by Ann-RN

I am working in the Operating Room about a month and I have observed some Surgeons who happened to degrade our Nursing profession. One incident happened when the surgeon got irritated of the room where he is doing the operation and the room has no air-con, he blamed it all to the scrub and the circulating nurses and told them how stupid they are. The surgeon even shouted it at the nurse’s faces in front of everyone inside the room. Yes I understand that it is hard to do an operation when the room is warm but to shout at the nurses and tell them how stupid they are is a different story. We are also professional people and educated like these MD’s and should not be treated such. Another common incident in the OR is when the MD got confused of the procedure or couldn’t find the certain artery, nerve or even the specimen, the MD will again blame it all to the nurses as if we nurses are the “shock absorbers” of these MD’s frustrations in life. Again the MD will shout, ask for the instrument in a yelling manner, would tell bad words to the nurses, tell how stupid nurses are etc.

Does it has something to do with how much salary we nurses get compared to surgeons that is why they treat us like crap? I felt like they looked to us as if we are their servant, laborer or a peon. I don’t want to see or even hear someone degrading our profession. We are also professional and educated like MDs and we should not be treated such. Besides, no one should be treated this way because we are all human beings and deserve respect. Is there any chance that I could answer back these MDs and defend our beloved profession? I fear that my supervisors and superiors would not appreciate it if I answered back to MDs and instead they will defend the surgeon instead of me because it happened before when one nurse answered back to the doctor. Please tell me how and I will restore the dignity of nurses that these MD degraded.

Re: MD degrading RN

I would report him in writing. This is abuse and should not be tolerated in any professional setting. Get witnesses and write a report.

Re: MD degrading RN

Originally Posted by Ann-RN

I am working in the Operating Room about a month and I have observed some Surgeons who happened to degrade our Nursing profession. One incident happened when the surgeon got irritated of the room where he is doing the operation and the room has no air-con, he blamed it all to the scrub and the circulating nurses and told them how stupid they are. The surgeon even shouted it at the nurse’s faces in front of everyone inside the room. Yes I understand that it is hard to do an operation when the room is warm but to shout at the nurses and tell them how stupid they are is a different story. We are also professional people and educated like these MD’s and should not be treated such. Another common incident in the OR is when the MD got confused of the procedure or couldn’t find the certain artery, nerve or even the specimen, the MD will again blame it all to the nurses as if we nurses are the “shock absorbers” of these MD’s frustrations in life. Again the MD will shout, ask for the instrument in a yelling manner, would tell bad words to the nurses, tell how stupid nurses are etc.

Does it has something to do with how much salary we nurses get compared to surgeons that is why they treat us like crap? I felt like they looked to us as if we are their servant, laborer or a peon. I don’t want to see or even hear someone degrading our profession. We are also professional and educated like MDs and we should not be treated such. Besides, no one should be treated this way because we are all human beings and deserve respect. Is there any chance that I could answer back these MDs and defend our beloved profession? I fear that my supervisors and superiors would not appreciate it if I answered back to MDs and instead they will defend the surgeon instead of me because it happened before when one nurse answered back to the doctor. Please tell me how and I will restore the dignity of nurses that these MD degraded.

This doctors' behavior are common in all countries and are very common in the Philippines.

This could be attributed to our Filipino culture. We treat these doctors as gods and that is why they treat us as slaves. If we are so busy in the station and here comes a doctor we immediately offer our seat to him. Accomodate him to the point of giving cofee or what... And the Filipino nurses' culture in the Philippines is that it prevent us from being assertive of our rights. We just accept what ever garbages are being thrown upon us.

And when we complained to our nursing supervisor/chief nurse/ management regarding these behaviors, they will side with the physicians.

Although we can see this behavior among our Filipino doctors but they are in the minority because there are a lot of Filipino doctors who are nice and treated nurses with respect.

Just my opinion.

ANN-Rn, it is time for you to stand up for your rights! If the doctor complained about air conditioning and blamed the nurses for that, tell him to blame the owners of the hospital and not you. And when he complained about his difficulty of finding the artery. ask him who is holding the scalpel and why he is saying nurses are stupid because he can not find the artery, Maybe he is stupid.

Re: MD degrading RN

There isn't any excuse for what the surgeon did, but I don't know if I'm hypersensitive, but I'm one of those people when I got overly hot, I swear I can't add 2 and 2 together and my temper runs on a short fuse. I'm wondering if the surgeon blew a gasket b/c of the heat.

Re: MD degrading RN

Originally Posted by Ann-RN

Does it has something to do with how much salary we nurses get compared to surgeons that is why they treat us like crap?

maybe.

I'll let you in on a little secret.

surgeons are not making as much money as they used to.

and they know that nurses earn so much more than they ever will when these nurses get to the US.

those who have the guts (and the time--meaning they're young enough) take up Nursing.

those who don't, grouse about it.

do what we do: keep quiet, smile if you can.

think happy thoughts: 10 years from now, the surgeon will still be earning whatever he's getting right now...maybe much less; while you will be earning dollars, will be driving a nice German car (if you want it), and will be living in a nice house.

much easier to smile now, isn't it?

Re: MD degrading RN

I heard in the Philippines Doctors are treated like the Queen of England...and the nurses are always the second bananas..I experienced that when I was doing my clinical duty as a student in a government hospital emergency room ( JRM in Manila). he didn't necessarily yelled at me, but he gave me the snooty attitude though. I was appalled with how unprofessional he was. he was so rude that I almost flipped,( things like that don't work where I came from ). with my nice RLE instructor calmly told me " that's how it is here in the Philippines, iha, pasensya ka na lang ( no worries). I went home really mad. I can't do anything about it because I was a student. But now, I am smiling and thinking, maybe that sour-face e.r. doc is still working in that sad hospital..Don't worry about it, maybe he was having a hard time, and he is making a big a** of himself by acting that way. He should be ashamed! don't take it seriously. You will be surprise someday that you will make more money that that idiotic doc!!

Re: MD degrading RN

You know Ann-RN, that surgeon does not know what he is doing. He is showing signs of displacement by becoming a terror and focus his shortcomings by blaming others. Maybe (I hope not) he has a lot of morbidity or mortality with his patients. A good surgeon has a cool head and is relax during operations even complicated ones. well I am not a judge but I suggest make an incident report and submit it to your supervisor or chief nurse. If nothing happens submit it to the medical director. Remember not all surgeons are like that, most of them are sensitive or humane enough to others especially with their co-workers.

Re: MD degrading RN

That is true.It is displacement. He is not earning what surgeons used to.. I am married to a surgeon and sometimes it's different individually. He explains, it is the pressure they got and the expectations are too much for them and they are displacing it to the members working with them in the O.R.Of course`they can not shout to their fellow, (well maybe to their juniors), but to the poor nurses. Doctors dont do this in the U.K. That is a big difference we see. We are never the doctors slaves here.. We are respected... Maybe my husband is just a good person naturally. I don't know if he is diffferent if I work with him in the O.R.

Re: MD degrading RN

Originally Posted by pinoy_guy

those who have the guts (and the time--meaning they're young enough) take up Nursing.

i have guts hehehe!!!

seriously, when i was still in 4th year medical school a few years ago. during one of my surgical rotations in a big government hospital in Quezon city, my fellow medical clerk and I were inserting a urinary catheter for the 1st time. we forgot to inflate the balloon after the procedure causing the catheter to come out from the patient's bladder. after a few minutes, the staff nurse came out yelling how stupid we were not to inflate it blah blah blah that we created a mess in the room.....we were sorry and offered to clean up the mess created by the spilled urine. she then told the head nurse about it and the head nurse came out yelling too.....she called us stupid and ignorant as well.......i could not believe what i heard because it came out from a "supposedly" educated professional. we appologized to both of them and reported them to the ADN. the ADN reprimanded both of them for not understanding that this was our 1st month of actual hospital rotation plus the fact that nobody should say derogatory remarks to anybody regardless of their position in the hospital......

by the way, doctors are also worshipped as gods not only in the philippines but here in our hospital in NY as well. even our head/charge nurse gives their seats to the physicians......and no, the head/charge nurse is not Filipino by the way......

both MD's and RN's say derogatory remarks.....this has LITTLE to do with the level of education but with the personality of the person.....its possible that the surgeon had a bad family day, an accident prior to arriving in the hospital or he probably received a bad news that he is supposed to do overtime with no overtime pay.......OR he is always like that to everybody rendering a borderline type personality heheh.....let us not generalize MD's or RN's.....

yes, I am earning as much as 5X working as a registered nurse here in NY as to what my medical school classmates earn who pursued their medical careers in the philippines. but i NEVER boast about it simply because i understand that majority of them are committed to serve our country EVEN WITH LOW PAY AND LONG HOURS. let us NOT make remarks such as : "we nurses would drive the most expensive cars and live in big houses compared to those MD's in the philippines".

let us instead give our RESPECT to ALL nurses and physicians and other medical health professionals who chose to stay in the Philippines even if they dont drive expensive cars.....

peace

Re: MD degrading RN

This problem is really universal. It is not unique. And Surgeons are also the most susceptible to do these as well as to OB-Gynes that have complicated cases.

These are the first things that greenhorns experience whether it be new RNs, Medical clerks/Interns, new residents, or a junior consultant.

Definitely, do not answer back and just report to the immediate superiors.

Some handle stress very well, some do not.