Addressing doctors by their first names

[trauma_junkie1]

I've got a question for you all:

I work in a busy ED and we recently recieved a memo from our management stating that we had a new "Code of Conduct." Among other things (soem of which make good sense and some of which are rediculous) one of the new "standards" is that we (nursing staff) are to always address physicians by "Dr. Smith" instead of "John" (example...).

Now, when talking to patients, I refer to doctors this way, but when talking to the doctors, I use first names. We're all friends, it's a tight knit group. Even the doctors have said, "that's dumb, don't call me that." Our feeling is that this is an example of managment that is out of touch. (Most of our docs don't have any clue who the managers are and these are people who have GREAT relationships with the nurses!)

I can't think of any other profession that would be asked to do that. Doctors don't call each other "Dr" if they're close friends. I'm not talking about docs that we don't know, faculty consultants. I'm talking about our own ER residents! We will actually be written up if management hears us call them by their first name, citing that it's "unprofessional."

Am I nuts here?

[ktwlpn, LPN]

Yeah,well-The chief of staff in our LTC expects us to open every chart and hold out each verbal order for him to sign...Whenever we get lab results,etc that are not within normal limits we call him but he signs the slips when he makes his rounds.He readily admits that he does NOT read the stuff-he says we are responsible for pointing out any borderline results to him...I don't do it...some of the staff will lay the charts out open on the desk-I am certain that is a privacy violation.I make sure I am busy with meds or treatments-I let him know I am available if he needs me and if I need him to see a resident I let him know but I think he is quite capable of picking UP a chart and OPENING it.....bozo....

[nurseygrrl, LPN]

Micromanagement at it's finest...sheesh!

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

At our ER - I usually call docs by their first name and they address me that way too. I certainly don't call them by their first name (usually) when I'm in a room with them but I've been known to do that too. I have an unusual and hard to prounounce last name so if they addressed me as Mrs. XYZ I probably wouldn't understand them anyway - lol.

[fergus51]

I don't call them by their first names in the presence of patients, but do the rest of the time if we are familiar. If we don't know eachother well, I use dr. I only knew one doc who didn't want nurses to use his first name, so I insisted he call me Nurse _____ (insert last name here). And he did:)

[Ross1]

I think that a formal policy of requiring nurses to address their physician colleagues in the formal Dr. ______ is outrageous and insulting. We are all human beings with dignity and self-worth. It is even more insulting if the hospital does not require the physicians to address their nurse colleagues as Nurse_____ or Mr./Ms.________.

I simply could never work for such an institution.

[live4today, RN]

I see nothing wrong with addressing anyone by their first name AS LONG AS that particular person is okay with it. I've called doctors by their first name. Heck...if the hospital you work at wants to be THAT particular, then insist the doctors call you Nurse So-and-So. They became doctors that is why they are referred to as Dr. So-and-So. WE became nurses, so we deserve a professional title of respect as well.

I swear....women in the work force think of such stupid things to further

demoralize one another. Why have the power to vote for women's rights if all we are going to do is turn around and abolish them with slave mentality as this? I rest my humble opinion.

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

Have any of you looked into what lead to this policy. Is there a new CEO throwing his weight around? Or perhaps a staff physician got his knickers in a twist? Have the doctors you know offered any opinions about drafting a letter to the powers that be (TPTB) about how silly they feel this is?

I have seen silly things that fell by the wayside when the truth came out. One was the nurses couldn't sit on one side of the desk for the 1st 4 hours of their shift. DUH.....so I could sit there 11a-3p but the 2nd shifters had to wait til 7p before they could sit? Then there was the no calling the hospital operator for extensions. That fell apart when TPTB were informed that a phone book hadn't been issued in nearly 10 years.

See if you can get a letter, petition or whatever started. If you get written up.....fight it. Make them show that the doc in discussion objected to first name calling. Sheesh.....

[talaxandra]

Make sure that management does not hear you then. Once a supervisor told me that she did not want to catch any of us reading on the night shift. I asked her if she would always call first before coming on the unit and she said, "Ok!"

A salutory reminder that those who enforce stupid policies don't necessarily agree with said policies!

With the exception of consultants (and not even always then) all our docs are referred to by their first names. I might say to a patient "I've just called the doctor" or "the doctor's here to see you", but they then say "Hi Mrs Brown, I'm Donna, the doctor on call tonight."

I'm with P_RN - I wonder where this bizarre policy came from.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

I think they should allow you to call your coworkers what you choose when you have having personal conversations with them. Seems rather silly to have to send out a memo to adults like that.

I call one doc by his first name because he was in a bowling league before I met him profressionally and I can't get used to calling him Dr. Also another doc when he answers a page says "Hi this is John (not his real name)" so I call him by his first name. Everyone else is Dr. But I would be bothered by that memo because it's silly.

[explorer]

I've got a question for you all:

I work in a busy ED and we recently recieved a memo from our management stating that we had a new "Code of Conduct." Among other things (soem of which make good sense and some of which are rediculous) one of the new "standards" is that we (nursing staff) are to always address physicians by "Dr. Smith" instead of "John" (example...).

Now, when talking to patients, I refer to doctors this way, but when talking to the doctors, I use first names. We're all friends, it's a tight knit group. Even the doctors have said, "that's dumb, don't call me that." Our feeling is that this is an example of managment that is out of touch. (Most of our docs don't have any clue who the managers are and these are people who have GREAT relationships with the nurses!)

I can't think of any other profession that would be asked to do that. Doctors don't call each other "Dr" if they're close friends. I'm not talking about docs that we don't know, faculty consultants. I'm talking about our own ER residents! We will actually be written up if management hears us call them by their first name, citing that it's "unprofessional."

Am I nuts here?

The management is nuts! The management is working in the days of "One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest". Things have changed a lot since then!

:balloons:

[flashpoint]

For me, it depends on the doctor. We have one old and very respected doctor...sometimes, I forget he even has a first name because I couldn't imagine calling him anything but Doctor __________. For others it varies. I call my personal doctor by his first name...have known him forever and he laughs at me every time I call him doctor.

[oldiebutgoodie, RN]

I have a Master's degree, so maybe everybody should call me "Master". (or Mistress, but that sounds like I run a B&D establishment!)

As a refugee from the corporate world, I would suggest that with this policy,you smile and nod, and file it in the round file. If you see management, say "Dr.", and then they will forget about it and it will all be over.

Depending on the management, if you make a big stink,they may use this case as an example of their power, and get really stupid trying to enforce it.

"Mistress" oldiebutgoodie