Being called an idiot

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I almost forgot why I left nursing in the first place. Now I really like my new coworkers. I get along with my team. YES! But I was brought to reality when a doc called me an idiot.

I call the urologist and ask for clarification on a procedure he is going to do , and the urologist says," ARe you an Idiot? What else am I going to do. I am a urologist."

Me-" Urology is not my specialty doctor and I need to know the exact procedure. So is it , Laparoscopic Cyst Ablation, cystoscopy, Lithotripsy, or something else?" (Thank god for Google, there are about a dozen others he could be doing.)

GRR. I am damn sure he would never have called our house doc an idiot. Our house doc didn't even know what procedure was going to be done. And I am supposed to know out of probably a dozen what a urologist does? No. And I am not an idiot for not knowing which one.

Sorry guys, I just had to vent. It's better than me taking it out on my bf who actually is a doctor too. I came home and told him "YOUR PEOPLE SUCK!"

He was upset because he said he would never call anyone an idiot, and to please refrain from using the term "You people."

So here I am , back at nursing. Remembering why I left in the first place. It just is so hard for me to let that stuff slide and not let it affect me. I also don't want to take it out on my boyfriend everytime I have issues with a doctor at work.

Specializes in ER, Med-surg.
I've found that a little sarcasm or a little humor works with these sort of folks. The thing is, I can't plan it -- it just sort of pops out.

There was a renal attending who had a reputation for being nasty, and we all used to dread renal consults in the CCU. One morning he showed up at 7:07am (after the consult was placed at 7:01) and started yelling (raised voice, offensive language) about the fact that I didn't have an hour's worth of urine collected for him. "It's been six minutes," I said. He continued to rant about the fluid orders, labs that hadn't been sent (because they hadn't been ordered) and various and sundry other issues. Finally I snapped.

"I'm SURE Dr. Smith ordered this consult to ruin both of our days."

"Oh," he said, taken aback. "Right. I'm sorry."

And I never EVER had another problem with him being nasty to me.

It's petty, but it was SO SO satisfying the day that a notoriously nasty specialist called and started yelling at me about half a dozen things he'd ordered on the last shift that hadn't been done. I told him they hadn't been ordered, and he said he d*** well had, insulted my competence, and then hung up on me. He came roaring on to the floor a little while later, enraged, and I (having had a moment to look through the lengthy chart) was able to point out to him that the reason his "orders" hadn't been completed was that neither secretaries nor nurses are in the habit of looking for new orders written on the progress notes from last week.

He didn't have a good response for that.

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Specializes in Psych, HIV/AIDS.

When I was a student in a teaching hospital, there was a pompous neurosurgeon who when ever he came for rounds ALL shook in their nursing shoes. One day, Dr. Pompous-orifice waltzed onto the unit, with his residents and fellows in tow, to assess his patients. One of the residents went to open the patient's door so his majesty could enter...wouldn't you know it...IT WAS A UTILITY CLOSET!!! We all just lost it!! Poor resident, though.

Karma...I love it.

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Sweet justice!

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No, I'm not an idiot. If I was an idiot, I would have allowed a patient to sign this consent that refers only to a "procedure". What kind of idiot expects informed consent without the informed part.

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Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.
Yes needed to have a consent signed and all the urologist wrote was "procedure." How am I supposed to get a signature if I don't even know what this person is signing up to have done? I am supposed to say, "here sign this to have some kind of procedure done.

Heck, I wouldn't sign a damn thing if I was a patient and had no idea what was being done. Yet he calls me the idiot.

WHat's funny...everytime I go to a function with my fiancee and meet other docs I always wonder, "Would he/she would actually treat me like a peon outside this event?" Whereas when I am with my fiancee I am not an idiot. Makes me hate this whole status/class dynamic between doctors and nurses. Makes me enjoy those type of dinners less.

"Here, sign this to have, I dunno, SOME sort of procedure done." :laugh:

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AMEN! here's a novel concept.. fill out the consent with the patient WHEN THEY TALK TO THE PATIENT about the procedure..

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Specializes in School Nursing, Hospice,Med-Surg.

When I worked med-surg we had a nephrologist who was known for being rude and nasty to our nursing staff. We just made a habit of writing him up every single time he did this. He called me an idiot for calling him up after hours and questioning his illegibly written orders. I kindly thanked him for clarifying his orders AFTER he screamed at me and called me names. I followed through on his orders then wrote him up with details.

I figured eventually all the write ups would catch up with him. I didn't stay long enough to find out.

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Is it bigger than a bread box?

I love that! Gonna have to remember that one...

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Specializes in Float Pool - A Little Bit of Everything.

A doctor got fussy with me the other day and I eventually got the info I needed from him over the phone. Then he started to yell at me and I hung up on his pompous you know what.

I will not be talked down to by anyone and will not tolerate paternalistic treatment at work. I am sorry you are dealing with that at work. I have had about enough of the way people, patients, other nurses, doctors, lab, whomever talks to nurses.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I always say, "Yes." when someone asks me if I'm an idiot. It throws the "awkward ball" right back in their court.

This post should have had a beverage alert!

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
When I worked med-surg we had a nephrologist who was known for being rude and nasty to our nursing staff. We just made a habit of writing him up every single time he did this. He called me an idiot for calling him up after hours and questioning his illegibly written orders. I kindly thanked him for clarifying his orders AFTER he screamed at me and called me names. I followed through on his orders then wrote him up with details.

I figured eventually all the write ups would catch up with him. I didn't stay long enough to find out.

Nah, the write-ups won't catch up to him until he annoys a physician.

We had a whiney cardiologist years ago who was an utter jerk to everyone he encountered including, interestingly enough, other physicians. We wrote him up and wrote him up, but since the hospital didn't pay his salary, there wasn't much they could do. He represented one of the two major practices in town, and they weren't going to pull his priveleges over complaints from mere nurses. Then there was the day he argued with a nephrologist, (the nasty one from a previous post) and fisticuffs ensued. They both went to jail. Nobody STAYED in jail, but they were both much better behaved afterward.

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What a jerk. I don't know about your hospital, but at mine you flat out CAN'T write "procedure" in the consent form blank for what procedure will be performed. It must be spelled out, and no abbreviations are allowed. So I would have thrown that back at the doc if he tried to pull that mess with me. Then I would have written him up for disruptive behavior. Jerk.

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