I came in with my daughter for a sick visit. The medical assistant took her vitals temperature, pulse oximeter, and blood pressure everything standard. But when she began asking my daughter simple questions, everything shifted. She asked, “Are you having any pain?” My daughter looked at me for reassurance, which is normal. Since she hadn’t expressed any pain yet, I asked her, “Are you feeling any pain?” to give her the chance to answer.
The moment I did that, the assistant became cold, dismissive, and sarcastic, making me feel judged as a parent for simply supporting my child’s ability to communicate. My daughter is capable and well-spoken, and I allow her space to answer for herself, but this interaction felt like unnecessary criticism. Later, when my daughter stepped on the scale wearing her coat, I politely asked if she should remove it. The assistant responded sarcastically, “I don’t know, that’s up to her ask her.” After removing her coat, the assistant added, “Oh wow, two pounds off “ as in big difference, being sarcastic in a very unprofessional and condescending tone.
Since I was already at the clinic for my daughter’s appointment, I brought her broken glasses to see if they could possibly be temporarily fixed while waiting for the new pair. The receptionist asked to see the glasses, examined them, and said, “They’re broken.” This was obvious, and it wasn’t helpful. What would have been appropriate is a clear explanation, such as, “The glasses are broken and unfortunately not repairable, so you’ll need to wait for the new pair.
Instead, she was dismissive and said that the replacement request was submitted on November 17, even though that was the day I called to follow up. The original request I made weeks before that. So that means my original request was not been submitted properly, which left me feeling unheard and frustrated especially since I spoke to someone who took both my children i for and said Im all set that request is submitted. The communication was confusing, dismissive, and unprofessional. Felt gaslighted
On top of that, the assistant treated me as if I were a young or inexperienced parent, while being overly “sweet” to my daughter. This created an awkward, uncomfortable dynamic that my daughter even commented on at home well that was awkward and she didn’t have to talk to you like that. I love my kids, they know I am present and supportive, and staff should not make a parent feel belittled for helping their child communicate.
Overall, the tone, sarcasm, and dismissive behavior of the staff both in the medical exam and at the front desk made this visit extremely frustrating and unprofessional. Patients and parents deserve respect and clear communication. This experience left both my daughter and me feeling uncomfortable, judged, and unwelcomed.
