Do you give up your seat for a doctor?

SmilingBluEyes · Oct 10, 2005

not unless there is some sort of emergency that he/she needs to be RIGHT where I am at the time, or I am just sitting there, taking up space. Common courtesy is a two-way street and common sense, while not common anymore, is still the way to handle these situations.

sjb2005 · Oct 10, 2005

I'll give my set up to any doc who doesn't have one. I don't have time to sit long anyway.

Nesher, BSN, RN · Oct 10, 2005

Nope. What I am doing is of equal importance.

txspadequeenRN, BSN, RN · Oct 10, 2005

I believe that everyone should be treated with respect so if in the past the doc has been nice and treated me with respect yes Ill move over or might even go get him a chair. BUT.... if you have shown your orifice on a regular basis your gonna need to get your own chair......

I know that is REALLY outdated, lol. BUT, there are still some docs who come onto the floor that I will give up my seat. One in particular is always kind and compassionate to the patients and nurses. (He will write an order that reads, Coumadin 5mg 1 po tonight, please) If I see him, I offer my chair and computor, he always says no, lol. Another is one of those that takes so much time with his patients that he comes in every night around 10 or 11. I know he has been in the cath lab all day or rushing, so I always offer it to him as well. SOME doctors however, I politely point to the charting room, ROFL.

suebird3 · Oct 10, 2005

Depends. I work LTC, and if there is a ton of charting...no. Of course, the MD's have a little office where they "do their thing." But....if they need to (or want to) sit in our office....grab a chair and sit! We usually have a spare.

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · Oct 10, 2005

I think that is so sweet of you.....but like everything else a matter of personal choice nonetheless. :)

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Oct 10, 2005

What an interesting question! Well, in the days that I was in school, yes, you got up immediately and gave your chair to the doc. Not so much today. If I'm sitting down charting or working at the computer, I stay put. If I'm just taking a little rest and shooting the breeze with a co-worker (do we ever really have that happen?), then, yes, I would give up my seat and move. I would also end the chit chat. It gives outsiders the wrong impression if they hear you shooting the breeze while others around them are working--just courtesy.

AMARTIN1 · Oct 10, 2005

Of course I give up my chair and computer to the docs.
They're there for 10 minutes, I'm there for 12 hrs.
It's a courtesy. It's an earned courtesy. It's certainly a professional courtesy - how are we ever going to be treated as professionals if we get so involved w/ petty little turf wars that we can't act professional?
If they were there for even a fraction of the time that I am, it might be an issue. But ANY PROVIDER that shows up for 1/72nds of my shift would get the common courtesy of using my 'space'.
There are battles to pick; this one isn't it.
Besides, the sooner they do their stuff and leave, the sooner I can get back to MY patient.
~faith,
Timothy.

Amen to that!!!

:yelclap:

Darlene K. · Oct 10, 2005

I believe that everyone should be treated with respect so if in the past the doc has been nice and treated me with respect yes Ill move over or might even go get him a chair. BUT.... if you have shown your orifice on a regular basis your gonna need to get your own chair......

My thoughts exactly!

neneRN, BSN, RN · Oct 11, 2005

Depends on the situation and the doc; if I'm sitting down because I'm caught up and its during one of those lulls that occasionally roll around, then I'll give up my seat to the doc. Or if its a really good AND nice doc who starts to stand at the desk and work on the chart and doesn't expect me to get up, then I'll give up the seat. But if its one of the few docs that are always acting like an A**, sorry, not getting up, especially if I'm working and they tell me they need the chair; then I direct them to the doctor's area, which has extra desks, dictaphones, and computers JUST for the docs. This is really only an issue with the admitting/consulting docs who aren't in the ER with us all day; the ER docs usually stand and write their orders (only takes a minute or so anyway) or they take the chart with them to the doc area and then bring it back to the nurses with the new orders.

student4ever · Oct 11, 2005

Unfortunately, in my ED, the inpatient docs who come to admit "steal" my computer all the time. I rarely if ever sit down, and neither do they, so this isn't quite about seating. It drives me crazy though, because someone in administration had the brilliant idea that they can have access to the order/result system but not into our specific ED charting system. So, despite the fact that they have their own computer desk/dictating area, they don't have access to the charting system, so they have to come use one of the ones we're logged into. Unfortunately, that means if I walk away to help a patient and come back needing to chart, there's usually an inpatient doc there looking through someone's chart, talking on the phone, or with the ER doc, right in my space where I need to chart. And, since I'm already logged on there, I can't even log on to one of our COWs (computers on wheels) to do my charting, I have to wait until the doc is done. So, NO, I don't give up my workstation for the docs - no need - they steal it when they want it anyways. :angryfire

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Oct 11, 2005

I will if the doctor hasn't had a break, or just came out of a long case.