Today I had a little girl about 12 come in for a records appointment at 11:00. She clearly had some special needs, small and really thin for her age, and was visibly nervous. The office manager offered to go get her father from the waiting room, but I declined. (Sometimes having the parents back helps - MOST times, it makes the kids worse). I was able to calm her down and talk her through her pictures and the Xrays, mostly by showing her on myself first. She was a little combative during the second Xray, because there are two parts that have to go on your ears. I thought she was going to break the machine! I let her take it without them however, and she was okay. Definitely having sensory issues, she got a bit more upset during impressions, so the office manager decided to get her dad anyway.
He immediately began by yelling and putting her down (Saying things like, “You’re gonna have bucked teeth forever, cutting down trees”, etc.) and yelling. He's a police officer, and also threatened to go down to his car for his handcuffs. She got MORE upset. I tried to ignore him, and got her attention using tricks I learned working at the SN daycare ("Look in my eyes, take a deep breath, nothing I do is going to hurt, etc). Finally, I had to insert 4 spacers. He continued to yell, she continued to get more upset. Again, I got her to focus on me. She kept holding onto my arm, wanting to 'do it herself', so I showed her where she could hold onto my wrist safely and 'help', and I was able to put in the first spacer. She was still reluctant and visibly upset, so the office manager was asking if maybe we should wait to start treatment. Dad proceeded to get more impatient and continued to yell. While the patient had ahold of my arm, he tried to pry her hands from around my wrist (which I didn’t mind to begin with, I told her she could hold it), which resulted in them scuffling. I think he was 'fed up' and trying to pull her up out of the chair, but as she was holding on to ME and I was kneeling on the floor, he wasn’t able to. I got yanked pretty hard when he finally succeeded, She finally stood and backed into the corner, yelling, pushing and slapping at him. He restrained her arms with his left hand and suddenly hit her HARD with his right, on the left side of her head, by her temple. The whole office heard it. Right in front of me, the office manager and the doctor! At that point the doctor took Dad into another room and the office manager and I calmed down the patient. The doctor talked dad out of moving forward with treatment, and once her father was removed, she let me remove the spacer that we did get in without a problem.


By law, we have to report this to CPS. I don't trust them to do that. This all happened at a satellite office, the doctor that works with us there is an associate. I called my actual boss and told him what was going on. He had me type everything up to give to the office managers and the doctors at that dental office 'to handle'. Thing is, another assistant overheard that head doctor saying he wasn't going to report it, as both parents are patients and he doesn't want to lose the business. I'm reluctant myself, and the dad is a cop. He already knows where I work once a day, and I don't want any problems. I got the speech in daycare, and I got it again in assistant school - legally, this HAS to be reported. I will be talking to my boss tomorrow morning, and then reporting it either way.

I was calm as a cucumber through the whole thing - never lost my cool, didn't strangle the dad, etc. I don't really know why - if you throw a spare patient at me unscheduled, I fall apart. But I could have spent 4 hours with that little girl without a problem if that's what she needed. I guess I missed my calling as a SN teacher. lol. Once I left for my lunch break I fell apart a bit, though.

All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing

Yeah if I knew my boss wasn't going to report it I'd feel a moral obligation to do so myself.

can i get a summary? like 2 sentences? TIA

p.s. i see peeps NaT pager is still working after all

you're wise in your old age

shitty thing to see, but you gotta call the cops. good luck

unlike youre lovemaking

Spoiler: show

did you not read? he is a cop



but yah, you need to report that asap

i knew what that spoiler was before i opened it, but well done!

lol, yeah i read it, cops can be arrested too

Poor girl. That made me very sad.

Sad read.

Wow...that sucks!!!

You handled it a lot better than I would have, NaT...

It appears like you really don't want to be the one to do it, and I totally understand that. Can you maybe say something to your boss like, "this is really bothering me, and if you guys aren't going to report it, I feel like I have a moral obligation to do it"? That way it kind of puts the ball in their court and will pretty much force them to file the complaint.

Maybe they need a reminder that it is the law, not just a suggestion. It's sad that they would value the business of someone who treats their own child that way. If they do that in public, I am scared to think about what happens behind closed doors.

Unfortunately today and yesterday I work past office hours. Tomorrow I get out at one and will be calling in the report. I don't trust the Academy office to do it. I wanted to make sure my own butt was covered if the doctors choose to retaliate. It most definitely is. It's called something like "mandatory reporter" or someshit like that. I'm not worried about my own boss firing me.

Best case scenario - Academy did the right thing from the beginning and my report will be a duplicate.

Middle of the road - Family throws a shit fit, Doc figure out it was me and I get busted. I HATE that fucking office anyway, and only work there because I'm NEEDED. If I wasn't allowed to go back, I'd turn fucking cartwheels - and would have no problem hiring an attorney for firing me for following the law against their wishes. LOL. I'd have a HUGE case and they'd have a LOT to lose if it got out - oh say, on the news - if they fired an employee for reporting an episode of child abuse. A LOT. I bet I'd get a tidy sum for my silence.

WORST case scenario - they take it out on my boss by cancelling his contract with their office. That office to him is pure profit, plus, it'd be hurting all of the other girls I work with. Although none of us enjoy working there, we ALL NEED the hours, as it's tough to get 40 in this business. This is what I'm worried about the most, but not enough to stop me from making the call.

Child abuse: a way to make a tidy sum.

i know you dont like her, but this is stretching just a bit

Thank you for your feedback, your opinion is important to me and I value your comments. Unfortunately, I'm not dealing with wank stains right now but I'll be sure to get back to you as soon as possible. In the meantime, as a gesture of appreciation for the time you've spent providing your feedback, please feel free to go and fuck yourself in the manner of your choosing.

It was just a joke, kids. Settle down.

kids? peeps is like 50