Dealing with mean docs

Published

I started my career in the OR 6 months ago. I came from a med surg floor where I worked for a year. On the floor I dealt with rude older nurses and knew coming to the OR I would be dealing with rude docs.

Today a doc called me an idiot and kept insulting my intelligence throughout the case. I asked him to please not call me an idiot and he told me I needed to go back to my special Ed classes. This isn't the first time I have been treated like this by this particular doc, but it was the first time I said something back.

Everyone else in the room laughed it off like it was no big deal and "that's just the way he is". I can't help but to feel angry that 1. This is the attitude my coworkers have toward this behavior and 2. This doc has gotten away with it for so many years.

I plan to go to my supervisor Friday my next day back at work but do not know how to address my concerns.

I don't want special treatment by any means and I don't want to be the "drama queen" but I also don't want to be treated like that ever again.

Any help would be appreciated!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Peri-op/Sub-Acute ANP.

In my years in the OR I have noticed a pattern with mean surgeons: the amount of talent they have as a surgeon is usually directly inversely proportional to their bad attitude. Be kind to them. They are doing the best they can!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I'm sorry to hear that this is happening. I agree that you shouldn't have to be treated that way, and there's no excuse. The only advise I can say is to: 1) notify your leadership as planned; 2) see if there are any procedures/policies that address this behavior and exercise your options; 3) request not to be placed in that particular Dr's cases if there is enough flexibility to allow this; and lastly but I feel should be done first 4) have a private conversation with this Dr outside the OR and let him know it's not acceptable. This last one might be the least successful, but at least you can say you tried to address it directly and one on one.

Good luck.

-WDWD

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Oncology.
In my years in the OR I have noticed a pattern with mean surgeons: the amount of talent they have as a surgeon is usually directly inversely proportional to their bad attitude. Be kind to them. They are doing the best they can!

No. Just no. Just because they are good surgeons does NOT mean that the OP has to accept unacceptable behavior. That is clearly NOT the best they can do.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

It's one thing for a surgeon to vent about a situation. It's another thing completely to directly target staff. Put everything in writing, and take it to your manager. If your manager is good and values a cohesive workplace, this issue will be addressed. If not, go up the chain of command. Most likely, you have a chair of the surgical specialty, a chair of surgery, and a head of all physician staff. Find out what your facility's chain of command is and be prepared to use it if necessary.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Peri-op/Sub-Acute ANP.

I never said that the OP should accept the behavior If you read my post again, I am saying that in my experience the worse surgeons are normally the meanest - most likely secondary to their overcompensation for what they perceive as their own inadequacies. I never once said it was OK for her to be treated this way. Please read posts more carefully before shooting off indignant responses.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Oncology.
I never said that the OP should accept the behavior If you read my post again, I am saying that in my experience the worse surgeons are normally the meanest - most likely secondary to their overcompensation for what they perceive as their own inadequacies. I never once said it was OK for her to be treated this way. Please read posts more carefully before shooting off indignant responses.

I believe you said "be kind to them. They are doing the best they can!" No, they are NOT doing the best they can. And "being kind" to them without suggesting OP take any other course of action - that is advocating acceptance of the behavior. Your only advice is to be kind when someone verbally abuses you? Might as well thank the surgeons too, for their "honesty."

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Oncology.

By the way, "inversely proportional" means that as one goes up, the other goes down. So the better the surgeon, the worse the people skills. If you were intending to say that the surgeons with poor surgical skills tend to have poor people skills, the phrase you needed would have been "directly proportional." Please think carefully before posting.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Peri-op/Sub-Acute ANP.
I believe you said "be kind to them. They are doing the best they can!" No, they are NOT doing the best they can. And "being kind" to them without suggesting OP take any other course of action - that is advocating acceptance of the behavior. Your only advice is to be kind when someone verbally abuses you? Might as well thank the surgeons too, for their "honesty."

The exclamation mark at the end of that sentence was supposed to give the reader a clue that the post was tongue-in-cheek.

You can extrapolate meaning, misinterpret, and put as many words into my mouth as you want. Anyone who actually reads my post, without trying to put spin on it or read it with a chip on their shoulder, can porifice out that my post was actually a dig at surgeon in question. But hey, go ahead and be enraged if that's what makes you happy.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Peri-op/Sub-Acute ANP.
By the way, "inversely proportional" means that as one goes up, the other goes down. So the better the surgeon, the worse the people skills. If you were intending to say that the surgeons with poor surgical skills tend to have poor people skills, the phrase you needed would have been "directly proportional." Please think carefully before posting.

Or.... the more of an attitude they have, the worse their skill level is. There you go again with glass half empty! (Note the exclamation mark.)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Oncology.
The exclamation mark at the end of that sentence was supposed to give the reader a clue that the post was tongue-in-cheek.

You can extrapolate meaning, misinterpret, and put as many words into my mouth as you want. Anyone who actually reads my post, without trying to put spin on it or read it with a chip on their shoulder, can porifice out that my post was actually a dig at surgeon in question. But hey, go ahead and be enraged if that's what makes you happy.

You still have yet to offer the OP any advice - which is what he/she asked for.

OP, I would not let this go. I think you're doing the right thing by going up the chain of command. Let's not make excuses for people because they might be good at what they do.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Write an incident report Every.Single.Time.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion