Another fulfilling day at the practice today! I had three new patients booked in with myself and the Dentist this afternoon and was looking forward to meeting them, particularly the last patient of the day.
This lovely lady phoned the practice last week at around 5.15pm, 15 minutes before home time and I spent about 40 minutes on the phone to her.
We see an awful lot of nervous/frightened patients but this lady was positively terrified. I could sense in her voice that even speaking to me was difficult for her. I managed to persuade her to come and see me for a chat and if she felt up to it afterwards, a consultation with our Dentist. At the end of the phone call, she thanked me for being kind to her and also for enabling her to sleep that night, as my understanding of her situation had eased her enough to relax a bit. I was beaming after the call. My husband phoned me shortly after I left asking me whether I was nearly home and when I explained to him that I had only just left work, he said to me something along the lines of, “Oh love you shouldn’t be having to stay behind”, but I didn’t care. I explained to him that it was worth staying behind for and that I’d be home soon. All night I couldn’t stop thinking about how I had helped that patient and the satisfaction I got from knowing this was wonderful.
As her appointment time approached, I did wonder whether she would actually come. She had left a deposit towards her appointment but from what I remembered from our conversation, money was no object and fear dominated money for her. I hoped she come because I really wanted to help her. A few minutes later, she came through the door with her husband. I immediately approached her and introduced myself. I offered her and her husband a drink and showed them round the practice, introducing them to a few team members along the way.
I welcomed them both into the private lounge and had a relaxed chat about her current dental situation, her phobia and the ways in which we could make the experience any less intimidating for her. After making notes of all the things that she didn't like, for example, lying too far back in the chair and the sound of the drill, I went through to the treatment room, ready to inform the dentist all about her- her dental and medical history, her current concerns and most importantly I feel, her as a person and her fears towards us.
I invited the patient and her husband into the treatment room and introduced them both to the Dentist. The Dentist then gently explained to the patient that he understood her concerns, her fears etc and that it was his job to not only get her mouth healthy but also make her as comfortable as he possibly can. Instantly I could see her relax. Not massively, but a bit and that was good enough for me at this stage. It is so nice working alongside a Dentist who has a gentle, reassuring manner. The Dentist managed to conduct his examination and took some radiographs and intra-oral photos .The patient didn't want to see her radiographs, she found them too intimidating but she did however look at her photographs. The Dentist did address some of her concerns and gave possible solutions, for example, he explained that during dental treatment, she could use our patient Ipod in order to cancel out the noise of the drill, to which she responded very well.
It turned out that the patient needed a fair bit of treatment and I must admit, I was concerned about whether she would proceed due to her phobia.
I needn't have worried though because it turns out that she was so impressed and reassured that she was willing to put her trust in us.
I don't normally work in surgery as a dental nurse these days due to the TCO role but because I had such a strong connection with this patient, I asked her if she would prefer me to nurse alongside the Dentist during her appointments. She responded by saying that she wouldn't come back unless I did! The patient then signed her treatment plan, paid in full and made all her appointments.
Now that is what I call job satisfaction.
E Lever-Pilling
