Expectations
I had a recent encounter with a family who had expectations for me that I didn't meet. They called for their unconscious family member. Having met this patient before, I work very hard to not fall into 'The boy who cried wolf' mode. I take every call seriously until otherwise informed. This person was unconscious. Or were they? It is my job to figure out why they're unconscious. I see they are breathing sufficiently, I pry open their eyelids and look at their pupils. I feel their pulse on their wrist. I pull out the glucometer to check their blood sugar. This is when the yelling started. "Why are you doing that?!" When I fail to match their anger, they get angrier. "I don't know why you're doing that. [they] don't have a sugar problem!" Again, my answer is too calm. I continue my assessment, take their blood pressure, and wait for my partner to return with a device to get their limp ...