By Diane Palombi, OD
From your own experiences with doctors and dentists, you probably know as I do: finding a healthcare professional who is both highly competent and pleasant can be hard. During my career as an OD, I was conscious of the need to be both an expert in my field, as well as a person my patients would find enjoyable to visit.
I know first-hand the difference a highly skilled and amiable practitioner can make. Over the years I have moved around the St Louis region a few times, which usually meant finding new doctors that were closer to home. It was no big deal for me to switch to a new physician.
There was one exception. It was my dentist. I was at his office for my checkup and cleaning every six months for over 20 years. He took care of my whole family. We referred friends and colleagues to him. There were many reasons that I stayed loyal. His office had the complete package. I liked my dentist’s warm and friendly personality. He was interested in my personal life and would inquire about how things were going. I trusted his expertise. He did excellent dental work. The equipment was always up to date. His receptionist was a sweetheart. The staff seemed to enjoy working for him. I was also devoted to his hygienist who cleaned my teeth better than anyone. When he retired I was devastated. Years later I am still searching for my permanent dental home.
Early in my career I decided that I wanted my patients to feel the same way about me. I was a big fan of Joan Lunden on Good Morning America. She seemed so friendly and nice. You had the impression that she loved her job. I used her as my role model in how I wanted to come across to my patients. That meant working hard to be nice and friendly to my patients. I did this by finding common topics of interest and keeping notes on jobs, hobbies and family for future reference. Everyone has the occasional bad day, but I would put on a happy face and not let the patient know it.
It usually wasn’t hard for me to be a pleasant person toward my patients because I was genuinely glad to see them. Returning patients reaffirmed that I was doing something right. Before I owned my own practice, when I was an employed OD at Lenscrafters, I was always pleased if a patient requested me. I knew these patients must have really liked me because requesting to see me, specifically, often meant having to wait longer for their appointment. They could have just requested the next open slot, regardless of the doctor.
When I started my private practice 30 miles away from Lenscrafters, I assumed that I would lose my local patients. I was surprised that there were quite a few who were willing to drive that far to continue to see me. Some of these patients and their children stayed with me until my retirement; which meant they remained loyal for over 25 years.
I can’t say that I was as good a doctor as my dentist. Hopefully my patients felt that I was taking good care of them. When I run into old patients, I often hear that they wish I was still in practice. It is good to be missed.
How do you ensure you are both a competent, highly skilled OD and a pleasant doctor for patients to visit?
Diane Palombi, OD, is the now-retired former owner of Palombi Vision Center in Wentzville, Mo. To contact her: dlpod1@hotmail.com
