How much time do you spend waiting for health care?
- You call your doctor’s office and get put on hold, waiting to talk to someone.
- You schedule an appointment that you wait days or weeks for.
- You go to the office and wait minutes or hours to be called back to the exam room.
- You may decide to leave rather than wait hours for care in an emergency room.
I have waited for medical care too, from both sides, as a patient and as a doctor. Physicians also wait-
- for lab results
- for xray and scan reports
- for consultants to call or send evaluation findings
- for insurance companies to pay claims
- for prior authorizations for surgery and medications to be approved
We all have to wait and it usually isn’t by choice or pleasant.
The Bible talks about waiting in this passage –
Isaiah 40:31, NKJV
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Other Bible versions translate the word “wait” as
- “trust”- NLT and HCSB
- “hope”-NIV
- “expect, look for, hope” -AMPL
I think it’s easier to wait when you expect, hope and, trust that waiting will lead to a good outcome, your problem will be solved, your illness will be successfully treated, your pain eased, your sorrow resolved.
Sometimes waiting teaches us valuable lessons that we might otherwise not know.
Please read this poignant post from Martin Wiles about how visits to hospital emergency rooms changed his perspective on waiting. It might change yours also.
Lessons from a Waiting Room by Martin Wiles
“Waiting rooms have taught me life is unfair. When I see people who don’t have and can’t afford insurance. When I see people who’ve been abused by others or who’ve had crimes committed against them. And when I see people addicted to drugs who are making a visit to get a pain fix. Or when I see bodies mangled by wrecks.”
Thank you for considering the affiliate links that support this blog.
Please share this post and follow Watercress Words for more 
Weekend Words-
sharing words of faith, hope, and love
(1 Corinthians 13:13)
And please visit these advertisers whose services and products may be helpful to you.
Use these links to share the heart of health wherever you connect.
watercress words by Dr Aletha 
I love your attitude Dr. Alethea! When I have to wait, I try to use that time to say my prayers for myself, my family and friends. I always add a prayer for those waiting with me. You know when in the doctors office, there is a reason to be there, even if you don’t know the exact reason, you can be a blessing to others!
LikeLike
Olivia, that is a beautiful idea, praying while waiting. Rather than wasted time, it’s valuable if we just use it wisely. Thank you for sharing that nugget with us.
LikeLike