Nurse sitting in

[uni]

Has anyone had the experience where a nurse sits in with you for the entire appointment with a psychiatrist? This new doctor says that's the way he likes to do things. This is only my second appointment with him. It didn't happen the first time. It felt a bit odd, but I liked the nurse okay and she mostly just listened and took notes. Still, I find it unusual.

[Jafar the wizard]

Hi Uni
It happened to me twice or three times back in the past .. but it was not a nurse .. it was either a medical student or a young new graduate .. and in general , my psychiatrist needed my permission before allowing a third person to attend the session .. and the third person was just a listener .. no questions .. no dialogs ..

[uni]

Thanks for replying Jafar. I probably should have been actually asked first if I was okay with it, but that didn't happen until part way through the appointment. Oh well.

Like you, I've had medical students or interns sit in, and was asked if I was okay with it. This psychiatrist simply informed me clearly that the nurse is part of how he does things.

I'm thinking it might be a cost saving measure, as she does some of the record keeping, phone calls etc. so he doesn't have to, and perhaps he can therefore see more patients. But whatever the reason, it's different than I've experienced in the past.

We'll see how things go at the next appointment in May.