The CYA Email Bitch Slap

There are few moments in life as satisfying as the moment when you get to prove yourself correct in an argument. You may remember this moment demonstrated in Annie Hall.

Well today, blog, I had that moment. I was in the midst of scheduling hell (by the way, I’ve determined that I am a secretary who just happens to shoot photos and videos once in a while). After contacting the docs more than three weeks ago, and after a week straight of wrangling schedules like uncooperative cattle, I finally went for broke and asked a patient if she would be willing to come in for a photo at 7am in the flipping morning. I didn’t even want to ask her because it’s so rude to ask someone to do that for you. Anyway, I was stuck because that was the only time that the docs told me that they were free. So I pitched it out there, and the patient agreed!

So I followed up with her and the two docs, set everything for this coming Monday at 7am, and booyah, one less shoot to schedule. Multiply this by 15 or 20 shoots and you get an idea of what I have to deal with every few weeks.

But wait! The administrative assistant emailed and called me after that email and told me that the doctor wasn’t available then.

Whu? I didn’t even want to answer them. I just wanted to press my hands against my ears and go to the shoot on Monday and kick and scream when only the patient and I showed up. Turns out, the one doc was being presumptuous or something, and the other doc wasn’t going to budge. The admin “emphasized” to me how important this shoot was to him. But she also emphasized that he was unwilling to compromise off of their pre-set schedule. She accused me of making up the Monday appointment and the conversation started to devolve. She also emphasized that she had placed the OR on hold in order to talk to me.

OK, so I searched my old emails because I never throw anything away ever. And low and behold, there it was, the email telling me that the two docs were free on Monday morning.

So I sent that email on to the administrative assistant like a digital bitch slap. I’m not going to say I did it to be vindictive, but sometimes when people get a little loud and a little condescending, it’s nice to let the words of their bosses contradict their little world. All I have to do is sit back and enjoy the show (before I get back to the stressful work of rescheduling these three people).

Today’s lesson? Save every email.