Public Humiliation In Healthcare - Page 2

needless to say, it would be a day of reckoning

Had called an MD (the medical director) about a possible infection like this once. (at a tube site) Called 2 times, paged, faxed. tried everything, no answer, no return phone calls despite leaving a message. Documented in the chart about the symptoms, wound, what I did with the dressing, and that I'd contacted the doctor (who was the attending and the only one that services that unit, and also is the medical director, who were are supposed to call if all else fails.) Called the manager and told her about the issue and she told me to try to call again in the AM before I left, which I did, then documented, and I also documented that I'd called the manager and explained the situation, and that I'd told the oncoming nurse about the situation, which I did. I then went home. She started screaming at me about the infection 3 days later, (I'd been off since that day) calling me incompetent, etc., etc. I told her I had called her and left the message, faxed her (I stuck the copy of the fax and the confirmation page in the patient's paper chart file), paged her, etc., that I called my manager, that I'd passed on the situation on in report, etc., and to read the chart (which she can access from home) and see what was done and what was going on. I then stated, "I did my job and won't be treated disrespectfully by a person who failed to do theirs." What am I supposed to do? Figure out where the MD lives and drive to her house after my shift for the orders? I can't give meds or treatments without orders. Anyways she never yelled at me again. I did everything I could and was required to do, and that I could do. I also covered my butt through documentation, so... That's the way some doctors treat nurses, sad but true. Poor patient is the only thing I could think.

Commuter - - It was not a bit clear from your original post where you wanted to go with this. The fact is, behavior in the healthcare setting has gotten worse, not better, over the years. Many many years ago I was floated to an ortho floor, totally unaware that a particular MD had 'standing orders' for his post-op patients. They were written on a piece of paper that the head nurse had in her drawer. She was off that day, and I was the only RN on the floor. So a patient came back from the OR with NO ORDERS. I called repeatedly to the OR, and to the supervisor, for orders. The supe apparently knew the situation but didn't know where these orders were kept. Long story short, the patient was 4 hours late getting her first dose of post-op antibiotics and this doc starting screaming at me in front of the patient and up and down the hallway. I wrote a letter of complaint about the way I was treated. The letter ended up in MY personnel file!!! However, the supe didn't write up an incident report against me that I was ever aware of. And I refused to float to the ortho floor ever again.

Years later, I watched an angry doc hang up a wall phone in anger - so hard that the phone came off of the wall. And nothing was done.

I taught for a time at a small school, and on payday our checks didn't arrive. I called the person who was supposed to take care of that, and he was not at work that day. So I asked to speak to his boss, who was not happy that I 'bothered' him. Ten minutes later, the person responsible called me back, screaming at me. I held the phone up so everyone could hear this, and calmly stated for him to call me back when he could speak to me in an appropriate tone, and I hung up. He called right back and spoke through clenched teeth. Our checks arrived the next day. But obviously our relationship was broken.

Why do we allow our peers and superiors to treat us so poorly? Why are so many of us afraid to say 'STOP'?

Why are people allowed to be preceptors without appropriate training?

What has happened to plain old civility???

If I get incorrect change in a store, I was taught to say 'Can you recount this for me, please?' Not scream and shout at the cashier.

As Rodney King once said - 'why can't we all just get along?'

Somthing doesn't sound right, Hmmmmm. Oh yes now I see it. I can't picture an IM physician who gives enough of a crap to get upset over anything except being inturupted during a nap. Certainly can't picture that physician caring if a patient has been neglected (in her view).
I find the best way to deal with physicians is to right away give them them impression, without actually ever saying so, that I would be happy to catch them alone in the parking lot and teach them a lesson if they mess with me. A stratagy that has worked well for me for many years.

Two words....Sack up. Oh you mean I dont have to be walked all over and treated like crap? Duhhhhrrrrrr

I think the "point" of this ARTICLE, is to keep rmeinding us that if we aren't trying to be a part of the solution, we are a part of the problem.

Personally I think manners and behaving appropriately are missing from the public in general.

Whether or not a person has made a mistake, there's no excuse for that kind of public humiliation behavior. I'm interested to hear other's methods or response phrasings for both undeserved public humiliation AND the times when the person being humiliated actually has underperformed and/or made an error. I haven't yet had to deal with being humiliated in either situation, but it seems like it's only a matter of time in the current culture.

I am currently a pre-nursing student and have previously worked in the construction industry where there can be alot of disrespect and butting of heads. I learned from a retired California Highway Patrol Officer how to deal with angry, yelling people. I expected him to put the lady in a choke hold and yell back, but he didn't. He squared up to her, looked her in the eye and told her that she didn't need to yell and to calm down. He softly,but firmly told her that we would get this misunderstanding figured out.

It didn't quite work in that situation, the lady called her husband and threatened to have him beat us up. Luckily, the husband turned out to be a real nice guy.

The point is to not worry, remain calm, don't feel humiliated, be strong and do the right thing. Above else, please don't lose your professional nature and yell back. You will appear stronger to your co-workers if you don't shrink to that level. Yelling doesn't benefit anyone unless they are 50 yards away and you are giving them your lunch order!

So here's my question, when you see this happening to a colleague, do you:
a. Duck into a room-quick
b. Offer no comfort at all, these new grads need to toughen up! Nobody ever helped me.
c. Talk in the break room with other staff, critiquing this new nurse's performance.
d. Go and stand next to your colleague while Dr. Tempertantrum carries on. Offer your support and reassure the nurse of your confidence in his/her abilities.

Is your answer different if it's an experienced nurse being verbal abused/humiliated?