And then the MD said.....

[NurseOnAMotorcycle]

"I've got a second. You take care of that one. I'll grab [CNA] and boost this one."

The situation: Radiology calling for a pt who needs a new IV for contrast with a transporter at the door, tapping her foot. On the other bed was a sweet 98yo lady asking for help to slide up in bed.

I told him I'd tell on him. He just grinned.

[SillyStudent, ASN, RN]

Emergency Department attending:

Let me start that IV for you. I know you're busy.

I almost fell down.

Also:

"Sillystudent can you check on room 5? I put her on the bedpan."

I work with awesome Docs

It's awesome to read these posts stating that docs help out. I don't work in a hospital yet but it's nice to know that they will help you out if you ever need it. That's good team work!!! :)

This post is somewhat tangential but...

1) Your mileage may vary... it wasn't this way at my last two jobs.

2) Age seems to contribute to a degree and the playing field is more leveled with many of the younger docs. I describe it as a chain relationship with the doc as the first link rather than a hierarchical one. There are some newbie weenie-docs and some seasoned teddy-bear docs but I generally find the newer versions to be more helpful.

3) Some nurses play a large role in creating the kind of doc-nurse chasm that limits helpfulness... either by being less-than-helpful when they're able to or even overtly unfriendly... especially to med students and newbie docs.

I think it's pretty safe to say that when you come across a very nurse-friendly doc, there are some nurses at the academic centers where docs trained whose ground work in doc-training is paying dividends.

I am quite mindful that I am training 'my' residents how to work well with nurses... and in so doing, prepping the med students who are often with them.

Here's a simple example that pops quickly to mind: A medicine intern from another service was rotating through the ED. After he dropped orders, I caught him and quietly said, "Do you want to order a troponin, too? They usually do." He replied, "Oh, yeah... I was going to." The point is, rather than waiting for it get caught by the attending - or to out him in front of the attending - I discretely covered for him. Don't you suppose that he walked out of the department with a positive attitude toward the nursing staff? Don't you suppose that I laid down a stone in this guys journey toward being a nurse-friendly doc?

I go out of my way to be helpful to the docs. Regardless of whether it's my patient or my responsibility, I will gather supplies for them, pull meds for them, fetch things for their patients, help hold things, whatever.

We are a team and it goes both ways... and the docs from other services are guests in our department, no interlopers.

I'm no doormat but I actively work to strengthen doc-nurse relationships... perhaps that's why I'm sometimes surprised to hear some nurses share negative interactions with some of the docs.

[flashpoint]

We once had a mentally challenged young man that refused to get off the toilet...he had been sitting there for three hours when we got there at change of shift.

One of the doctors was passing through the hospital (day off, wearing shorts and a t-shirt) and heard us discussing it. He not only gave us orders to sedate (small clinic...the doctors often write orders for each other), held the patient's arm while I started the IV, waited with us while the meds kicked in, but he also helped us get him back to bed, cleaned the mess off the toilet (stool everywhere), and got us root beer floats. He has always been my favorite!

[Morainey, BSN, RN]

One of our docs went to the pharmacy to pick up prescriptions for a patient who was being discharged and had to take the once-a-day ferry home.

[canesdukegirl, BSN, RN]

Thanksgiving day, and of course, we get a "crash through the door" red trauma.

We're pumping this guy's chest, putting in lines, giving him drugs, and he finally stabilized enough for us to cut.

Open the belly which is full of blood, and then we start repairing. The circulator is running like mad, and I'm passing laps/sutures to the surgeons so fast, I look like a cartoon character.

The surgeons do a phenomenal repair in record time, and start to close the fascia. The attending surgeon announces that the circulating nurse should go ahead and call report to the SICU so that they can have everything set up. The poor circulator hasn't had time to do anything but run.

The attending anesthesiologist pipes up, "I'll call report, if that's ok with you," she said to the circulator. "And I'll get a tech to run to the SICU to retrieve the bed. You just focus on what you need to do," she continued.

Now I understand what "complete and utter relief" looks like on someone's face. I thought the circulator was going to kiss the anesthesiologist right smack through masks and all!

[IcySageNurse]

It's sad that when an MD/DO shows compassion and helps out they are heralded as some amazing hero. It's common courtesy and respect.

Do people freak out when NPs do this? Technically their job description is the same as the physicians, so we should sing their praises when they help too, no?

[MomRN0913]

I have 2 stories. One as told by another nurse about a doctor everyone loved and knew. He was old, but not a grumpy old. A sweetheart who brought us pastries. He would round at 5am. One time a nurse called a doctor about abnormal lab values and the doctor started yelling at the nurse for waking him and dr D could here it while charting at the nurses station. He says to the nurse " give me the phone". He proceeds to tell the doctor on the phone " do not yell at these girls. You could not do your job without them, they are doing what they are supposed to do". God, I loved him.

Another was a doctor who's mother was in the ICU vented with end stage cancer. She was the sweetest doctor. Granted this was her mother..... She turned her with me, cleaned her with me and just thanked me up and down. By the morningof my second shift in a row with me, she came to me and said " I'm ready now. Can you please start a morphine drip and we will extubate when comfortable. I did as she ordered. I wasn't there for the extubation.... But she died confrotably shortly after.

[canesdukegirl, BSN, RN]

3) Some nurses play a large role in creating the kind of doc-nurse chasm that limits helpfulness... either by being less-than-helpful when they're able to or even overtly unfriendly... especially to med students and newbie docs.

I couldn't agree more! Med students and new docs constantly face challenges that I can't even comprehend.

Like pain, the small negative interactions will be forgotten in time.

However, a kindness, a suggestion to add an order (like you did), or just making them feel truly welcome will NEVER be forgotten.

[prmenrs, RN]

The NICU where I used to work, med students and residents were expected to change diapers if, when examing the baby, they found s/he dirty or wet. The attendings took care of orienting them to stuff like that. Mutual respect--so awesome!!

[prmenrs, RN]

I should add that when I encountered docs I had known "when", they still cleaned up babies when needed!

[evolvingrn, BSN, RN]

a dr cleaning up a poopy diaper on a baby is not impressive to me..... nurses don't do that its left to the parents.

[NurseOnAMotorcycle, ASN, RN]

It's sad that when an MD/DO shows compassion and helps out they are heralded as some amazing hero. It's common courtesy and respect.

Do people freak out when NPs do this? Technically their job description is the same as the physicians, so we should sing their praises when they help too, no?

I do. If you want someone to help/appreciate you more often, you need to appreciate them when they do it.