Docs yelling at nurses....

[ClassQ1]

Hi guys,

I have been reading the several posts about doctors yelling at the nurses. I am wondering:

1. As a male nurse, is it any different?

2. Have you ever had to deal with yelling physicians? If yes, what did you do? How did you deal with it? I read several posts stating from mouthing off to cry in the bathroom (mostly women on how they react).

3. It is my second career moving from a corporate environment with lots of politics. We cannot tolerate such things. A person can be written up for such behaviors. However, me going into nursing, I carry the same habits. I cannot put up with such behaviors. I am just wondering how to prepare myself. It is something common and have to learn to deal with it or there are ways to handle it without feeling embarrassed such as involving HR,etc...? The politically correct way that I know is to let the physician know that he doesnt realize that he is yelling and to go to a more private place to discuss it and if he doesnt listen, just walk away from him (ignore him).

Please enlighten me with your experiences and advises....

[maluangel118]

I simply don't react when a doc gets rude with me. It's happened on a few occassions. I state my peace, maintain the professionalism, and ignore the person.

[redknight]

This was before I went to nursing school and was working as a medic, and I still do.Its a vol. dept. fire dept. I and another medic had brought in a pt. who had a reaction to fish and had already gave herself a epi-shot. Well the other medic gave her and additional one, by which I had issue with. Being that her airway was fine and I stated that she should have given benadryl, but she was lead that day. So we get to the ER and the Doc flips on me yelling at me at the nurses station about giving the pt. the additional epi. Well I just turned around and walked away while he was yelling at me about walking away and who did I think I was. Well, the next thing I hear is one of the nurses who has known me for many years say to the Doc. I`d be careful if I was you doc, he`s a x- navy seal. The responce was " Oh ****". Been my buddie since. All he wants now is for me to tell him I got through Buds trainning.

[sean5732]

I have always had a pleasant experience with the docs in my schooling (rotations). Although, I saw one "lay into" a female nurse. She stood there and took it. I just looked at the guy and thought, man, if he looks past her and says word one to me, there is going to be a serious problem on the ortho floor cause I am no way taking his mouth.... I am a student, I am not being paid and I am not taking that nonsense.

[aznurse1]

I wish there were more male RNs, at least a 50/50 ratio with females. It makes the job better for everyone, increases level of respect for the female nurses. I had a doctor yelling at so hard that his face turned purple and he was spitting on me. This was when I was a young nurse and refused to stimulate a labor patients nipples to induce contractions. I am not kidding. The doctor was a resident at the time. I stood there because I was too shocked to move and could not think because of the yelling.

[Miwila]

I'm used to being yelled at, although usually not at work. But even at work I've almost come to like it. You know in the middle ages you had people who used to whip themselves because they felt physical pain brought them closer to God so perhaps being yelled at by our Betters makes us stronger people. At least that's how I look at it whenever I am being verbally abused and humiliated by a doctor or nurse.

The glass can either be half full.....

[nursemike, ASN, RN]

I think what we should recognize is this behavior could be considered normal human behavior - typical responses to stress, sleep deprivation, etc. ...

Just think how you might feel if the world expected you to stand up straight with a starched collar, smile on your face and a stick up your gazoo even though you feel like crying...I'd be angry too.

Actually, I am expected to maintain a calm, professional demeanor, even when I feel like crying, shouting, or jumping up and down. Being human, I do get angry from time to time, and it can be appropriate, at times, to let someone know that I am angry. In a calm, professional manner.

That said, I've never experienced, or even witnessed, a doctor behaving in a grossly inappropriate manner. I've been corrected a couple of times when I was in error, and I've seen docs looking a bit peeved when another nurse was being obtuse. I've heard a few docs sounding none too happy about being awakened, but with a bit of experience I've gotten decent about knowing when it's worth paging at 0300, and when it can keep until morning rounds. I guess I can recall hearing a couple of them vent a little over the phone--"Let's just put the bleeping bleep bleepety-bleep on a morphine drip..." but in those cases I've been right there with them--"Instead of giving 2mg of morphine every two hours, couldn't I just give them 12mg of morphine at the beginning of the shift?"

Sometimes I cuss and kick the Pyxis in the privacy of the med room, but I don't act out toward patients or coworkers. I expect, and see, the same level of behavior in the doctors I work with.

[cop2bnurse41]

I was a cop for 6 years and I am currently in nursing school. I had a doc yell at me when I was a cop for bring in a busted up drunk to the E.R.! I just gave him a look like I was going to tear his head off!! He apologized very quickly!! I have yet to have one yell at me in school I think partly because of the way that I carry myself. I have a bit of a no nonsense demanoer about me and it seems to work pretty good!