[prmenrs]

I had an older RN working w/me (I was about 28 @ the time) in a CT ICU. The residents and fellows sometimes used to drive her nuts--but she gave it back as good as she got.

She was short and rotund, and @ least as old as their moms, so when she let loose, they always backed down.

My favorite story was when she was out on the floor one early morning--the residents made rounds @ 6am. One of their pet peeves was Sump tubes that weren't working, so she went around @ 5:45 and checked every blessed one of them. Not that she wasn't busy enough getting labs, getting pts ready for OR, doing I&O's!

On this morning, they got to the last customer, the sump wasn't whistling. (It had been 30 minutes prior.) The docs called her in, complained, she listened to the vent, gave them a dirty look, and turned the suction back on. She left. Went back a few minutes later, the tube was out of the pt., laying on the bed. She asked the pt if they had pulled it out. Yup, they had. She picked up the phone and paged them STAT to the room. They came back. She stood there shaking the sump tube @ them: "DID YOU DO THIS???"

That was the end of the Sump battle!

[TazziRN]

Another story: there was a surgeon who was notoriously cranky to staff and one day it was really bad. I finally asked him (behind the nurses' station in our little break area, didn't know I had an audience) why he was in a bad mood. He said that he was "tired of nurses not even being able to do something simple like put in a foley."

Me: "Are you sure you're not talking about a medsurg floor that has students, because all of us down here (ER) can put them in blindfolded."

Him: *grumbled and muttered*

Me: "Dr. D------, I'm sorry you're in such a bad mood today but please don't take it out on us."

Not a word from him, he just grumbled some more and left the ER. After that, however, he was a lot more pleasant with us.

My audience: I didn't know an ER doc was around the corner and she heard me. When the surgeon left she stuck her head around the corner and said she heard me and I thought "Whu-oh, I'm dead". Instead she grinned and said "Thank you!!"

[msn2008]

When introducing myself to a sweet, slightly confused elderly female patient one day I mentioned my given name, my nick name and threw in for good measure, "or you can call me sweety, honey, or cutie." She laughed and said she'd try to remember my given name. Her doctor, who was in the room at the time, asked, "can I call you sweetie or honey, too?'"

I replied, after looking at the third finger of his left hand, " Let me call your wife and see what she thinks!"

He never attempted to call me anything but my given name after that!

[luvkitties]

Originally Posted by msn2008

When introducing myself to a sweet, slightly confused elderly female patient one day I mentioned my given name, my nick name and threw in for good measure, "or you can call me sweety, honey, or cutie." She laughed and said she'd try to remember my given name. Her doctor, who was in the room at the time, asked, "can I call you sweetie or honey, too?'"

I replied, after looking at the third finger of his left hand, " Let me call your wife and see what she thinks!"

He never attempted to call me anything but my given name after that!

roflmao....LOL I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!

[wildmountainchild]

I used to volunteer as an EMT at a medical clinic in a national park. I loved it there and had a great time with the nurses. I would also use the clinic when I was ill. I came in one day with a UTI, got checked out by the nurse (BP, HP, temp, weight, complaint, etc) and then sent to see the doc.

Now, I have had UTI's forever, am very familiar with thier symtoms and what happens when you go to the clinic to get antibiotics. The first thing Dr. L did was to listen to my "lungs". I thought this was a bit strange as I was in for a UTI and if he was doing any type of exam it should have been to see if my kidneys were sore.

So, he goes in for a listen and puts the head of the stethescope directly on my nipple. I have D cups and was wearing a tank top, so there was no way he made any kind of mistake. I looked up and asked him "How are you going to hear my lungs through my nipple?" He didn't say anything but quickly finished the exam.

Now, everytime I see him at the clinic (which is rarely as I don't volunteer there anymore) I always yell out "Hey Dr. L! The doctor who listens to your lungs through your nipple!!!".

Sure it 's a bit passive aggressive ( I should have filed a formal complaint) but, I doubt he listens to lungs in that particular way anymore.

[Drifternurse]

I've NOT had any docs treat me "like dirt" but somewhat rudely at times. While I understand trying to stand up for oneself, it seems to me that IF it's done, it should be done privately (away from patients and with a witness). Overall, I don't see it as a good idea to risk a write-up or any other kind of disciplinary action just to "stand up for yourself". Let the rude comments roll off your back.

[gr8rnpjt]

I worked 11-7 and had a patient who crashed. He bled out through the GI tract-probably a total of 75 minutes from his first gelatinous red bm to death.
I tried to page his attending, called the service twice. He never called back. I finally saw him down the hall in the next unit, after having given his pt a complete bed bath twice due to this torrent of blood coming out like big reddish black clots. Pt was lethargic, and losing bp fast. I ran down the hall and gave a quick report to attending regarding what was going on. In response to my telling him that his service was called twice, he stopped me and said, "wait a minute, these are serious accusations you are making about my service". I was shaking by this time. I said as quietly as possible, "we can discuss the accusations after you see your patient. Please come now." When he got to the room, I lifted the covers and we both saw red everywhere. Pt died soon after. There was no time for orders.

[NREMT-P/RN]

It is generally not worth the effort that you have to put into it!

Even if they lose, they always lose the lesson.

I did, however, forcefully toss a fire helmet in the direction (No, if I'd wanted to hit him it would have - as I tend to have good aim) of a certain MD one night - I wanted his attention, I GOT IT! Never needed to ask for it twice again.

[Marie_LPN, RN]

Today i did. And i said to the doctor "the pt. is moving around" (under general anesthesia, and moving, as in, raised his right leg and arm in the air, which is not common where i work, HELLO). The MDA said (yelled) "yeah yeah whatever, what do you know". I said "The pt. is trying to reach up here and assist us, which is actually not helping. He's also breathing rapidly." Not even 30 seconds later the pt. coded. So the MDA actually had to put his Wall Street Journal down for a few minutes. The pt. made it, but i said to the doctor "Even afer that i still wish you better care if you were in that guy's position, than you obviously cared about him."

We'll see if i'm employed tomorrow.

[livefrmaust]

on one of my clinical placement at a busy gastro surgical ward..i was really ****** of by one of the registrars. pt had a new suture line and newly inserted colostomy. Reg used the same gloves to inspect the colostomy site(wich had discharge) to inspect the suture line, touching and proding.. i was increasingly getting irritated because i was thinking of cross infection blah blah. same reg had told me before that he doesnt think much of student(as if he fell from heaven as a reg). so when he was touching the suture line, i opened a new pack of gloves and politelly told him to change his gloves. needless to say he gave my facilitator a bad report about me.