Vent, called a "stupid nurse",,, again

[JohnBearPA]

This may be a bit long, and it's a vent, but I also need advice on how I should handle this so it doesn't happen again.

Let's start at the beginning, I'm an LPN at an LTC, and have been in this facility which I absolutely love for several months now. We have a particular MD that's just very rude, sometimes calls the nursing staff names over the phone when he's "disturbed", and can generally be obnoxious.

Yesterday, I had an HA1C that was a bit high on a resident. I called this doc, along with several others I had to inform of lab results. Three docs called back at the same time, but I took the rude doc first as to not make him more upset by being kept on hold. I was in a bit of a hurry, as the other docs aren't exactly patient either. Anyway, he asked what meds she's on now for her diabetes, and I told him Metformin and Glipizide, and the dosages of each. He prescribed Glucophage 100 mg, I repeated it back to him, he said "yeah, that's what I said" and he hung up. As I said, I was rushed and didn't immediately realize what he prescribed wasn't manufactured at that dosage, and she was already on it at another dosage. Wrote the order on the lab sheet, and moved on to the other docs. Somehow I just wrote out the order and didn't think it thru.

Moving on to today. When I got to work, the nurse I releived informed me laughingly of my error, and I told her I'd call him and have it fixed. I paged doc twice before he responded (like an hour later) and told him of the error, asking him what he would like to change it to. He again repeated metformin 100 mg, at which time I told him that they don't manufacture that drug at that dosage, and she was already on glucophage at another higher dosage, and glucophage and metformin are the same thing. At that time, he said "what, are you that (expletive) stupid? I said 1000 mg. you (expletive) stupid nurse. I no longer want to talk to you, don't ever call me again, have another nurse who knows what they're doing call next time, you're just (expletive) stupid" ( wrote this down immediately after I handed the phone to another nurse at the station so I wouldn't forget. ) I told him I'd be happy to document that, and handed off the phone to a very scared new nurse who heard every word he said across the nurses station because he yelled so loud into the phone. She took an order for glucophage at another dose, and ended the call.

I called my DON immediately, and informed her of the situation, which is my second run-in with this doc. I informed her I would NOT be spoken to that way, and something needed to be done about this. I didn't document anything about the call on anything relating to a pt, or on anything belonging to the company, just had the other nurse write the order and sign it, and let it go. I documented the incident privately in a notebook I keep now for just such an issue, so i get the facts straight immediately after an incident. I'm still mad as I type this, and it happened several hours ago.

Now I'm not the only nurse he's done this to, and he's always very short with the nurses, often mumbling these things under his breath when he actually gets his butt into the facility to see his pt's. When he does rounds, he expects the nurses to give him their chair, get him coffee, etc. He's not an old doc, but he's not from the US and that may be due to a cultural thing from his country. He also takes the whole chart rack down the hall with him when he does rounds for an hour or so, and gets mad when someone needs to hunt down the chart rack to pull a chart.

I realize he treats us like this because we enable him to do so. My question is, how do I NOT enable him, not be rude, and keep my job? I love the facility, residents, staff, and everything else about this place. It's a great fit for me, or I woulda' left already after the first time he called me a "(expletive) stupid nurse". Any suggestions? Thanks in advance ladies and gents!

By the way, just a little funny PS. When he's been in the facility during my shift, he avoids me, and stays out of my path. I'm a fairly big guy, not tall, but filled out, and I think I might intimidate him in person because I'm male, and bigger than he is, both taller and wider. LOL

[st4wb3rr33sh0rtc4k3]

I have had it happen to me, just recently. But, nothing was done and it kept getting worse. I ended up leaving.

When it happened to me when I was an aid and know one did anything about it, I got myself an attorney. But, it has been five years already and the case is still going.

I would like to hear some advice on this as well.

[sharlynn]

What was the DON's response? Hopefully he is not your medical director and the DON could involve the medical director. No one should be treated like this! And taking all the charts down the hall is unacceptable too!

[caliotter3]

I'm sorry that I do not have any good advice to give you about this situation. We had a doctor who could have been this man's twin. He once told one of the nurses something to the effect that we only were informing him about his patient to cover our assets or words to that effect. The nurse wrote down everything he said in the resident's chart with quotation marks. Nobody told her to rewrite her notes. We discussed this during a nurse's meeting during which the ADON made no statements concerning how we were to handle him. So every nurse dreaded having to call him for anything. I would guess that quoting him in the patient's chart would probably get you into trouble. You are probably just going to have to work on your relaxation and stress relief skills. Good luck.

[Katie82, RN]

I have worked with foreign-born doctors and they can be difficult, but they should never be allowed to act as unprofessional as this one. There are 2 reasons why he talks to nurses like this - first, he was not properly trained by the nurses in the teaching hospital where he did his residency ( We used to love to chew on residents when I worked in a teaching hospital), and your DON is allowing him to do this. WHy are nurses so afraid of docs? He was simply reacting to being called out for not knowing what any first-year med student knows, that Metformin comes in 500 and 1000 mg doses.........It's a cultural thing, I have worked with foreigh trained nurses who were terrified of doctors.

[JohnBearPA]

He's not our Medical Director, although that guy is almost as bad sometimes. At first, I just thought this was a "southern" thing, as this NEVER happened to me up north. I just want to figure out a good way NOT to enable this man to do this anymore, to myself and my colleagues. It's out of line, rude, and just plain unacceptable. I need a good idea of how to take away his power to talk to us like this and get away with it. My DON said she'd talk to him, and she has before. She defends her nurses, but she's in a tight spot herself, because she's a nurse, and he seems to disrespect all nurses in general. She suggested documenting his behavior, but I don't feel the pt's chart is the right place for this, and yeah, it'd probably get me fired, so that's not gonna' happen. LOL.

[mikethern]

I would consult a lawyer too. Many lawyers will give you a free consultation if you ask for one.

[Praise,RN]

It seems this doctor is very unprofessional and has no integerity what-so-ever. The facility DON and Administrator have to sit dowm and set boundaries with this doctor concerning his mal-behavior. I would never give up my chair let alone go get coffee for him. Document everything and even record it if possible. This type of redundant behavior can be reported to the Medical Board.

Glad I do not have to work with this low-class doctor.

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

I would consult a lawyer too. Many lawyers will give you a free consultation if you ask for one.

I agree, some sort of legal move might speak volumes.

[Batman24]

Key words to use when talking to your DON...hostile working enviroment and lawyer. If she doesn't listen then bring it to your HR or Legal Dept. Use the same key words because they represent exactly what is going on. Good luck.