manipulation?

okay, so the company i work for is a heathcare "watchdog" in a sense. the mere mention of our name has been known to make nurses sweat and their blood pressure go up by 10-20%. it's always an interesting experience when you are going in for a doctor's visit and the staff finds out that you work for such a scary entity.

there is also sort of a way to use this to your advantage.

i had a doctor's appointment (routine annual you know what exam) at 11 this morning. i wanted to miss as little work as possible. often, visits to the doctor involve a good chunk of waiting room time. well, i just happened to (consciously) leave my work id badge around my neck when i went to the appointment. (mind you, i have absolutely NO power, other than my awareness of basic healthcare safety/quality things, and knowing where/how to report any bad things i see.) yet, the badge still holds power. i didn't flaunt it or anything, just left it around my neck where it lives all day long.

the result: everybody was VERY nice to me. my waiting room time was 1-2 minutes tops. my handbag AND my shoes were both complimented on. i was in and out of there faster than i ever have been before. it was great, since it allowed me to get back to work in a timely manner, and i was actually seen at my appointment time, rather than 15 minutes past it. i think it was alright since it wasn't like i was saying "hey you better be good to me since i can shut you down like this *snap*" they were really friendly, but in my opinion they should be that kind and courteous to all their patients. maybe they are and my badge wouldn't have mattered. they have always been very nice, but it certainly seemed to be a much quicker experience than on previous visits.