Do drs really look down on nurses?

Published

I am thinking of changing my career as an engineer to a nurse. I am used to people looking up to me and being part of a team. We are all equals and we work together to get things done. What is the mentality in the medical field, do drs work with or against nurses? To me they couldnt do anything without us and it would be in their best interest for us to work as a team.

I have been a nurse for 27 years. I have worked in most areas with the past 20 + as Director of OR/PACU. It has been my experience that yes, docs do look down on "some" nurses. Usually those who do not try to excel in their work by continuing to learn and demand high performance from themselves. These nurses call them[docs] for ridiculous reasons, and don't use good sense when delivering patient care. I have been blessed to work with many intelligent nurses who enjoy the support, admiration, and yes, the gratitude of physicians who recognize how extremely valuable a good nurse is to the care and recovery of the acutely ill patients we see everyday. Unfortunately, there are a fair number of nurses out there who do not push themselves to achieve clinical excellence and continue to update their skills and knowledge. Those are the nurses who damage the profession and invoke the disdain of physicians. Nurses historically "eat their young", fight about entry-level education and can't seem to agree about hardly anything. These are some of the issues to which we are criticised incessantly about by other professionals and the docs. If I knew how to fix it, I would have done so by now. I love being a nurse, but I do get frustrated by the folks who share the "RN" degree with me, but choose to act in an unprofessional manner. That said-- I do want to add that some docs (and other higher level medical people) will behave like jerks no matter what we do or how good we are- we just have to keep ours heads high and take good care.;)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Day Surgery/Infusion/ED.
Interesting thread. It's their loss if they look down on you. For example the doc that refused a request for breathing treatments.......I would and have done write a verbal order eg: "No respiratory treatment ordered, though patient is congested, showing sx of atalectasis ie shallow inspiration, increased temperature, rales and ronchi. "

And then I HAND the order to him/her to sign........If they won't then I make a note and have it witnessed that doctor refused to sign his verbal order to this effect and Nursing supervisor and administrator on call notified.

I can play real dirty, but it only takes once for most to begin to take nurses at face value.

Now that being said, don't let the concept of a doc looking down on you stop your entering the field. It is not usually adversarial, but can be.

As a Nurse you are the one the patient relies on to catch those tiny symptoms, small changes, and nurses' intuition that leads you to call that MD at whatever time and NEVER be afraid. You are right a whole lot more than you are wrong.

Heh. I've pulled variations of that trick before. It's very effective, and the look you get when you hand the doc a verbal order denying a particular treatment is priceless.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Day Surgery/Infusion/ED.
I dont think you are really equal education wise.. they go to school for like 20yrs to our 4?... we think nursing school is hard, imagine med school.!! I think if you act like a dummy they treat you like one.

Twenty years? What medical school are you talking about? I can't think of any residency that takes that long! Good grief, the doc would be in his late 30s-early 40s til he/she's just starting! Exaggerrate, much?

Some docs are disrespectful, some aren't. I've seen very bright, clinically excellent nurses treated dreadfully by the diva docs. Your "dummy" comment is not only demeaning, it really isn't valid, either.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I have been a nurse for 27 years. I have worked in most areas with the past 20 + as Director of OR/PACU. It has been my experience that yes, docs do look down on "some" nurses. Usually those who do not try to excel in their work by continuing to learn and demand high performance from themselves. These nurses call them[docs] for ridiculous reasons, and don't use good sense when delivering patient care. I have been blessed to work with many intelligent nurses who enjoy the support, admiration, and yes, the gratitude of physicians who recognize how extremely valuable a good nurse is to the care and recovery of the acutely ill patients we see everyday. Unfortunately, there are a fair number of nurses out there who do not push themselves to achieve clinical excellence and continue to update their skills and knowledge. Those are the nurses who damage the profession and invoke the disdain of physicians. Nurses historically "eat their young", fight about entry-level education and can't seem to agree about hardly anything. These are some of the issues to which we are criticised incessantly about by other professionals and the docs. If I knew how to fix it, I would have done so by now. I love being a nurse, but I do get frustrated by the folks who share the "RN" degree with me, but choose to act in an unprofessional manner. That said-- I do want to add that some docs (and other higher level medical people) will behave like jerks no matter what we do or how good we are- we just have to keep ours heads high and take good care.;)

I agree with your statement. It has gotten to point that hospitals & doctors view nurses as all the same. No nurse stands out in his/her own right as being well educated, no matter how hard they work to improve themselves/profession. Excellent nurses, as well as the bad ones are all treated the same. The pay off to our society and health care system, the bad nurses stick around, and the good smart ones move on to other professions.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I think it all depends on how you carry yourself as a professional. It is true some Drs would try to look down on you it is now left for you to accept such a relationship or reject it. Your primary responsibilty is to take care of your patients to your utmost best. Whether the Dr looks down on you or not is not of any importance. You can as well look down on the Dr!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in HIV care, med/surge agency.

Yes some doctors really look down on nurses. Nurses get to oick up the slack for everyone in the hospital. Nursing is a rough job. Some people you work with treat you with respect, some don't. I have seen polls of nursesn in wich 30% reported gross verbal abuse by doctors in the prescence of patients, 10% reported a docor had thrown something at them and 5% that a doctor had hit them. Sexual harasment is also a chronic problem for young attractive nurses. Needless to say the patients at times do all of the above but the patients are sick, frightened sometimes demented or delirious and have an excuse for behaving badly. Female doctors by the way can be just as obnoixious as male.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in HIV care, med/surge agency.

When you change from engeneering to nursing you are going from an ojective job where you deal with practicle problems.to one where you are dealing with sickness, death and human emotions. I wouldn't do it. Look at some of the related health care areas. Physicians assistans have more reasonable jobs, so do respiratory therapists, optomitrists and ultra sound tecks.These areas pay well and the demand is good.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion