Lately, I've noticed that I've started saying "alrighty" to patients.
I don't know how this evolved. There are often a lot of silences when you're dealing with patients and sometimes you feel a need to say something to fill the void. For me, it used to be "um." Then it became "okay." Then I guess it became "alright." And now it's turning into "alrighty." And I've just been letting it happen.
This is not really acceptable to me. I'm not sure what kind of person says "alrighty," but I don't think I want to be that person. Certain nobody models themselves after a person who says "alrighty."
I'm going to take a stand. No more saying "alrighty." Yesterday during clinic, every time I noticed myself starting to say it, I made a conscious effort to leave off the "y" and just said "alright."
I wouldn't mind....I like docs that have a certain easiness about them. But your older patients might feel differently
ReplyDeleteI just keep thinking about how Jim Carrey used that phrase over and over and over and over in one of his dumb movies. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteI'm aware of Ace Ventura. See the title of the post.
DeleteI like alrighty. It sounds friendly. But, maybe older patients or pretentious patients won't like it.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you've subconciously determined that "alrighty" is a phrase that gives your patients comfort.
ReplyDeleteOr you've been in the Midwest too long... :)
I think you should just start scatting and jazz-hand it out of the room each time. If anything it would be entertaining.
ReplyDeleteWell, it's better than "Okey-dokey!"
ReplyDeleteAnd that is, in turn, better than "okely-dokely!"
Deletejim carrey is famous because he put his hands in his butt and pulled his butt cheeks apart
ReplyDeleteDo you have a mint?
DeleteI run a call center in a hospital and I hired a college student who used "okie dokie" all the time. The operators made fun of him, started calling him "Okie" but little by little, all of us started saying "okie dokie". He is gone but his little gift to us still lingers. Alrighty then. I feel good to have shared my story.
ReplyDeleteI moved from Oregon to Wisconsin. I found myself saying, "eh" the other day. I'm not that close to Canada and I've only been here for about 8 months. I'm losing my mind.
ReplyDeleteMy staff would fill awkward silences with:
ReplyDelete"Yeah, hm, heh heh. Right. Yeah. Right. Hmm."
I totally picked it up and started talking like that to see how many people I could annoy. I gess it's a lot less annoying when you're experienced and well respected. Yeah. Hmm. Right. Yeah. Heh heh. Yeah. Hmm.
Oh and forgot to say: he'd also throw in "alrighty then" sporadically. I will admit, he's quite disarming and patients love him.
ReplyDelete