Doctors in France

Ok y'all, before I start the body of this blog post, I'd like to get some business out of the way. My birthday is coming up, next Wednesday, December 14, which means that if you want to send me a card then you should get on that so I receive it in time.  Email me for my address (because I'm not going to put my address on the WORLD WIDE WEBZ).  ;) (Or just send it to my home address because I'll be home Dec. 18)  Thanks LOVERS!!  :D

Anywhoooo, in order to get social security in France, (obligatory for my work visa), I needed to declare a Primary Care Practitioner.  Which means that I need to FIND a PCP.  Luckily, I live right near a medical lab, so I just walked in and asked and they pointed me to the nearest doctor's office.

So, I walked around the corner and down the alley and sure enough, the first door had the names of three doctors right beside it, as well as a sign that said "Ring the bell, then enter".  I thought it was odd that you ring the bell for an unlocked door, but figured that it was probably just a French thing.  So I rang the bell and then .... couldn't open the door.  After a few moments of struggling, an older man came and opened the door for me, and then explained that it was a finicky doorknob.  I thanked him and tried to figure out who he was - the receptionist maybe? (Despite definitely being retirement age?)  I followed him inside- through the entry hall consisting of a sink and a box to leave papers for each of the three doctors, (what about patient privacy?!) then down the hall to a room where 4 other people were sitting.

Seeing no receptionist, and realizing that the kindly older man was here to see the doctor himself, I addressed the people in the room, who informed me that this windowless chamber was in fact the waiting room.  I figured that maybe the administrative part of the doctors office was separate, so I left and went down the alley to look at the other doorways.  It's truly amazing how I try to rationalize things in France that I don't understand.  Of course the other doorways in the alleys were to peoples' houses and not to the receptionist.  Because my new doctor has no receptionist.  Duh.

So I returned (successfully opening the door this time) and sat down in the room with the other people - who magically seemed to know who was seeing which doctor next.  Through sheer luck, I figured that I had a place in line and eventually met my doctor.  She explained that her practice did not have a receptionist (no need when your insurance system is single-payer, thanks French government) and that she and the doctors switched off who took drop-in and who took appointments, depending on the day of the week.  I suppose that's logical...she did fill out my paperwork herself, and pretty efficiently too.

Now all I have to do is wait for my social security number to arrive!  I'll be checking my mailbox ;)

Ok, thanks for reading and I PROMISE that the next post will include pictures!!!

Love always,
Samantha-mybirthdayisnextweek-Frank
xoxo