Like a homeless drug addict, it is but a shell of its former life. This is what my doctor signature has become. It's nothing but abstract art. How did my doctor signature come to this? An illegible scribble defined only by the JCAHO imposed provider number that accompanies it to prevent government accusations of Medicare fraud. Was it the tens of thousands of signatures I have been required to sign off on over the years. Each time morphing into something shorter and shorter. It is now just a single stroke. First and last name combined into that beastly mess.
At least I'm not one of those people at the grocery store that signs their check with their first, middle and last name (in calligraphy). Seriously people. Is that really necessary?
Who uses checks these days anyway?
Update: My doctor signature has no morphed into nothing more than a line. That's it. A line. After being forced to date and time all verbal orders, that have all ready been dated and timed once by the nurse, I simply do not have time to write anything but a line. In seven years as a hospitalist I have never experienced a bad patient outcome due to not dating and timing a verbal order. Which is unfortunate. Now my line cannot be differentiated from any other line on the page, except for my number. I'm thinking I may just stop writing the line and just write my number instead. What's the point of having a doctor signature as a line anyway?
A long time ago, in a galaxy far away, I used to work for a great big bureaucracy. In fact, the biggest one in the world. Anyway, I developed the ability to duplicate the signature of the highest ranking bureaucrat in the building where I worked. His secretary found that extremely handy when he was not available, which was often the case, and she needed something signed.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I, being in the typist pool, had great fun creating and typing up memos on bureaucracy stationery, and then signing them. I once sent a memo to some of the men instructing them not to spend so much time "flirting" with the typists. It was very effective.
Back before there were sexual harassment laws, I found ways to deal with it.
Are you worried about patients working on duplicating your sig?
AH HA!!! I know who you are now. You work at my hospital!
ReplyDeleteI'm a teacher and the same thing has happened to my signature. My students remind me frequently how easy it is to forge.
ReplyDeleteIrish RN, actually you work at my hospital.
ReplyDeleteJust kidding.
Haha, I love this post. My signature, after 2 years of putting my signature on 50000000 papers has become the first letter of my first name followed by a scribble. The sad part is that my EMS staff and the ER staff can all read it. I guess we're all so used to the scribble sig.
ReplyDeleteJust curious, are your progress notes equally as well defined as your signature? ;P
ReplyDelete