For some adults, and quite a few young children, going to a doctor can be a scary experience.  Yesterday, I had a six year old boy on my schedule with a note that he may need to be sedated.  Typically, I request that parents stay in the waiting room so that I can evaluate the child without any distraction.  I called him into my office from the waiting room and he immediately started crying.  Aaaaand that's the cue to invite Dad inside.  Dad explained that the patient is extremely shy.  The young boy sat on the chair and tried to calm down as I showed him the video game we were about to use (a.k.a the OAE machine).  Through lots of encouragement, explanation, and evasion, I managed to complete a full battery of tests and determined that the patient had normal hearing.  He walked out of my room with a big smile and a high five.

His story is one of those that I love to tell.  Nothing boosts my confidence more than winning the trust of a young person and finding out information that someone was unable to get before.  A doctor visit may seem intimidating but if you trust that the professional you're seeing knows what he or she is doing and ask questions when you're unsure, I'm sure your experience will be a positive one.