Being a receptionist in the health area is not as simple as many think, because, in addition to being necessary technical knowledge on some specific subjects, It is important to know how to deal with people passing by the reception.
Exercising the position of receptionist goes beyond showing to be a friendly person, because it is also necessary to be empathetic, that is, putting yourself in the other's shoes and trying to understand the situations that certain individuals may be going through.
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The receptionist position does not only require knowledge about what to do and how to do it in certain situations because working at the front desk is also about what not to do in certain cases. Avoiding certain attitudes is often essential for the personal success of those at the reception, which also influences the success of the clinic. Check out below mistakes and attitudes below that should be avoided during the workday at the reception.
Not making eye contact with the patient
When the patient arrives at the reception, eye contact is one of the attitudes necessary for good communication. Certainly when you arrive at an establishment, likes to be well attended and to be looked into your eyes, right? So nothing fairer than doing the same when the attendant is you.
The eyes are the window to the soul, which is why eye contact is so important and revealing, after all, through it we can start a behavioral analysis about the person with whom we are interacting. Eye contact also represents the technique called rapport, a word of French origin (rapporter), which means "bringing back" or "creating a relationship". The rapport technique is widely used in sales, and it aims to generate trust and bring comfort, therefore it can be used by people who don't necessarily want to sell something, but they need to be empathetic with those they are attending.
Eye contact is also one of the characteristics of what we call humanized care. In humanized care, attitudes such as:
- Individualized approach: Greet, call by name, and listen carefully to what the patient has to say are some ways to make the patient feel more comfortable in the clinic. And all this, of course, without forgetting eye contact.
- Convey trust and empathy: When seeking medical care, it is quite common for the patient to be fragile, and often frightened by the condition he is in, therefore, it is essential to know how to deal with this situation not only by showing empathy, but also conveying a feeling of trust, security, and support to the patient.
- Clearly communicate information: When it comes to passing on information about agreements or procedures, it is always important to use clear and objective language, this is because many terms used in healthcare facilities may not be known to patients. Therefore, avoid using technical terms and give preference to transparent information.
Thus, we can conclude that eye contact must be present at all times: whether at the time of reception, filling out the patient's registration form, when requesting his signature on any document or when scheduling his return. Avoid using the reception computer just looking at the monitor, as this can be seen as a sign of indifference to the patient. The same goes for questions asked robotically and mechanically: talking while looking at the interlocutor and showing that you are paying attention to what he answers is essential for good communication and for the person who is there to feel comfortable and respected.
Not maintaining good posture
It's great to work with dear people we like to interact with, improving the environment by making the climate lighter. After all, there's nothing worse than working with people who are in a bad mood or who don't have a good relationship with you, right? The fact is that, when it comes to a work environment, a relationship that is too relaxed can also get in the way.
Have you ever gone through the situation of arriving at an establishment, and when looking for assistance, do you come across employees talking but none of them close the subject to give you attention? This is very annoying as well as embarrassing, but unfortunately, it happens in many places. It's as if the employees who are there don't want to serve you, right? Well, if this bothers you in a store, imagine in a clinic, where the patient is already fragile because of his health.
In this sense, avoid chatting with your colleagues during consultations and always prioritize patients. Carrying out service while maintaining a parallel conversation in addition to causing discomfort to the patient, still leaves room for errors that may happen: wrong delivery of documents, signatures made in the wrong places, and information entered in the system wrongly, among others.
Another point is the tone of your speech. Whether with the patient or with colleagues themselves, avoid talking loudly in a strident tone, as if screaming. Speaking doesn't mean having to raise your voice. Laughing and laughing out of context during calls is also inelegant, because depending on the situation, the patient may feel that he is being mocked. Remember that a conversation with the colleague can be continued during the break or even at the reception, but as long as there are no patients to attend to or other more important tasks.
Contribute to patient nervousness
Some situations in which a patient may be nervous: are being about to have surgery, analyzing test results, or even a teenager going to her first gynecologist appointment. When receiving a patient in these conditions, highlighting how nervous he is will not ease the situation, quite the opposite.
When noticing that a patient is nervous, never emphasize it. You can ease the situation with a good conversation, to bring more optimistic thoughts to the one who is about to be attended to. These moments are great to show how humanized your service is.
Humanized care comes to meet the patient's need to feel confident in the face of the situation they are going through and face it positively, and making unnecessary comments under these circumstances will not help at all. In addition, it is important to take into account the emotional state not only of the patient but also of the family, so answering your questions in a way that conveys empathy, security and trust is essential.
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