I got yelled at by a Doc for the first time this past week.
Here is what happened. We were just out of report and I was headed down the hall to assess patients. Went past a room and the aid told me that the doctor had gone into my patients room. I wanted to go in because I usually make rounds with my doctors. The aid had been filling waters and asked me to take it in the room for the patient.
My hands were full, water in one, my notes, stethoscope and a med for the patient in the other. I walked in without knocking. When I got in the room the doctor was looking at the patient's feet and didn't see me. When she noticed me she yelled, "CANT YOU KNOCK?" I was caught off guard and really wasn't sure she was talking to me. She shouted again " I ASKED YOU CAN'T YOU KNOCK"
I didn't want to make a bigger scene in front of the patient but at the same time I didn't want to roll over and kiss her butt. I said (in a flat tone and calmly) "Well I suppose I could" and looked her in the eye (careful not to show any expression). The doctor glared at me and pointed to the door. I looked at her and she said "GET OUT" I said "I am her nurse" she said " I SAID GET OUT" I walked out and if it hadn't been for what happened next I would have just wrote it off.
As I walked out I heard the doctor saying something about
"Damn male nurses". I went back to the nurse's station and told my supervisor to expect the doctor to complain about me. The doctor went to my supervisor and said "that GUY! Walked in the room without knocking" my supervisor told her "we all need to work on that but he is her nurse not just some guy" The patient later requested a female nurse (the first time this has ever happened to me).
Some people have suggested I make an incident report so that I have documentation if it gets worse. I don't know if I should. To me it was obvious that the problem wasn't really my not knocking but my gender. If it weren't for that fact I wouldn't think of it but now I wonder if this is an indication of the way this doctor will treat me.
This was my first experience with this doctor. If she continues to tell her patients not to accept a male nurse it could really make my job hard not to mention that she would be giving male nurses a bad rap.
Just think of how the patient must have thought of me and male nurses in general. Her doctor (who I'm sure she trusts) protected her from the evil male nurse and then told her not to let male nurses care for her.
I'm not sure what to do. I hope that this doctor will get to know me and see that I'm a good nurse. However, if she keeps treating me like this and telling people not to let me be their nurse or tries hard enough to make trouble for me Id like to have as much documentation as possible.
