets busy, and I never scheduled the appointment. I found myself sitting at the airport gate awaiting my flight home pondering this situation. I knew the next step was to schedule the TSA precheck appointment. So rather than judge myself for not scheduling the appointment or talking myself out of it, I opened my phone and paid a company to schedule the appointment and do the paperwork for me. They handled the details for me. Now I have TSA precheck, and my security wait was 3 minutes.
Take care of yourself. The next step is to schedule that appointment and keep it. This dedication to your health and well-being will help you will feel better, and your family and coworkers will thank you (and your patients for those in healthcare!).
Cheers!
-Dr Joe
Related YouTube Video by me.Photo by Rubidium Beach on Unsplash
