#circumventions

[cranquis]

And yet more Handshake-Alternatives...

kangofu-cb replied to your post: More Handshake-Alternative Suggestions...

Hi there. Let me poke you… with my… pole? (I see the potential for sexual harassment charges looming)

welcometothebrahmance replied to your post: More Handshake-Alternative Suggestions...

the chest bump or the sportsmanlike butt spank seem like great options here

danicalifornia85 replied to your post: More Handshake-Alternative Suggestions...

Why not do it the Japanese way? You know, they do this “bow” as a courtesy or greeting. Maybe that would work. :)

kempertron replied to your post: More Handshake-Alternative Suggestions...

Hip bump!

circumventions replied to your post: More Handshake-Alternative Suggestions...

They should create some custom of saluting, like in the army, but modified. Not anything like “Sieg heil” or some similar abomination, of course. Doctors could salute each other, too. That might be funny and remove the tension among the patients

hopeful-lies replied to your post: More Handshake-Alternative Suggestions...

Has no one suggested waving? I mean, it’s friendly enough and there’s no touching involved.

I think I have the funniest readers around. :)

[cranquis]

circumventions replied to your post: Bad and Worse: Don't Give Me a Hand

why would a doctor ever shake a patient’s hand unless he knows him personally?

Depends on the culture of the area where you practice. Where I work and live, people are very friendly and hand-shaking during the doctor-patient introduction is common-place. I walk in, I say, "Hi, my name is Dr. Cranquis", I shake their hand, and then I immediately use hand sanitizer as we start to talk. I've done some doctor-shadowing in the Southern US, where pretty much any female patient older than 65 would insist on hugging the doctor at the end of a visit (nasty white-coat-germs and all).

That being said, with a patient whose Chief Complaint is "Rash" or "Fever" or "Personal" (or with ANY patient during flu season) I don't offer my hand. This patient snuck in under my radar by coming in with a CC of "Not sleeping well" -- he wasn't sleeping well BECAUSE HIS GROIN ITCHED. *shudder*

(I'd love to convince the world to drop the hand-shaking convention, actually, and switch to something less contagion-friendly -- like, say, the toe touch. Hmm, or maybe we need a universal gang-sign that means "Nice to meet you"...?)