I know I’ve hit this hot button before. But it never fails to relieve my stress to tell tales of waiting game frustrations in vet medicine—on both sides of the sitting-in-the-waiting-room-waiting-impatiently-to-be-seen dilemma.

Last week’s notable case was a new client. He came in 15 minutes late. He had already been bypassed by an early emergency. Then he was bypassed by a euthanasia (they get dibs on my time). He’s waited all of fifteen minutes when he suddenly announced his impending departure, punctuated by the dreaded words, “…and I’m never coming back!”

Though he’d been informed of the emergency and euthanasia’s necessary precedence,  he didn’t like it, apparently. Everyone’s free to have his say but sheesh—over a measly little fifteen minutes?!

Sometimes it’s all for the best when a new client decides he or she doesn’t like our style. But still, I don’t think he’s going to do any better than fifteen minutes in most places—and he’s really missing out if time is his issue—I’m a chronic on-time vet. Oh, and I’m a good tipper and have great handwriting, too. So much for all the doctor stereotypes.

Today I called my podatrist for a very painful foot condition (getting worse by the hour) and was told I’d have to wait ‘till Monday. My boyfriend can’t get in to see his orthopedist until April. When we show (on time) for our appointments, I'm sure we'll be sitting for well over an hour before being seen. And some of my clients still have the nerve to complain about fifteen minutes. Now, really!