Dr. Phil today

[eak16]

ok, just now i was watching dr. phil interveiw a physician who had an affair with a nurse and he said (as close a paraphrase as i can remember from five minutes ago):

"i've worked in the health care delivery system for a long time and i've seen lots of times nurses playing footsie with doctors because they see it as their ticket out of having to work as a nurse".

ok, i'm not going to even get into all the problems with this statement since they are obvious, i am writing the show right now to explain why this is not an acceptable way to desribe a profession.

who's with me?

edited by nurse ratched to add an update on the story:

http://www.nursingadvocacy.org/news/2004nov/30_dr_phil.html

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

Yeah that's the part that got me. Of all people a doctor and a NURSE know what birth control IS.

[RE Agent]

Well I guess Dr. Phil is on everyones poop list, and he should be, if he said this. I would expect this from that creep sleeping around, but Dr. Phil? I think less of him now-

[RE Agent]

I just downloaded the transcript for the Dr. Phil show in question. I do not believe that Dr. Phil was making a blanket statement about nurses. We all know that some nurses do go after doctors, because they don't want to work as a nurse. We all know some nurses who went to nursing school for this reason. Some doctors use nurses, or non-nurse girl friends, or wives to get their way paid through medical school, then dump them.

[findingmywayRN]

We all know that some nurses do go after doctors, because they don't want to work as a nurse. We all know some nurses who went to nursing school for this reason.

uhhh...I personally DON'T know any nurses like this. Considering how incredibly difficult and competitive nursing school is, how completely consuming clinicals are and how mind-wracking it is preparing for the NCLEX it would be much easier to meet a doctor working as a waitress in a country club.

[Salty1]

So just tell me where to send the letter.

Should we email or snail mail or both?!!

Why not write to the network and sponsors of Dr. Phil's program. Much more effective! Simply sending email to Dr. Phil will probably be shrugged off. HIT HIM IN THE POCKETBOOK! That usually gets results.

[RE Agent]

uhhh...I personally DON'T know any nurses like this. Considering how incredibly difficult and competitive nursing school is, how completely consuming clinicals are and how mind-wracking it is preparing for the NCLEX it would be much easier to meet a doctor working as a waitress in a country club.

I knew some students who were this way, and they graduated, flirting with residents, and docs all the way through the program.

[casper1]

I taped the show sat down to watch it after working a 12 hr day shift. With 8 acute patients. I was exhausted but thrilled to know that Dr. Phil thought I was playing footsy all day. The minute I heard his comment I put the show on hold and sent a e-mail; to the show asking why Dr. Phil would make such a mean spirited comment.It was totally unfair of him to judge a entire profession by the actions of a few. It sounded to be as if he was taking some of the blame off that doctor and placing it on the Nurse. He was a victim of the slut nurse. I can't believe this doctor would put himself on TV with

this story. Isn't he worried about losing respect from his co-workers. If I were working for him I wouln't have any respect for him.

Nurses have worked hard to gain the respect we have. We don't need the media trivializing what we do. WE are educated intelligent

and extremely hardworking his comments were uncalled for.

[Nysloss]

You've got to voice your opinion...if he's saying we're "all" playing footsie and trying not to be nurses, then we need to "all" tell him we're not! I did...send him an email! www.drphil.com It really shocked me that he would make that over-generalized statement about our profession.

[Jamesdotter]

Do we know that this woman is really a nurse?

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

a family affair, part 2

ed and kandi have been married for 12 years and have three children. "i never suspected ed of cheating on me," says kandi. but one night, while having a fight, ed revealed that he was. "i was devastated," says kandi. "i was floored. ed told me that he loved me, but he wasn't in love with me. it was devastating because i knew he loved me."

ed, a family physician, knew the other woman from work. "i was starved for attention. i was starved for physical pleasure," he says. "i was just desperately lonely at home. and very frustrated. the other woman was a nurse, a work friend. we started confiding things in each other and the flirtation became more explicit. it was supposed to be a quick, one time, this is crazy, but there was some chemistry between us that we didn't expect."

kandi went to file for divorce, but changed her mind. "i chickened out. i couldn't do it," she says.

"i thought when i told my wife about the affair that she would want a divorce," says ed. "kandi's reaction surprised me. she wanted to use this terrible occurence as a wake-up call to us as a couple."

dr. phil continues his in-depth look at the anatomy of an affair.

http://www.drphil.com/show/show.jhtml;jsessionid=bqom0iozvrqarlarayhb3kq?contentid=3061_familyaffair2.xml

[TiffyRN, BSN, PhD]

I e-mailed the show. I am a pretty faithful watcher and fan but I am offended. This from someone who is not easily offended. Please, guys, go to his site and write a letter demanding an apology for generalizing the nursing profession like that.

[eak16]

Ok, its the OP here, just home form a very draining 12 hour shift (at no point in which did i play footsie of otherwise flirt with any docs- or anyone for that matter)

I e-mailed the show, but I am writing the two production companies as well:

Harpo

110 N. Carpenter St.

Chicago, IL, 60607

Paramount Studios

5555 Melrose Avenue

Hollywood, CA 90038

these are just the best addresses I could find on the web, glad to hear if anyone has better ideas! Nurses united are a strong constituency!