Is This What You Do All Day?
Anyone who has been doing mammography for more than a couple of days has been asked this question numerous times! It really doesn't have to do with the type of patient. All different types have asked me this question at some point in my career.
Long ago, when I first started in mammography, I tended to get slightly insulted when someone asked me, "Is this all you do all day?"
I really wondered if they were trying to belittle all of my advanced training in mammography. It was very trying for me to answer this question with a smile.
After interacting with patients for so many years, I tend to look at things a little differently now. When patients inquire about whether I perform mammograms all day, now I really do sincerely smile and add, "I sure do, and aren't you glad you have an experienced person doing your exam?"
This tends to be an ice-breaker. Usually the patient smiles and maybe even laughs as she agrees with you. It would be interesting to hear how different mammographers answer this question. Although we work in many different types of locations and see a wide variety of patients, some things do stay the same. So, how do you answer this question? Has anyone come up with a unique way of satisfying the patient without making light of our skills and training?