Complex health complexes
I went to a physical therapist on Monday, the first time I had been in this medical complex. I pulled in a random parking place and figured I would walk to where I needed to be. The building in front of me was clearly labelled "545." I checked the address: also 545, I was in luck. As I approached the door, a saw a sign that it was only for orthopedics; all others should use the next entrance to the left. I checked the therapist's titles; "orthopedics" was mentioned twice, so I continued in. There was a woman behind a desk right at the entrance who informed me that I needed to go to the next entrance, second floor.
No big deal. I walked a couple of hundred feet to the next entrance, also well labelled ("515"). I saw no signs on the way in, but I did see stairs, so I proceeded to the second floor. I found myself in a hospital ward: patients lying on beds in rooms, nurses bustling around with medicine. This was a little disorienting. I found a desk nearby and asked where I needed to go for physical therapy: downstairs, over some, and up the elevator. I found the elevator (still without anything that would have told me the PT office was in that direction) and took it upstairs. The first door I saw had sign reading "Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation." That sounded promising, but it was incorrect; I wanted the suite across the hall, which was labelled "UVa-Encompass Health Therapy Services Center."
Health complexes tend to be confusing, but this seemed needlessly so. Why is the office at the address 545 if I have to go in the 515 entrance? Why is it listed as Suite 2100 when I never saw a suite number there or anywhere else, and every time I said I was looking for Suite 2100 I got blank stares? And why were there no signs indicating where various things were? Some offices have a directory of physicians on each level, which is very helpful. I would settle for a list of offices. I realize it's too much to expect something as simple as "Physical Therapy," but I wish they could at least pick consistent terminology. "Health Therapy Services Center" is hopelessly vague and I would never have thought I was in the right place had I come across it without having it pointed out.
No big deal. I walked a couple of hundred feet to the next entrance, also well labelled ("515"). I saw no signs on the way in, but I did see stairs, so I proceeded to the second floor. I found myself in a hospital ward: patients lying on beds in rooms, nurses bustling around with medicine. This was a little disorienting. I found a desk nearby and asked where I needed to go for physical therapy: downstairs, over some, and up the elevator. I found the elevator (still without anything that would have told me the PT office was in that direction) and took it upstairs. The first door I saw had sign reading "Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation." That sounded promising, but it was incorrect; I wanted the suite across the hall, which was labelled "UVa-Encompass Health Therapy Services Center."
Health complexes tend to be confusing, but this seemed needlessly so. Why is the office at the address 545 if I have to go in the 515 entrance? Why is it listed as Suite 2100 when I never saw a suite number there or anywhere else, and every time I said I was looking for Suite 2100 I got blank stares? And why were there no signs indicating where various things were? Some offices have a directory of physicians on each level, which is very helpful. I would settle for a list of offices. I realize it's too much to expect something as simple as "Physical Therapy," but I wish they could at least pick consistent terminology. "Health Therapy Services Center" is hopelessly vague and I would never have thought I was in the right place had I come across it without having it pointed out.
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