My deep respect and props to Canada's own 5 Man Electrical Band and I hope they will forgive me for borrowing the lyrics from their excellent song "Signs". But it just jumped into my mind when I read a Facebook post today about how a friend of mine saw a sign at their local medical clinic warning against abusive behavior and language when dealing with the staff. Their question was along the lines of asking if this sort of thing was a regular enough occurrence to actually warrant a sign. And they opined that if it was then maybe barbarians were no longer at the gates but might have actually moved in down the block and begun frequenting the local Wal-Mart.
To be sure that question might be worth exploring, but my brain took another tack and I ended up thinking about my own medical clinic. When I visit my doctor (which I do frequently as we are monitoring a number of things that require regular blood tests - all is well dear readers, do not fear) I can read no less than EIGHT signs in the waiting room. There's the one about turning off cellphones; the one about having your government health care card; the one about how you can only see the doctor for ONE problem per visit (so don't even TRY to sneak in another one); the one about how missing appointments can get you dropped from their client list (includes instructions on rules for notifying the office if you wish to cancel an appointment); the sign about doctors' hours; the one about picking up the toys and putting them away when your children are done with them; the one about declaring if your injury is work-related; AND the one about zero tolerance of abusive behavior.
It seems to me that you can discover that you are in a new era when an obvious social convention starts to be used in a fashion that seems unusual. My understanding of the use of signs is that they are most useful when they communicate information that EVERYONE who reads them might possibly need to know and understand. Signs are most often warnings or information providers. We really shouldn't need them to declare the common rules of acceptable social behavior. I realize that signs often declare what common sense should already have provided, but as we can see not only is common sense in short supply - now common decency and good manners seems to be evaporating.
I always tend to think that a sign gets posted when those in charge have finally given up on relying on the good sense and judgment of people and have decided to "nip the problem in the bud". But how many times has someone yelled at or abused the staff in my medical clinic? I mean, really - about the only place I find people more subdued and non-communicative is inside elevators! Honestly, in 49 years I have NEVER seen someone lose it in a doctors' office. I know most of us WANT to - usually about the time we realize that we have been waiting long enough that if we could be paid for our time we could take our significant other out to lunch. And missing appointments without canceling - is this really happening so often that the clinic needs to THREATEN its clients with censure? If so maybe this summer's outdoor project should be digging a moat to keep the barbarians off my lawn. And what about NOT having your health card available when visiting the clinic - I mean who DOESN'T understand that we live in a SOCIALIST country and the state is in charge of the medical system? "Documents please! Please show your documents! Please have your documents ready!"
What is really worth pondering is why the clinic needs to post these signs. Does it really make for a better work environment? Does it really help the patients? Or are those signs there so the clinic's lawyers can argue that their client has done their due dilligence in communicating with their patients? And why does TALKING to one another no longer suffice?
Speaking the truth is a rare enough event these days. Speaking the truth out of love and concern is rarer still. Soon speaking itself may become rare. Perhaps it has already - being replaced by texting, twittering and (yes) even blogging. We are becoming a society and culture that increasingly responds only to images and text. Our ability to speak is being diminished as is our ability to listen. If you think I'm off base here then try this next week - make a note of every time you have to repeat yourself for ONE day. I bet you will be shocked.
The real problem with signs (which is where I came in) is that they really don't communicate - they declare. We need to speak and to listen to be able to connect. So before you put up another sign ask this - is there a better way?
Shalom
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3 comments:
As someone who works in a doctors office, I hope you won't mind if I wade in on a few issues here. Namely, the signs about abusive behavior and missing appointments.
Yes, staff in medical clinics are regularly abused and harrassed by the patients. Apparently, it is OUR fault you booked two appointments back to back, even though you know the doctor runs behind. Apparently it is OUR fault that you ran out of your medication two days ago and your doctor is on holidays. Apparently it is OUR fault that the doctor is running behind, and when patients are advised to discuss their concerns with the doctor, they never do. And this is never discussed in polite expressions of frustration. These things are demanded, yelled about, and occassionally even sworn about. Granted, most of this is done so that others in the office don't notice, but it does happen.
Frequently.
And yes, people do frequently miss their appointments without calling to cancel. Sometimes I will admit that there is reasons behind this, but sometimes I think they just couldn't be bothered. And when people are waiting up to a month or more for an appointment, I think that it is reasonable for doctors to terminate service to people who make a habit of this.
I know I've probably gone a little over the top, but this is something I work with all day, and something I feel strongly about.
Thanks Morgan. I hope you caught the perspective that I tried to communicate - that I think the real problem is US (the patients) if we are making all of these signs necessary. I'm glad to learn from you that there are real problems with common civility, which you unfortunately deal with every day, even as I am saddened by that truth. Perhaps my irony was too subtle so I apologize if I "ticked you off", but you weren't "over the top at all".
But in the end wouldn't it be so much better for us all if we just talked to one another and told the truth when we did? Until then the signs will remain as reminders of how we fail one another.
Shalom
I have an additional comment. Signs allow us to communicate information to a larger number of people than would be practical in person.
How many times do you have to repeat the same request before it becomes inefficient to do so? How do you decide whom to communicate these things to?
Signs provide broad information to everyone without bias. It levels the field and provides precedent when people try to claim ignorance to cover their mistakes or social selfishnesses.
And quite often these signs must be repeated (frequently and often with little effect) to certain individuals who are so self-oriented that they refuse to acknowledge that anything (rules, conventions, or common courtesy) applies to them.
The signs are often not for YOU. They are for those who do not stop to think or consider. They are for those who have to deal with the constant repetition of obvious questions. They are an attempt to (however inefficiently) streamline a system that must deal with many people of all dispositions with equal composure.
But sometimes signs are for YOU. They help to orient you, inform you, guide you, instruct you, and clarify for you when no person is available (or able) to do so.
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