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by Angie O'Plasty, RN Staff

if you were treated badly--yelled at, disrespected, verbally abused--by the doctors you work with?


How does this treatment affect you? Does it affect patient care?

[Angie O'Plasty, RN]

"They'll suck the life out of you" is something I was told when I first started nursing.

And when a doc yells at me when I believe I'm doing backflips to help a patient, that's exactly how I feel.

Yelling docs don't get called at the first s/s, I confer with my colleagues about what time might be better for him. We check the chart carefully and explore other options. Meanwhile, tick-tock...

Usually I get the flack for the day shift Unit Sec who forgot to put an order in, or for a different shift's nurse who didn't get an order implemented in what the Dr. believes is a timely fashion.

I have no idea how to get the message out to the docs that when they order PRBCs to run over 6 hours (????!!!!! ) it is NOT POSSIBLE, even with the doctor writing the order. I don't know how the docs think it's ok to yell at me about failings of other shifts at 0300 when the patient needs an UNRELATED treatment.

But it affects me. It hurts to hear that when you expected to hear, "Good save!"

It affects the communication that I have with that doc and therefore, it ultimately could affect patient care. I could then see how taking years and years of this kind of treatment might wear me down and cause me to quit nursing eventually.

So how does it REALLY affect you?

[Julielpn]

I have been yelled at by Dr's, and with me being a relatively new nurse, it really upset me...but I grew a backbone, one might say and decided one day as I was repeating the orders the Dr had given me, and he yelled at me, asking why he would order such a thing....I stated that I was simply repeating his orders to me to verify. He shut up and didn't yell at me any more.
I can't stomach arrogant Dr's!

[LPN1974]

Doctors yelling at me and abuse and mistreatment by my DON are the two reasons I'm getting out as soon as I get in my 28 years on my job. I have too much invested to leave now, but, YES, when I hit 28, I'm leaving. I will draw a retirement check at that time, and I don't know what else I will do, but I will find something, where I won't have to put up with people yelling at me, or talking down to me, or rolling their eyes at me or other people.
I CAN HARDLY WAIT!
I have 3 years and 4 months left.

[SmilingBluEyes]

I am seriously quitting bedside nursing for many reasons but it boils down to one simple point:

I can't be the nurse I entered the profession to be.

Too many many constraints on my time at the bedside due to increasing paperwork (despite computerization of charting and med administration)----and too much verbal and passive-aggressive abuse from some physicians and certain coworkers----well, ya know what, it adds up to quite a bit of frustration and a block to my being the nurse I intended to. I am seriously considering my options nowadays. And very sad about this, as I truly love nursing..................

the way it should be, anyhow.

[Angie O'Plasty, RN]

I have been yelled at by Dr's, and with me being a relatively new nurse, it really upset me...but I grew a backbone, one might say and decided one day as I was repeating the orders the Dr had given me, and he yelled at me, asking why he would order such a thing....I stated that I was simply repeating his orders to me to verify. He shut up and didn't yell at me any more.
I can't stomach arrogant Dr's!

But suppose you had to put up with this behavior over a period of years. Would you seriously consider quitting nursing because of the negative effects of this treatment on you and your practice?

[GingerSue]

I found that in community nursing, the doctors were respectful, responsive, and open to our suggestions re: treatments (just a couple of phone calls involved inappropriate doctor responses). Whenever I would call and idenitfy myself and organization, the receptionists would always put me through to the doctors. I guess I'm just suggesting - consider community nursing as an option. I have only good to say about my (former) community nurse co-workers - I do not recall hearing ANY negative remarks from co-workers about co-workers. Actually I heard positive. I even remember saying to one of my psych nurse co-workers (when I went to work in psych for a while and heard this complaining about "no respect") - I replied "you'll get respect if you work in community nursing" - and that was my experience. I would definitely consider going back into community nursing!

[Miss Ludie]

The doctors seem to get away with a lot, but it's the disrespect of managers and directors that crushes your (my) soul for Nursing. The attitude of "nurses are a dime a dozen, a monkey could do that, work smarter not harder"....etc. Once the Ivory tower elevator opens to (SOME not all) of the upper level positions...they seem to forget where they came from. That is what makes me consider an exit.

[earle58]

angie-

why do you have to tolerate this abuse for years?
is this one specific doctor you're referring to?
i feel pretty confident in saying that this does not happen all the time and everywhere....
personally, i have no problem confronting tyrannical mds but they are the exception and not the norm....

what about finding another job?

leslie

[redshiloh]

OK I actually have a brag on this one. We used to have a service chief that would yell for no apparent reason. But now we have the nicest, best, smartest doc as our chief. The day we were all at bedside and he actually asked for and listened to our opinions was a day I will never forget. It was the FIRST time a doctor had asked me what I thought.
To be honest though, get more abuse from nurses than docs.