So i called my doctor to make an appointment to talk about the health issues with being gay. Well, the receptionist asked why i needed an appointment and i said it wasnt an emergency and thati just wanted to talk to him about personal matters. She wanted to know if i wanted him to call me. I told her that i needed to see him and she pretty much demanded to know why i couldnt just talk to him on the phone. I told her i needed to see him in person because i needed vaccines. She got all crazy and asked if i needed blood tests and what vaccines. I told her i didnt want to go into it with her and she said she would have the doctor call me. Why does the receptionist need to know all this? Cant i just make an appointment to see him without going through the whole story with her?
Well, it's the receptionist's job to know why you're making the appointment. Basic check up, vaccination, it doesn't matter. They have to ask.
I am in the medical field and the only reason you're being asked is so the appointment can be scheduled appropriately; for example, if it is a thorough physical, the doctor might only schedule those in the morning or on certain days. If it is a simple vaccine, sometimes only a nurse will need to see you. My doctor's office even has a dedicated day to see diabetes patients.
Like Necrose and Incognito10 said they always ask this when making an appointment so they can properly schedule you. You don't need to come out to the receptionist (though you could if you wanted too), only tell her what you need to see the doctor about. You're over thinking things. Wanting to talk to your doctor about vaccinations does not automatically link up with "he must be gay!" There are lots of reasons you might want to speak to the doctor about vaccinations. Just because you know the reason doesn't mean other people will suddenly somehow become mind readers and figure it out. You probably WILL need to tell your doctor though, because of the inevitable question, "Why do you want these vaccinations?"
While I understand the scheduling aspect of it, I have never had a problem with just keeping it private. I usually flat out say "I wish to keep it confidential between Dr. XXX and myself" I have not talked to a Doctor about those issues, so what you do from there I have no idea.
