Are Dr.'s really this way?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

So I just watched this program on ABC - Gray's Anatomy and want to know if most dr.'s are as disrespectful and unappreciative of nurses? How do YOU deal with the jerk-think-they-are-better-than-God dr.'s?

I saw the show last night, too. The nurse originally tried to tell the young rookie that it might not be an infection -- but did not do much more than that.

Then I got to wondering, if you are a nurse in this position, do you document that you suspect more and that the doctor refused to consider additional tests? Do you push it further? (my inclination regardless of how I'm treated - but I back it up w/ fact.) Go to another doctor? Over the intern's head?

I'm a student so am wondering what you would do to 1. protect the patient and 2. your own lisc.

SJ

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Specializes in Rural Health.

I've encountered 1 nasty Dr. in the time I've been working at the 300+ bed hospital. The physical therapist and I made a complaint about the way he treated me (he screamed I was a stupid idiot - our department was full of families who all heard it and were totally appalled). I noticed in my work email a few days later that his priveledges had been revoked for awhile. Where I work, there is a no abuse (verbal and/or physical) policy for everyone who enters the hospital, including the Pepsi man. If you are caught treating ANYONE with disrespect, you are sent home, this is a policy from the person who cleans the potties to the most prestigious Dr. in the hospital. They have customer service people, this is all that they do. The are dressed like normal people and you would have no clue that they are watching you and the going on in the departments.

I have to say, I've known many people to get sent home, several to get fired, because of their short temper and repeated flare ups.

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Specializes in Education, Acute, Med/Surg, Tele, etc.

Oregon here too...LOL! My daffodills are so confused that one would bloom but the rest are on standby..LOL!

Anyway...I didn't watch the show because it seemed to me to be a trend of Doc shows and didn't look like a award winner to me by the comercials alone! Any show that shows a blonde intern pulling up her top and discussing how to be a doc (or how not to be) just doesn't strike me as very smart show...and the producers thinking the viewing audience is a bunch of sex craved drama cows hurding around a TV...just didn't strike me as good tv! LOL!

Anywho......I have met some great MD's that know nurses are part of the team! But I didn't meet them till I was out of the hospital setting! OH man, in hospital I kept searching for the EGO fountain they sipped from! They were rude, insensitive, and down right arrogant!

I even had a patient that I spent one hour doing a sterile dressing on, whom had been in the hospital 3 months because of subsequent infections of her graph sites...and she was getting rather upset (considering she was only to stay one week!). I got it all done and an intern came in...undid and lifted my dressing...exposed it near her periarea, then PUT IT BACK! OMG I about freaked out!!!! Thank goodness I didn't have to...my patient did it for me! LOL!!!!!! She screamed at him about contaminating her sterile dressing and that was the boneheaded crud that kept her in the hospital and more graphs to have to be done! She told him to have ME teach him his job since I was 100% more skilled than him! OMG my mouth dropped! LOL!

From then on the interns and their MD's were less than kind...it wasn't like I said it!!!! OH brother! After that, my days were numbered at hospital and I never went back!!!!! Couldn't stand working with arrogant docs, intern and nurses too! It felt so high school...LOL!

(I have a ton of funny stories about arrogant staff/patients in hospitals..I should write a book! I wrote a journal in nursing school and had all the teachers laughing so hard about this subject that it is now, with my permission, used in our nursing school for teaching! I have actually signed a few copies! LOL!)

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Saw the show..peeved me tooooo..lol..what a jerk....and a jerk who screwed up I might add ;)..poor pt though.

Thank goodness I work in a small hospital where the docs actually listen to us and respect our opinions/assessments.After all, we are helping cover THEIR orifices too.Only had one dr (surgeon) who went off on me on the phone..sat there with my mouth gapped open I was so shocked..couldn't really respond to him like I WANTED to because the family member was standing right there at the desk...grrrrrrrrrr...thank goodness he's goneeeeeee!

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There are a few bad apples in every barrel -- we all know there are a few a$$hole nurses out there, too! :) Most of the docs I have worked with over the years have been respectful, appreciative, and collegial.

In my experience in several different big teaching hospitals over the years, it seems like residents are most prone to be jerks about nurses -- they are sooo impressed with how much more they know and how much their status has improved since they were lowly med students, and yet they don't yet have sufficient experience to appreciate what nurses have to offer patient care and the docs. I've yet to meet an experienced physician who wasn't fully aware that nurses had saved her/his backside on any number of occasions, and aware of the trouble s/he would be inviting to seriously get on the wrong side of the nursing staff ... All experienced docs understand that the nurses can make them look good, or make them look bad, depending on what kind of relationship they have with the nurses.

I also agree with the previous posters who have said that some nurses seem to invite bad behavior -- you will generally find (in life in general) that people treat you the way you act like you expect them to treat you ... If you conduct yourself as a competent professional at work, most of your colleagues will treat you as such.

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There are a few bad apples in every barrel -- we all know there are a few a$$hole nurses out there, too! :) Most of the docs I have worked with over the years have been respectful, appreciative, and collegial.

In my experience in several different big teaching hospitals over the years, it seems like residents are most prone to be jerks about nurses -- they are sooo impressed with how much more they know and how much their status has improved since they were lowly med students, and yet they don't yet have sufficient experience to appreciate what nurses have to offer patient care and the docs. I've yet to meet an experienced physician who wasn't fully aware that nurses had saved her/his backside on any number of occasions, and aware of the trouble s/he would be inviting to seriously get on the wrong side of the nursing staff ... All experienced docs understand that the nurses can make them look good, or make them look bad, depending on what kind of relationship they have with the nurses.

I also agree with the previous posters who have said that some nurses seem to invite bad behavior -- you will generally find (in life in general) that people treat you the way you act like you expect them to treat you ... If you conduct yourself as a competent professional at work, most of your colleagues will treat you as such.

I agree with you and Tweety ..

I have only met one doc who acts like a jerk occasionally.

Regarding that student doctor site .. . . that is not a fair representation of all.

steph

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
I agree with you and Tweety ..

I have only met one doc who acts like a jerk occasionally.

Regarding that student doctor site .. . . that is not a fair representation of all.

steph

I've seen nurses treat student doctors as if they don't even exist. They come to ask the nurse a question and get ignored or talked down to.

Mutual respect is the key.

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Sometimes the physicians I work with are abrupt when they are busy or stressed. I've never worked with one who was deliberately rude.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

I only go to studentdoctor.com only when i feel the need to lower my IQ points.

There's nasty docs and there's mean docs. Just like any other job, you have the good ones and the bad.

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Specializes in Babies, peds, pain management.

When I first started nursing (a billion years ago!!!), out community hospital was ruled by the GP's. The older nurses catered to them...alot. I've been cussed at, hung up on and had a hardback chart thrown my direction. I had great charge nurses who watched out for me. Then as I grew, the doctors got better or retired. My first woman MD was a real test. After one long night, she asked me a question, I said "I don't know" She said "What are you good for?" I said "Absolutely nothing!" and walked away. Our relationship actually improve after that. In fact, about a year later, she told my boss that she liked having me at her deliveries because she knew the baby would be in good hands.

It's like everything else, some good, some bad and some things you just have to put up with (not abuse, just stupidity!).

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Oregon here too...LOL! My daffodills are so confused that one would bloom but the rest are on standby..LOL!

Anyway...I didn't watch the show because it seemed to me to be a trend of Doc shows and didn't look like a award winner to me by the comercials alone! Any show that shows a blonde intern pulling up her top and discussing how to be a doc (or how not to be) just doesn't strike me as very smart show...and the producers thinking the viewing audience is a bunch of sex craved drama cows hurding around a TV...just didn't strike me as good tv! LOL!

Anywho......I have met some great MD's that know nurses are part of the team! But I didn't meet them till I was out of the hospital setting! OH man, in hospital I kept searching for the EGO fountain they sipped from! They were rude, insensitive, and down right arrogant!

I even had a patient that I spent one hour doing a sterile dressing on, whom had been in the hospital 3 months because of subsequent infections of her graph sites...and she was getting rather upset (considering she was only to stay one week!). I got it all done and an intern came in...undid and lifted my dressing...exposed it near her periarea, then PUT IT BACK! OMG I about freaked out!!!! Thank goodness I didn't have to...my patient did it for me! LOL!!!!!! She screamed at him about contaminating her sterile dressing and that was the boneheaded crud that kept her in the hospital and more graphs to have to be done! She told him to have ME teach him his job since I was 100% more skilled than him! OMG my mouth dropped! LOL!

From then on the interns and their MD's were less than kind...it wasn't like I said it!!!! OH brother! After that, my days were numbered at hospital and I never went back!!!!! Couldn't stand working with arrogant docs, intern and nurses too! It felt so high school...LOL!

(I have a ton of funny stories about arrogant staff/patients in hospitals..I should write a book! I wrote a journal in nursing school and had all the teachers laughing so hard about this subject that it is now, with my permission, used in our nursing school for teaching! I have actually signed a few copies! LOL!)

"I have a ton of funny stories about arrogant staff/patients in hospitals..I should write a book! I wrote a journal in nursing school and had all the teachers laughing so hard about this subject that it is now, with my permission, used in our nursing school for teaching! I have actually signed a few copies! LOL!"

I would LOVE a signed copy of your journal! I know it would help us "newbies" learn how to laugh more and help us get through school/clinicals. Think about it and let me know...I would be willing to pay for a copy of your masterpiece! :)

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Some are, some are not. Don't forget, however, that a lot has to do with how the nurse handles this. Just rmember, NO ONE shuld be talking to someone with disrespect. If you do NOT allow that type of behavior you will be far better off than someone who let's it go. When you write up those kind of docs, you are better off.

I totally agree! We can't generalize that all doctors are such and such and all nurses are this way. There WILL be rude and nasty doctors as well as nurses, but there WILL also be kind and professional doctors and nurses who can work as a team. Some of the students on SDN are clueless right now and so lets just assume it's coming from a place of ignorance. When and if they ever make it out of medical school, they will quickly learn their place. Hopefully.

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