My first visit to the doctor in Spain

Yesterday I went to the doctor for the first time in Spain (not the first time outside of the US though, as I have been lucky enough to get sick many times in South America). It was very interesting because there were many similarities but also many differences. The first HUGE and most notable difference is that I didn't pay anything (not a penny) because Spain as a socialized healthcare system. Because of that I could have went to any public health clinic but my program provides us with private insurance so I went to a private clinic near my house. My roommate helped me call to make the appointment earlier in the day because I virtually had no voice and when I arrived at 7:30pm (much later than any private clinic that I know would be open in the US) they of course said they had no record of my appoint. Welcome to Spain. Nonetheless, they let me wait and since it was the end of the day I didn't have to wait long for them to work me in because I just went after their last appointment. So I only waited about 15 minutes until the doctor came and got me. Another big difference - there were no nurses and they did not take any of my regular stats such as weight, temperature, etc. and didn't even ask me anything about my medical history (he did at least ask if I had any allergies before giving me my prescription). He just took me into a room that was the combination of an office and an examination room. So first he had me sit at his desk and skipping any sort of small-talk, acquaintances or introductions (I didn't even know his name) he just said "Ok what's wrong with you?" and had me tell him about my symptoms. Then he had me move to the examination table (which was identical to what we have in the US) for an examination. He listened to me breathe about 27 times on each side of my back, looked briefly down my throat (which was my primary reason for coming) and didn't even have me say "aaaaaaaahhhhh" so I'm not sure how he really saw anything. Then without telling me what I had he just handed me a prescription and said goodbye. I of course asked what was wrong with me and he said "Oh you have a virus that is going around..." Thanks for the elaborate info. So for all of you who think face time with the doctor during an appointment in the US is short, should appreciate it more. I mean it was okay since I had already begun to feel better and the only reason I actually went to the doctor is because it was free and because I needed a doctor's note to justify my absence at school but it definitely left me desiring a little more interaction and information. Note: The health system in Spain is good and I'm sure there are much better doctors than this guy out there.