Do doctors and nurses hate each other?

[Not_A_Hat_Person]

On Salon.com, a doctor asks a nurse about tension between doctors and nurses. The answers are interesting.

Do doctors and nurses hate each other?

The relationship between the professions is fraught with class and gender issues. I spoke with an expert -- an R.N.

By Rahul Parikh

Not long ago, nurse Theresa Brown wrote a provocative Op-Ed in the New York Times about the tension between nurses and doctors. "It's a time-honored tradition," one doctor sniped at her, "blame the nurse whenever anything goes wrong!"

Publicly airing this friction opened Brown up to sharp criticism. "Drawing and quartering your coworkers in the Sunday New York Times might be run-of-the-mill for politicians. I'd like to see something better out of doctors and nurses," wrote one physician over at the Atlantic. But don't count me among her detractors. Brown used her story to advocate for civility in medicine. Mutual respect, she correctly argued, would improve teamwork and the care of patients. Her essay raised a question far more important than who was right or wrong: If both nurses and doctors want to make their patients better, why is there so much conflict and controversy between them? And how do we do a better job of working together? To help me answer these questions, I asked Theresa Brown herself.

[sweetnurse63, BSN, RN]

lil mama I agree with you. I remember when I was an orthopedic nurse and the nurse that precepted me introduced me to leech therapy for the first time, I thought I was going to pass out!!. Anyway, two doctors were in the room with the patient and both of them were trying to get the leeches to latch on to the injured body part, after several attempts, the doctors were unsuccessful, they may have been interns i'm not sure. The nurse that was precepting me said, "let me try" and she was successful at the first attempt, handled it like an expert!!! I remember one of the doctors' saying " wow you must have leeches at home as pets", I wanted to say so bad, no doctor, her experience makes her good at what she does. This is the perfect example of how we need each other no matter the degree level, because we all have important and life-saving skills to contribute to health care.

[elkpark]

I've been an RN (generalist and then advanced practice) for >25 years, and, with only a few rare, isolated exceptions, have enjoyed pleasant, collegial, professional relations with all the physicians with whom I've worked.

[lockheart678]

Most of the doctors I work with actually realize that we do so much for them, and they appreciate all of the hard work that we do. We do occasionally get new residents who have a cocky attitude and talk to us like we're a bunch of idiots, but they always get put in their place pretty quickly, and from then on, they learn to respect everyone. I remember one day when I had a very new resident (I had never seen him before, I thought he was a medical student) working with a more experienced one and I asked him to write his name down for me. He actually laughed and mocked me to the other guy. Since when was it beneath someone to introduce themselves to other members of their team when they're obviously new to the scene?

[gonzo1, ASN, RN]

I have been fortunate that 97% of the doctors I come in contact with, or work directly with seem to respect me and appreciate the job I do. As a matter of fact the 3 things that have made me love nursing is seeing patients get better, kids made to feel safe and doctors that like to work with me and teach me. Quess I'm one of the lucky ones.

For me it's some of the other nurses I have to work with. They can be nastier and meaner that heck

[pedicurn, LPN, RN]

I don't think doctors hate nurses as a general rule. I think the rude doctors fall into multiple categories

1) being stresssed and annoyed then take it out on nurses because we are the there

2) buttholes who feel superior because they are MDs and will take any question or concern as a personal insult to their intelligence or MD eliteness.

They take it out on nurses because many of them view us as low status individuals .... not because we are 'there'.

Curious behaviour for people who spend so much of their lives doing good.

Have never been able to work that out .... devote so much to humanity and spend 60-80 hrs a week doing this at much personal cost. But also treat nurses like trash.

What a paradox !!

[Worried:(]

I agree and disagree.

I worked as an RN at a small rural hospital where there was an extreme hierarchy... the doctors and nurses had trouble getting along, mainly because the doc's would get ****** if the nurse talked to them (which makes it really hard to do your job)

BUT...

I also worked at a large teaching hospital, which is where I work now - which is a LOT different, especially when you are working with new residents who need your help :)

I think it depends where you go.