Doctor interaction?

[MsBruiser]

This is I'm due to start an accelerated RN program as part of a career change (MBA background to RN). Most everyone is very positive about my change except my father, who consistently tells me "I don't know how you are going to deal with those doctors who will talk down to you and treat you like you are stupid all day long." How big is that problem? Is it something to be conerned about? Or is he just sore his son is taking a paycut and actually doing what he wants to do with his life?????

Thanks - all responses appreciated.

[gr8rnpjt, RN]

I don't think you are going to have as much of a problem with male doctors that women do. Male doctors and male nurses seem to "bond" better than the female counterparts. I wouldn't worry about it just tell your dad that you can handle yourself

[MA Nurse]

This is I'm due to start an accelerated RN program as part of a career change (MBA background to RN). Most everyone is very positive about my change except my father, who consistently tells me "I don't know how you are going to deal with those doctors who will talk down to you and treat you like you are stupid all day long." How big is that problem? Is it something to be conerned about? Or is he just sore his son is taking a paycut and actually doing what he wants to do with his life?????

Thanks - all responses appreciated.

Some doctors can be rude, but for the most part they are fine, especially in a teaching hospital...they know better than to treat nurses badly, esp. if they need your expert opinion when they are brand new!!

Don't let that comment stop you. Doctors should be the least of your worries. Try working every other weekend and holidays, and possibly night shift for starters! But, i do like being a nurse.

[Martibear]

I have never really had a problem with rude doctors. If they talk down to me I pretty much ignore them & do my job, ultimately I'm there for the patient. Doctors are people too, most know that if they are nice to their nurses everything "flows" much better. Hang in there! That is probably one of the minor things to worry about in nursing. There are rude, ignorant people in every career path!

Best of luck to you!

[EricJRN, MSN, RN]

Any person (doctor, nurse, nursing assistant, nursing student, supervisor) can be rude and condescending, but most people (including all of the above) are not.

[SharonH, RN]

I'm going to slightly disagree with my colleagues and admit that it is a big problem. Poor doctor-nurse relationships has been found to be a significant factor in nurse burnout, and it is a valid concern. However that doesn't mean that everyday is torture and that all or even most nurse-doctor interaction is bad because it isn't. But it is a factor and it should be considered in your decision.

[zookeeper]

I am an RN and my husband is an LPN in ICCU (go figure) anyway, he gets along with ALL the docs splendidly. There is one doc in particular that I can't stand much. He changes the spelling of his name on the board if someone happens to spell it wrong, yells at people when he's on call (doesn't anybody tell these guys they're gonna be on call?) and I've seen him throw a chart across the room because the wrong test was ordered. My husband hasn't had a single bad encounter with him, in fact in the past when I've seen other male nurses interact with him he treats them with much more respect than he gives the female nurses. One time one of the docs called said he was "looking for, oh, you know......that one who's wife is a "....etc. My husband said, "we use names here, gimme a name and I'll tell you who the nurse is" and he hung up on the doc! I about died! When he did rounds he was sweet as pie! I think the guys get away with much more.

[htrn]

Our hospital has formed a physician/nurse liason committee. Our hospital polled nurses on job satisfaction and found out that one of the biggest problems was MD/RN communcation. The MD on the committee has confronted specific MDs with specific complaints and has gone on record with their higher ups. Things have really improved between MDs and nursing staff, and as a result, patient care has really improved.

How many of us have, at one time or another, hesitated to call a doc because you don't want to get )(*&Ued at?

[mom23RN]

I think there are some areas that are more autonomous where you won't have a huge problem. I think it will also depend on the facility.

I worked in ER for about 5 years and we only had one doc who was an A$$. He lasted all of about 5 months and then he moved on. The rest of the group was awesome!!!! We all got along VERY well!!!

[purplemania, BSN, RN]

Surely to goodness you ran into surly people in your previous career/life. Doctors are like everyone else. There are some smart aleck nurses too.

[Antikigirl, ASN, RN]

I have only had one probelm with an MD, and one with an Intern (my first job) in my almost 7 years as a nurse. Typically I just state the facts, limit my time to what I need to do with them, and treat them with respect and kindness. That seems to be a good plan!

Now, at my current job the MD's and RN's work very closely together as a team, and not only is working great...but most days quite hillarious! Very nice change from that first hospital I worked in. Do take looking at the people working in a particular facility and see if they look happy if you are trying to find a job...that is very good advice! Worked for me!!!!

Good luck, and do what your heart says is right for you! Oh..and try to get your dad to lighten up on the whole stereotypical nurse doc relationship thing...this is 2006, and if MD's talked down to nurses like he obviously thinks...then those docs would have to wrestle with the entire nursing department, the administration, the BON, and dependant...a UNION! Naaaaaaa...I just don't see them doing this anymore...(our nurses are bold, they get treated unfairly they will report it for the good of everyone!).

[Multicollinearity, BSN, RN]

From what I have personally seen and also been told by others is that male RN's do in fact receive less verbal abuse on average than female RN's. Now what that reveals about respect for female RN's is a sobering thought.

That said, I think there is huge variability with how different facilities address physician verbal abuse. I think teaching hospitals tend to be better regarding nurse respect.

Another rarely discussed aspect is how our demeanor affects this sort of thing. Of course there are the rare physicians who are just vile every single day in every single way. Otherwise, I think those physicians who tend to lose their temper and act innappropriately tend to do so more with nurses who act weak. Of course abusers vent on who they perceive as weak more than others. I'm not excusing the abuser...just looking at factors than can reduce incidenses of verbal abuse. So a strong, confident demeanor tends to reduce chances of verbal abuse, but not eliminate it.

Many years ago when I worked in a small ER we had one physician who was vile and venemous every single day. He yelled daily. Four letter words. I don't know how he could maintain such ugliness so constantly. In the end, I wasn't going to quit my job because of him, and the hospital wasn't going to do anything about him. So when he would start screaming at me using his four letter words and ugliness I would just gaze at him with a hint of amusement like I was looking at a newly discovered insect having a seizure. That's actually what I pictured in my head when he was yelling. I wouldn't give him the scared, hurt response he thrived on. So he would wind down and get down to business with a normal voice. Anyway, different solutions for different situations.