Docs & Nurses

[alphafe]

Hi everyone -- Thrilled to have found this brightest board on the net!

I'm a midlife career changer and am v. curious about how the Dr./Nurse relationship has evolved over the years. I always saw nurses as "the Drs.' handmaidens" and that kept me out of the profession.

More specifically -- what do you do/have you done when you *know* a doc has made a mistake?

Thanks so much!

[ERNurse752, RN]

Well, in the ER where I work, we have pretty good relationships with most of our docs...so we would point, laugh hysterically, and mock their mistake. :roll

[alphafe]

Thanks ERNurse!

That's what I wanted to hear! My mother was a medical librarian and I really loved the "hospital humor"/comaraderie part of her work.

I'm also drawn to ER work as an adrenaline junky and former sexual assault advocate/crisis intervention teacher. I'll be pursuing a SANE credential -- tell me what you think of that specialty.

Thanks again for the heartening post!

[mother/babyRN, RN]

I think it's what you make of it...I find there are older docs and sometimes old school nurses who allow things to happen that shouldn't but you bring your personality and knowledge into the equasion...In maternity it is often about how you "handle" them, and I would imagine anywhere you are (whatever specialty), once you prove yourself to be knowledgeable you inject your opinion coupled with knowledge..You have to expect the occasional control freak, or someone who doesn't feel the nurse has any imput but even if that occurs, most of us seasoned nurses will set them straight one way or another...

[zambezi, BSN, RN]

In my unit (CCU), we are also lucky to have good relationships with most of the docs (there are those few though....:) )

Our docs are pretty easy to work with, most listen to us, if we ask for a new med or let them know clinically what we are seeing they will take action or order the requested medication...I don't see us as their handmaidens by any means, we are the eyes and ears for them...I know that our docs respect us and our decisions/care...they expect us to use our clinical decision making skills/critical thinking to assist is the plan of care for the patient...I feel pretty lucky because I know that not all places are like this...(of course, our docs do have their good and their bad days...)

[sjoe]

"what do you do/have you done when you *know* a doc has made a mistake? "

You bring it to the doc's attention in the very same way you would wish the doc to bring to your attention a mistake that he/she "knows" you have made.