Different Dr. than who you made an appointment with

Has anyone ever had a situation where you made an appointment with Dr. A but due to an emergency or scheduling mix up you actually saw a different doctor? Did the nurse or receptionist let you know beforehand or did you only find out when the doctor came into the exam room? Was to doctor the same sex or opposite sex of who you had an appointment with? If the opposite sex of the doctor you had an appointment with, how did that make you feel?

This happened to me recently. The day before my appointment the office called to let me know that my doctor would not be in due to a family situation. I was given the choice of a different doctor at the same appointment time or to reschedule. My appointment was just a follow up for high blood pressure so I opted for a different doctor. I have always had a male doctor and my appointment would be with a female doctor; since it was just the follow up, it did not bother me. If it had been for a physical, I would have rescheduled so I could be seen by my own doctor.

It's happened a couple of times but we almost always see our regular doc. We know most of the PCP Doctors in the clinic and it's not an issue. Don't recall being told other than when scheduling when they said we can't you in with "so-and-so" but “this-and-that” is available . No big deal.

I had to find a new doctor 9 years ago because my doctor of 30 years or so was retiring. He had a private practice but all that's available now is a group. Due to the horrible burden of insurance forms, Medicare forms, government regulations and ever lowering of reimbursement, no one finds it practical to open a private practice anymore.

It seems that the way it works is your doctor is a member of the group but there are multiple RNPs working there. I rarely get to see my doctor, it's usually an RNP who sees me and not the same one I saw the time before. Either sex, whomever they have available. I don't know if they have a huge turnover or just a lot of them working there. I'm not sure if my doctor has her own RNPs or they are simply shared among the group and you get whichever one is available.

I have the feeling they have certain procedures you get your doctor for and everything else gets you an RNP. Also based on if it's scheduled or “I need you now” type of visit.

I did get the dermatologist I selected, she was my neighbor and I liked her. My next appointment is with her but that is a year away. If I go in and they give me a male I will refuse.

The dermatologist I've been seeing for the past few years recently left the practice to open her own clinic in a neighboring state. So I was assigned to another doctor for my standing 6-month skin exam. (I'm not complaining as I went from one gorgeous female to another.)

That's the only time I can remember seeing a doctor other than the one I made the appointment with.

That's happened to me a couple of times at Kaiser. 1st time the optometrist I made the appt with was unavailable so they the substituted another one I was specifically trying to avoid. I did not find this out until the assistant told me asI was going into the room. Since I was already there I went ahead with the appt.

The 2nd time was a dermatology appt. They switched doctors and told me as I was checking in. I was ok at first with the switch as I had never seen this doctor. It was for a full body skin exam. All she did was have me remove my shirt and check my upper body. I was disappointed in the exam.

Doctor switch happened to me recently and it was not for the better but sometimes such events have happy endings. Been seeing a female dermatologist for several years and she is really good and goes over me in great detail. Received an office call telling me she would not be available and suggested reschedule or alternative doctor. Went for the alternate a male and was given a 3 minute maximum full body check! And quickly dismissed. Filed a complaint with the office and told them when my insurance bill was processed I would dispute the exam -explaining there is no way for conduct a full body derm exam in three minutes unless the patient was an infant. The office offered a re-exam and this time was given a much longer, 30 minute, going over by another female doctor and her nurse. And they checked places on my body I did not know even had skin.

Sure did. I was sent to a specialist at a hospital for tests. Instead of seeing the specialist I was slophed off to a Resident. The Resident used the wrong test parameters. My application was returned and rejected. Wrong test parameters bla bla with a description of what was needed. So I went back made another appointment and once again met up with dippy the dummy. She set the same dam thing up that was rejected after reading the Provincial instructions. I had had it with her inefficiency and lost my temper. No yelling or swearing. I just calmly said no you are doing it wrong. Follow the Instructions. It went through this time

This has happened several times. I tell the person “I don't want to see you. either Dr. X comes in here, or I'm leaving.” Usually the original doctor will come in, but I've walked out at least four times, never to return to that office.

I've had this happen a couple of times, most recently at my last physical. I had a male doctor who was filling in for my female doctor.

As a child I had a certain degree of white coat syndrome. At age 11 I started feeling far more relaxed with my new pediatrician. At age 13 I was examined by a male PA who looked very intimidating. He had a 5 O'Clock shadow, a few tattoos on his arm with a set of bulging biceps through his scrubs and short cropped hair. He was 100 percent no nonsense when it came to my exam but had some kind and encouraging words as I was getting dressed. I saw him a few times for sick visits and one more annual physical at age 16. Underneath that longshoreman who just survived a biker brawl exterior was a decent guy who could interact well with a nervous teenager

Just recently had Urologist visit it was suppose to be a male. I got there checked in nurse took me back. After checking vitals she said nurse practioner would be in in a minute. I was suppose to see male. It did end up being female. Which I am more comfortable with anyways. So it worked out better.

@Rad1

Just recently had Urologist visit it was suppose to be a male. I got there checked in nurse took me back. After checking vitals she said nurse practioner would be in in a minute. I was suppose to see male. It did end up being female. Which I am more comfortable with anyways. So it worked out better.

If they ever send me to a urologist it WILL be a female or I ain't going.

Yeah. This happened to me when I was in my mid-30s and hadn't had a complete physical for about 10 years.

My father had recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and my mother also died of cancer. I made an appointment for a physical and made it very clear the reason for my visit and my medical history.

I found an internal medicine clinic near my work that had six doctors, two of whom were a little younger than I was. I made an appointment with the youngest of them for three reasons. First, I figured he'd be up on the latest medical technology. Second, I was hoping to establish an ongoing doctor-patient relationship. Third, I was more than a little aroused by the thought of being examined by a doctor younger than I was … and he was quite cute (judging by his picture on the clinic's website). His bio said he was still into the same sports I was doing. I made it very clear I wanted to see that doctor.

When I arrived at the clinic, I was very nervous. An older doctor was lingering at the front desk and smiled at me. I recognized him from the website. He shared a last name with the young doctor who was to be “my” doctor, and I was 99% sure they were father and son. I thought nothing of it at the time.

I was led back to the exam room and the assistant made it VERY clear I was to take off all my clothes including my underwear, put on a gown, and make sure the opening was in the back.

I was nervous but also excited. It was very strange sitting there with my bare butt on the exam table's paper covering.

I heard a soft knock and prepared myself for the cute, young doctor's entrance. Imagine my surprise when his father came in! There was no explanation or anything. I was too nervous to say anything.

I got the sense that the dad “pulled rank.” Specifically, I sensed it wasn't every day the older doc got to give a first prostate exam to a guy in his mid-30s.

The exam was thorough and I recall his finger being very big.

He made it very clear I should be coming back every year. When I made the next year's appointment, I asked for the “dad” doctor. For the second physical, I was asked to wait in the exam room fully dressed and he had me undress in the exam room while he was there, and I could feel him watching me. He didn't say how “far” I was supposed to undress. I stripped to my boxers and took a seat on the table. To this day, I wish I would have asked him whether I had to take off my underwear. Or … I should have just taken them off and taken a seat naked.

For the third physical, I undressed ahead of time and put on a gown, but it was the hottest physical of all because the gown was all the way off by the very end – sort of a mutual decision of both of us. 😃

Sadly, the next year he retired.

I've had this happen to me once that I can remember. I was 13 and going for my third sports physical. This was my first time going to this practice, this doctor, and was also my first time going to an “adult doctor”. My pediatrician was a female and I was so embarrassed after my previous physical that I made my parents switch me to their older male family doctor.

The nurse took me back to the exam room and told me to undress down to my underwear and have a seat on the table. I had seen my parents doctor a few times, but had never actually met him. After a brief knock on the door, in walks a young man. He introduces himself and tells me the doctor I scheduled with was out and he would be conducting my exam. It briefly threw me for a loop, but not a huge deal. I was already super nervous about what was to come, and incredibly embarrassed by my raging hard on I had since I walked into the outer waiting room.

Since everything about that visit was new to me, it wasn't a big deal. At least I was still seeing a male doctor. Had a female doctor walked in, I would have been mortified. I think even now, if I was expecting a male and got a female, I would be even more embarrassed than I already am. Truthfully, if I was expecting a female and got a male, I would probably feel more upset and disappointed. Generally, I am fine with either gender, but I need to be prepared and expecting it I think. In either case, after a few minutes, I would probably be able to process it all and switch gears to calm down a bit.

On my ER discharge papers I had a different bone surgeon listed as the contacting doctor than I had been scheduled to see. As it was was from the ER visit I wasn't disappointed nor surprised by the change.

What did surprise me, and upset me, was the voice mail telling me I had missed my I am appointment for my pre-surgery visit. I had not been told in the ER that surgery was a thought nor was I told about the early morning appt it takes 60 minutes to get to the city.

When I did get to my later appointment the whole experience was a “shit show”. The surgeon was rushed so didn't explain very well what was wrong with me and had crappy bedside manner. Was glad to get a referral to my current bone surgeon a week or so later.

Haven't had this happen to me yet.

I have a female doctor, but when I went to the doctor for my first pregnancy apointment, she was sick, so I had an older male doctor. And I had to undress to my underwear, had to get weight, breast exam, a pelvic, and MY FIRST rectal, did not expect that. But also it was a turn on.

In the same clinic I've been seen for ages. I've seen 6 different doctors 4 male 2 female..thats my PCP and all his PA's .

Haven't gotten a different doc; but sometimes a nurse practitioner will see me first, ask questions, discuss my conditions - so much so that the when doc finally does see me, it's more of a formality.😡

Yup! My doctor was out with his husband at the time who was going through cancer treatment in another city. I was told after I checked in that I would see the female doctor in the office. I was there for a sinus infection and the woman was NOT nice at all. She wanted to do a physical right then and there. I told her no. Only Doctor “Zach” would be doing my physical!! She got kinda mad about it. Soon she finally wrote my prescription….

The medical practice that I go to, will always provide another doctor, if your primary isn’t available. I’ve never had any issues with that. In fact, one of the alternate doctors prescribed a medication that was more effective than the one that I was previously taking, for the same condition.