Seeing Doctors? Cheap Advice

When my wonderful dad was in his 70’s, he gave me some excellent advice. He said that when he had an office visit with a doctor, he meet him naked in a paper gown sitting on a table in the exam room. The doctor would do his exam then would tell him to get dressed and meet him in his office.

The doctor saw an old naked man.

My dad always wore a suit or a sports coat with a shirt and tie to all doctor’s appointments. When he would enter the doctor’s office in his clothes after the exam, he said the change in the doctor was immediate. This no longer was just an old man; this was someone who was suddenly active, smart, interested in his own health and someone who had substance. The conversation changed. The doctor’s attitude changed. Suddenly, he became interested.

And that, my dear readers, is what a patient really wants: Please be interested and think about my case.

My dad’s advice to me: Always dress up for all doctor’s appointments.

I have found in my own experience that he was absolutely right. Try it. Dress up like you are going to work at a company with a dress code: no jeans, no shorts, no flip flops, no tank tops, no jogging suits. Nothing too fancy just clean, neat clothing. You will notice the difference on how you are treated.