A doctor asking you to give him a cup of coffee!!

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi Everyone:

I have a silly question to ask....

We have a doc who is handicap and walks with crutches. I dont have a clue what happened to him. He is always rude and mean with his patients and nursing staff....anyhow yesterday I was working and I was taking care of one of his patients. He asked me if we made any coffee and I told him, we may have some old coffee. Then I got busy with my patients and when I came back to the nurses station he asked me where was his coffee??

I did not know how to respond....I did not feel comfortable with giving him coffee because he has this "thing" about taking nurses out!! He thinks all female nurses are after him...!! Then again I felt bad becuase he is a handicap and perhaps I should have helped him:(....what would you have done in my situation??

Thanks

I'd have figured that Greg House showed up on my floor and handed him the coffee and a bottle of Vicodin.

HA! I was thinking the same thing! Glad someone else said it. (Hmmm...What Would Cuddy Do?)

I wonder if maybe he is in pain and finds it difficult to conjure up the pleasantries. Think about the days you might work with a migraine or cramps and even though you don't try to be mean, it's just harder to be nice. The most graceful thing someone can do in that case is be tolerant and nice for the sake of being nice. If he were actually being abusive verbally, that's another story. Good luck with him!

Specializes in ICU, currently in Anesthesia School.

I would tell him what I say to my kid. No "please", no can do. Treat him with the same respect he gives you. Crutches or not, he needs to act like an adult.

The question I always ask myself when presented with situations like this is:

Would you tolerate the same behavior from a stranger on the street? If the answer is no, then you have your course of action.

i save bottom-of-the-pot-month-old-coffee, for occasions like this...

leslie

I have told docs where the coffee pot is located but I have never gotten them a cup of coffee. I have seen nurses act very solicitus way toward MDs that come on floor, asking them if they want food or coffee. I always figured those nurses were feathering their nest just incase they ever needed an office job. PS On the other side of the coin there are some nurses who would get quite pissed if I offered our floor coffee to the docs. We PAY into a pool for that coffee. In defense of some docs, I have seen them put money in the coffee fund many times.

But sometimes life is just easier to be be accomondating and move on.

One day I might be one calling him at 3 AM on a Sunday morning, asking about a patient, and I'd like to establish a good rapport with him.

His continuing to be an a$$ depends on people deciding it's "easier to be accomodating and move on."

As for "establishing a good rapport," calling about a patient at 3 am is my job, answering the phone about a patient at 3am is his job. Getting the coffee, that's the job of a waitress at the Waffle House down the street, which I'd be happy to give him directions to. I'm sure while he's there, he won't be expecting the waitress to pass meds to and assess his patients, so he can stop expecting me to do her job as well.

Specializes in midwifery, NICU.

Seems that his attitude is more of a handicap to him than his physical ones!

Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
Hi Everyone:

I have a silly question to ask....

We have a doc who is handicap and walks with crutches. I dont have a clue what happened to him. He is always rude and mean with his patients and nursing staff....anyhow yesterday I was working and I was taking care of one of his patients. He asked me if we made any coffee and I told him, we may have some old coffee. Then I got busy with my patients and when I came back to the nurses station he asked me where was his coffee??

I did not know how to respond....I did not feel comfortable with giving him coffee because he has this "thing" about taking nurses out!! He thinks all female nurses are after him...!! Then again I felt bad becuase he is a handicap and perhaps I should have helped him:(....what would you have done in my situation??

Thanks

Next time try- " well I'm so slammed right now-how about you getting us each a cup?" Bottom line-he is NOT a nice person-don't feel bad about it. His handicap does not excuse his personality.Simply say"-Oh-I assumed you could get it yourself-I'm busy,sorry-can't get it for you" Just don't feel guilty-he can work-he can get his own coffee....
Specializes in ob/gyn med /surg.

i have been asked by dr's to get them tea. they were always nice to me and it wasn't a everyday thing so i went and got it for them. they were very nice and i didn't mind . now if some dr with a nasty personalty toward the nurses asked me i would of not gotten any ... i would of pretended i didn't hear him and walk away..

I honestly have experienced this type of behavior on several occasions. If a staff member or doctor is chronically nasty then they don't get blood out of this stone! Now, if a doc who is normally nice asks for something in a rude or snappish way I will often accomodate him or her but with the understanding that I am going out of MY way from MY work to get this for them. Sometimes people have a bad day and some TLC helps. If the person is like the crutches doctor I would just say "sorry I can't I have patient care that needs doing" or sorry I forgot. Then I keep forgetting over and over until they give up and go to the next victim!

I would have probably laughed in the dr's face or fix them a cup. Let's see...1/2 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of cream 1/4 cup of coffee.

I wouldn't get the coffee, simply because he is rude to staff and patients. If he were to have used the magic words "please" and "thank you", then yeah, I'd have no problem with it. One of our surgeons would make rounds late at night after standing in the OR for 12 to 16 hours... I'd always bring him some juice and a snack as he charted, because he looked absolutely worn out. He was so good to us and his patients, I didn't think twice about helping him out.

HA! I was thinking the same thing! Glad someone else said it. (Hmmm...What Would Cuddy Do?)

I wonder if maybe he is in pain and finds it difficult to conjure up the pleasantries. Think about the days you might work with a migraine or cramps and even though you don't try to be mean, it's just harder to be nice. The most graceful thing someone can do in that case is be tolerant and nice for the sake of being nice. If he were actually being abusive verbally, that's another story. Good luck with him!

LOL - I was thinking of House too!

I understand being in pain and not being able to be as pleasant as you'd like, but it's easy not to be downright rude. How does one work with a migraine? I get them more often than I'd like, and they knock me down. I can barely see straight let alone work with one! They feel like a sledgehammer pounding in my head, and I get nauseous/throw up, and can't stand light/sound/smell. Migraine sufferers definitely have my sympathies.

How to handle the doc... I can't tolerate rudeness. I would only get someone coffee/tea/water if they ask. This doctor, I'd probably direct him to the coffee pot and walk away.:smilecoffeecup:

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