PookieMD's Blog: Where Physicians Learn About the Business of Medicine

There is a book out, called The Cost of Bad Behavior.  I have to admit I haven’t read it, and it is on my list.  However, I think we need to nip bad behavior in the bud, especially in our clinics and hospitals.

I was eating lunch in the doctor’s lounge when I heard a young doctor harassing his secretary via phone. He sounded so self centered and paternalistic that I wanted to smack him with a news paper like one would do with a naughty puppy. He was doing stuff like raising his voice, and using words I can’t use in this blog.

I understand that we get angry.  But talking civilly to each other and our office staff needs to be a requirement.  It’s just not okay to vent your spleen onto a hapless office worker, no matter who has caused your ire to rise.  Unfortunately, it seems that it is more and more acceptable to use swear words and disabuse others in the work place.  However, if we are trying to build a better practice, not using expletives, calming down, and keeping our traps shut might just do the trick.

So to that end, I offer up the swear word I use (don’t laugh!).  I started using this when my daughter was born, in an effort to clean up my then potty mouth.  It actually did the trick, and I swear much less frequently, and never at work.

So when you are really, really angry, you may say, “Oh Poopy Dogs!”

Let me know how that works for you.