A dream trip to the pediatrician... in the rain

Yes, it continues to rain. Yes, it is getting old.

Anyway...

Marion had her pediatrician's appointment today to make sure her ear infection has cleared. The appointment was for 9 am but we were asked to arrive at 8:45 am for paperwork. We braved the walk in the rain and arrived a little before 8:45.

We took our coats off and filled out the paperwork required, one sheet asking for our contact information, birthdates, and names, in the waiting room. Everything was clean, there was an abundance of toys, and no one else was around. All was quiet.

After I was done filling out the sheet, we were moved into the exam room to wait for the doctor. The receptionist/nurse took Marion's weight (30.5 lbs, she's gaining!) and temperature (normal) and then said the doctor would be right in.

I looked at my watch. 8:55 am. Wow, that was fast.

5 minutes later, at 9 am on the dot, the doctor knocked on the door.

Surely I was in a dream. This couldn't be possible.

After pleasantries, I gave him Marion's medical records so he could review them. Everything is pretty normal with her so no surprises. He did ask what one of the vaccinations was because it was a brand name not used in Switzerland. Then he looked in her ears, declared the infection was healing, and that was that.

We were out of the office by 9:10 am.

I would have pinched myself had it not been raining outside.

For those that have not spent time in a typical busy pediatrician's office in the US, here is a description of our typical visit to help explain my amazement.

Arrive 10 minutes before appointment time to show insurance card and check in. If it was an early morning appointment, we would only wait 20 minutes before being taken in the back to get Marion's temperature and weight. Then we would walk to the patient room where we would wait another 15-20 minutes. Finally the doctor would arrive, we'd meet with him, and then he'd give us a form to take to the front desk where we would pay our copay.

So on a good day, an appointment in the morning would take almost an hour. If we had to go in the afternoon, all bets were off. I spent 2 hours at the pediatrician's office during one sick visit with Marion.

So far, I like this Swiss doctor's office.