social scripts

[social-scripts]

some ways to start scheduling a doctor’s appointment over the phone

Follow-ups

- “Hi! I’d like to make a follow-up appointment.”

- “Hi, I’m [your legal name], I’d like to schedule a follow-up appointment for about [number of weeks/months] out.

- “Hi, could I schedule a follow-up appointment for the month of [upcoming month]?”

(Note that if you don’t state your name in your greeting, they will likely ask you your name as the next question, which is fine! You don’t want to overwhelm them with information in your greeting.)

Acute ailment (new or returning patient)

- “Hi, could I schedule an appointment for [your own legal name]?” (yes, it seems weird to talk about yourself in the third person like this, but when booking an appointment it’s okay for the initial sentence)

- They may ask reason for appointment. If they do, give a very brief one-sentence summary. “I think I have a sinus infection/I’d like to have STI screening done/I’d like a vitamin deficiency panel run/etc.”

New patient, not acute ailment

- “Hi, is Doctor [Surname] taking new patients at this time?” (If yes,) “Alright. Could I make an appointment?” (If no, they should hopefully recommend you a similar doctor or tell you further information. Regardless, they’ll lead it, and make sure to thank them even if they weren’t very helpful.)

- “Hi, I was wondering if I could make an appointment? I have a referral from [Doctor Surname/Hospital Name/etc.].”

Tips: 

- Always thank them before you hang up, regardless of if you actually made an appointment. Just a simple, “Thank you, have a great day,” before you hang up is all it takes, but it’s very important.

- People can “hear a smile” over the phone (hear when someone is smiling when they are talking vs. not), so smile when you thank someone and when you are saying those niceties, because it makes it sound more genuine.

- Repeat the date out loud to them. “January the 5th, at 7am? Alright, sounds good.” They’ll probably repeat it at least twice, as well. This helps you remember, helps them know that you know the correct date, and it’s also a social construct.

- If you don’t know the information they’re asking for, it’s okay to admit that. They’re there to help you. I remember being on call with a health insurance representative (not even a doctor’s office staff member) when I was just barely living on my own, and her walking me through how to read my health insurance card. I was flustered and embarrassed at the time, but she was very patient with me.

Nowadays, plenty of doctor’s appointments, you can make online. :) That’s nice. But some of them, you can’t. So these tips are for when you can’t.

[social-scripts]

tips for making a doctor’s appointment over the phone

- have your insurance card ready and know what insurance plan you have (if you have one)

- write a list of your scheduling conflicts down for the next month (if it’s a specialist, for the next 3-4months or more) so you’re not sifting through you’re calendar during the phone call

- you can let them lead it, you’re not the one leading the conversation. after you state that you’d like to make an appointment, they’ll ask you for the information they need.

[social-scripts]

email template for casually telling an online professor/teacher your name and pronouns

[Professor/Doctor] [Surname],

Hi! I’ll be a student in your upcoming [course subject] course on [days] at [time]. I’m just sending a quick email to let you know that I’m transgender and haven’t legally changed my name, so I use a different name than what is registered on [Blackboard/Canvas/etc.].

My name on [Blackboard/Canvas/etc.] is [full legal name]. I’ll be using the name [full preferred name] as my screen name on [Zoom/GoReact/etc.] and on [written or typed assignments/etc.], and would greatly appreciate it if you could refer to me as ‘[preferred first name]’ and [pronouns] pronouns.

If you have any questions or if there are any concerns, my student email is [student email]. Thank you for understanding, and I look forward to starting your class!

- [preferred name as signature]