I've been a nurse for some time now (>20+ yrs). I have had my ups and downs, days I felt good about my career and days I didn't. My last shift involved care of a freshly post-op open heart patient with slowly deteriorating hemodynamic vital signs. With orders from the cardio-thoracic nurse practitioner I gave many (many!) blood products and titrated the vasoactive drips the patient had infusing when he came to me from surgery. After the nurse practitioner went home, the decompensation continued. I spoke numerous times with the cardiovascular surgeon regarding labs, drips, chest tube and urinary output, vent settings, blood products given. He was increasingly rude and sarcastic, focused primarily on berating me instead of providing orders or guidance on improving the patient's condition. He (finally) came in to see his patient, at which time he got a chest X-ray and echo, but continued to berate me, first because I had called labs to him, then because I shouldn't have bothered him with lab results. He also expressed severe anger at ME for giving the blood products his own nurse practitioner had ordered, stating I "should have known that was inappropriate." End of the story, the patient got MORE blood and is now doing well. So, the point of this post is this:
Do any of you experienced nurses ever just feel like throwing in the towel? Do you get that discouraged? That's how I feel right now. I don't want to go back to work for my next shift, and I sure as heck don't want to be talked to that way again. I just don't have any fight left in me. Advice? I could use whatever help you all can offer. I'm really discouraged right now.
He's an asshat. The good news for you is his asshattery is not your fault -- that's all on him. It sounds like your very sick patient got what he needed because of you, so go back to work with your head held high. You're a good nurse.
Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.
I totally agree with you; but sadly the god-surgeon brings in a lot of money for the hospital, so the hospital admin caters to his every whim. If he says the nurse was wrong, then by-golly the admin thinks the nurse was wrong too. It gets a little discouraging after awhile. Thanks for your support. It means a lot!
Gawd... this is why I love my particular hospital job. The only surgeon I currently have to
have any dealings with, is a total goofball and pretty easy to work with.
I used to work at a hospital that had a culture similar to yours. The surgeons were
allowed to talk to us nurses any old way they wanted to. We were "enpowered" to
call out the doctors on their rude behavior. That's fine, but I don't think it should
be allowed to begin with.
I love your avatar too, but also your user name... My dad's name is Bill, so
I certainly don't have as much experience as you do, or as some of those who have replied...but this I have noticed.
Stress brings out the absolute worst in people. And sometimes when a patient is circling the drain for lack of a better phrase, everyone caring for that person is at their worst. Maybe it is internal conflicts manifesting externally? Like, we are trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it's sure not looking like there is one...
That said, he certainly had no call to be rude to you. I certainly don't know his baseline personality but sometimes stress or not, people are just rude and jerks. Sarcasm and rudeness certainly don't seem like they should have their place in the professional world, but we all know it exists in abundance.
All I can say is, kudos to you for working with such high acuity patient(s) and if it was me or my family I would be very thankful that you were the one at the bedside monitoring labs, drips, vent settings etc. It takes a strong person to be the face of care when everything behind you is chaotic. And it is the hardest job to be at the bedside and coordinating all of that chaos. The wimpy way out is to stay behind a phone and throw around rude and sarcastic words.
Our favorite saying was always "What's the difference between God and cardiothoracic surgeon? God can't perform cardiothoracic surgery!" That pretty much sums up the mentality of the CTS that I worked with. Sorry he was a jerk to you, you didn't deserve that and berating will never lead to satisfactory outcome!
Well, I am no seasoned nurse but he sounds like a "donkey". I just posted a thread about new nurse anxiety and reading these threads isn't helping, haha. I am sorry you had to experience that but clearly you are no fool. You have been doing this job for quite sometime and I am sure he has as well. You were successful in your attempt to care for your patient, you did what a nurse should have done. Just sounds like you are sick of the stress and the constant "flexing of muscles" from other staff at the hospital. Maybe try something new on a new unit! I know this probably won't help you in anyway but I really do admire you for what you can do and all the experience and information you know! Good work, champ!
I totally agree with you; but sadly the god-surgeon brings in a lot of money for the hospital, so the hospital admin caters to his every whim. If he says the nurse was wrong, then by-golly the admin thinks the nurse was wrong too. It gets a little discouraging after awhile. Thanks for your support. It means a lot!
Have a quiet talk with him. Be courteous. Let him know that you expect respect from him, just as he does from you. Sometimes you just have to speak up.
Or say something like, "Having a rough day? I know you wouldn't be so rude to me if you weren't so tired and so worried about our patient here".
Or, "Your fly is open, Dr. Schmuckhead". Of course it won't be, as he's likely in scrubs, but it will catch him off guard, maybe even make him laugh.
Or just try laughing a little while he's blowing his gasket. The laughing will put you in control. He deserves no respect when he's treating you like an oaf.
i work in the OR, surgeons, anesthesiologists, are about as prima Donna as they come... i work closely with them, so the dynamics are way different....they don't talk to me that way... but you did good, very good
He wasn't happy , worried about that post op, plus HE had to take the call , for some reason , not his fellow or chief resident...... crazy talk , those people deal with labs !!! Not HIM, oh no... beneath him!!! LOL
and in all fairness to his highness , the attitude had zero to do with you, but with the patient.... be happy that you weren't in the same room... at my hospital... they are coming around , but these guys ARE STILL getting away with throwing instruments across the room.... í ½í¹„
VANurse2010
1,526 Posts
For what it's worth, not all hospitals allow their doctors to act like this - or at least not to that extent.