Large Fees and How to Get Them: A book for the private use of physiciansHarmon, Albert V.
Science
Large Fees and How to Get Them: A book for the private use of physicians
Harmon, Albert V.
Medical fees
This helps to kill time, and to convince the caller that
the attendant is looking after his interests. In the meantime
the doctor is reading Mr. Carroll’s letters and the
99answers thereto, and refreshing his memory about the
case so that when Mr. Carroll is shown in the latter will
be astonished by the doctor’s knowledge of his ailment
and condition. The letters in the meantime are put
away in a drawer out of sight.
Finally the bell rings and, if Mr. Carroll is next on the
list, the girl will say:
“The doctor will see you now, Mr. Carroll,” and shows
him into the sanctum. What happens when doctor and
caller come together is told in another chapter. This
one deals solely with the manner in which the caller
should be received by the girl in charge of the outer office.
Should the caller become a patient the attendant who
understands her duty will begin to evince a mild ladylike
interest in his case. Without at any time becoming
forward or fresh she will have a cheery word of greeting
for him on his daily arrival or departure, and finally begin
to comment in a delicate manner on the improvement
in his appearance.
“Good morning, Mr. Carroll. You’re looking better this
morning. By the way, if you want to write any letters
you can dictate them to our stenographer, and you might
as well have your mail sent here. I’ll be glad to look
after it for you.”
Such attentions mean much to an invalid stranger and
are more appreciated than they would be by a robust,
healthy person. Mr. Carroll may intimate that he thinks
of going to some theater in the evening, but doesn’t
know where to go. Then the attendant should say:
“Well, that depends upon what you like. If it’s comedy
100there’s the —— —— at the Continental.
Grand opera at the Richelieu; tragedy at the Shakespeare
and vaudeville at the Boston. If you want to see something
really funny go to the Continental. I’ll have our
stenographer get your ticket when he goes out to
luncheon, and that will save you from being pushed
around in the crowd at the box office.”
All this, of course, is after the lapse of a week or so
when Carroll has become a daily caller for treatment,
and begins to think that the doctor is all right himself,
and that the reception room girl is just about as near
right as they make them.
No matter how many girl stenographers the doctor
may keep busy in a room further down the hall, there
should always be one young man for what may be called
“show” purposes. Men patients don’t like the idea of
having their physical troubles discussed in letters written
by girls. When the young man stenographer is brought
in to take dictation from a patient the latter not only appreciates
the compliment, but feels confident that his
troubles are known only to one of his own sex.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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