In today’s increasingly responsive environement, cell phones are definitely the norm and not the exception anymore. Every single one of my friends have a cell phone and many of my professors give out their cell phone numbers to be contacted with instead of their office numbers (or they use e-mail). I am sure that when most of us started classes this past week, we were given the same lecture in each of our classes about cell phone usage. The response is the same – turn it off when in class.
No problem. I can handle that because a classroom is a place of mutual respect where it is really hard to concentrate when cell phones are going off every 5 minutes. The problem starts is that this “standard cell phone etiquette” seems to evade other aspects of NU life. The other week I was in Lane Health Center for a doctor’s appointment. There are signs posted all over the waiting room that ask that cell phones be turned off because they are disruptive. Again, I can completely understand this policy and respect it. The problem comes into play though that this rule does not seem to hold true for the doctors within Lane Health Center.
Upon entering my appointment, I sat there waiting for my doctor for over 20 minutes. (Fine, understood that is a doctor’s office, waiting is the norm). Once the doctor entered the room we started with the appointment. No more than 4-5 minutes into the appointment did the doctor’s cell phone ring. AND THEY ANSWERED IT! Not only did they not have their cell phone turned off in a doctor-patient area, they did not have the deceny even to place the phone on vibrate. To make matters worse, after having a 5 minute converation on the phone with this person, about 5 minuters later, the doctor’s phone rings again. AND THEY ANSWERED IT!
I cannot speak for anyone else, but who wants to go into a doctor’s appointment where every 5 minutes his/her phone rings. What kind of service is that and how can they possibly be focusing on the patient?
It just seems to me that LHC better give their doctor’s another lesson on patient respect and when the appropriate time is to use their cell phones.
