I'm very curious. I'm sure we've all been there. We've dealt with doctors from all spectrum and mindsets. Most are very good at their jobs and have sound ideas!
But sometimes docs just say and do the craziest things
My example: at my last LTC facility I had one doctor seriously outright refuse/fight giving and prescribing pain meds (for patients who really, really needed it/were on vents/dying) because he honestly believed that these residents who had been stuck in a bed for years were going to get better and go out to buy/smoke crack cocaine.
According to him "prescribing narcotics leads to methadone and crack usage." These poor residents have been here for years taking the same medications and pain meds for years...just WHAT?
Specializes in CritCare, OutPt, Operational & Executive.
In the late 1970's a Cardiologist wrote " OIL CCU DOOR " on one of our stable patients, without mentioning the issue to anyone. In calling to verify he insisted it was a legitimate order. ICU partnered with the SubAcute Care Unit to call on the hour & the half-hour to let him know every single normal vital sign & lab result on several patients, "just wanted to inform you....." At or around 03:30 he called each area begging forgiveness & asked to please get some sleep. We didn't get anymore nonsensical orders from this MD again at least til I left 2 years later
I work on a LTC dementia unit. We frequently take in respite admissions in addition to our long term residents. For several years, I was the main RN to do admissions. Many times family members have a difficult time admitting their loved one, even if it is only for a short respite. They frequently deal with grief and guilt in giving up care of their family to another. It is a fact, and something that I have first-hand knowledge of as I went through it myself with my own mother.
One time we had admitted a respite who originally was to be admitted to the hospice unit for respite. I don't remember the circumstances, but it was decided that he would be admitted to our unit instead. I had heard that the family was not too happy about the switch. The hospice MD asked me to give the family some TLC. I asked him what exactly he meant, and he looked at me like I had 3 heads. Basically, what he wanted was for me to give the family a tour, answer all their questions, and do my best to make them as comfortable with the admission as I could. Which is something that I was in the habit of doing with all family members on admission!
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Your manager threw the doc up against the wall??
Yes. It was in the 70s. Times were different.
Resident complained to the chief resident that our manager manhandled him. Chief resident nearly died laughing. "That manager is five foot nothing and weighs 200 pounds -- how the HELL were you not fast enough to get out of her way?"
"She kinda took me by surprise."
"You called a code for a SHAMPOO and your were surprised that the manager got upset? Next time you do something THAT stupid, I'M going to slam you up against the wall and have your gonads for breakfast."
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Years ago, when I worked in the CCU I was caring for an old rancher who had had his "big one" (MI) while out working his ranch. He made it into the house, and his wife called the helicopter service to fly him to our hospital. (Lots of ranchers did things that way.) He was a nice old guy -- lying in bed on a balloon pump and waiting for his surgery. The anesthesiologist came in to pre-op him. I was sitting in the corner, charting, and the anesthesiologist says to me "I want to listen to his lungs, nurse."
"OK," I said, hopping to my feet. I'll help you turn him on his side so you can listen."
"HELP me? What do you mean, help me? I want YOU to sit him up. Now."
I explained about the big, stiff balloon catheter sitting in the guy's femoral artery and allowed as how sitting was contraindicated. And once again offered to help the big, burly anesthesiologist turn the fairly hefty rancher on his side to listen to his lungs.
Dr. Gasser went ballistic. He SCREAMED at me -- literally SCREAMED that he wanted the guy sat up right now and he didn't care about any itty bitty line in the guy's leg. And then he went on to scream that "I'm a doctor, just like Dr. Blower (our medical director.) I'm SURE you wouldn't ask Dr. Blower to move a patient. I'm just as important as he is, and how DARE you ask ME to do something you wouldn't ask HIM?"
Unbeknowst to me, Dr. Blower was on the unit rounding and had heard the entire exchange. I'm standing there listening to this self-important bozo scream about what an inadequate nurse and human being I was to not sit the guy up (by myself) and wondering what on earth I can say to him that will penetrate his gigantic ego, and I hear this voice behind me . . . Dr. Blower's voice.
"Hey Ruby -- you need help turning your patient?" And he stepped in to help me turn the patient so Dr. Gasser could listen to his lungs. Dr. Gasser deflated pretty quickly, listened to the lungs and skulked off the unit as quickly as he could. Not fast enough, though. I could hear Dr. Blower suggesting a little attitude adjustment -- at full volume -- in the back hallway between ICU and CCU. I was told later that ALL of the ICU nurses were lined up in the hallway behind Dr. Gasser listening to him get his behind handed to him.
This happened a few years ago, I wasn't a nurse, but I was the mother of a paediatric patient with Type 1 Diabetes. My son was diagnosed at 2, and this was about 6 months later, our first hospitalisation with his first bout of a gastro bug after being dx'd. The HO walks into the room with the trainee docs trailing in behind her. She's already r/v'd the chart outside the door. This is about 1030hrs.
HO: So we have a gastro bug, and he's a Type 1 Diabetic, correct?
Me: Yes.
HO: Whats his BGL's sitting at?
Me: *tests son* 16.6mmol (I remember clearly lol)
HO: Thats too high. You need to give him some Novorapid to bring him down.
Me: I'm not giving him any Novorapid.
HO: *looks shocked* His BGL's are too high, you need to bring them down.
Me: No. If you looked in his chart, you'll see that he's on Lantus and Actrapid at breakfast, Novorapid for lunch and dinner. If I give him Novorapid right now, he will have a severe hypo at lunch time.
HO: You're giving him the Novorapid now.
Me: No. I'm NOT. If you have an issue with this, ring Dr S (our son's paediatrician).
HO: I'm not happy that you're not giving him Novorapid to correct the hyperglycaemia. I'm going to call her. *storms out*
HO returns about 10 minutes later, mutters something about 'seeing what's going to happen at lunch time, and she'll be back then to discuss'
Meanwhile, lunchtime rolls around. I test my son 10 mins prior to lunch, and oh hey, would you look at that? 3.4mmol. He's having a hypo anyway (hospital morning teas weren't high enough in carbohydrates).
HO walks back in 10 minutes later, just as lunch arrives.
HO: Can you test his BGL's please? *looks smug, as if she expects him still to be high*
Me: I did 10 minutes ago, he was 3.4mmol, if you give me a sec, I'll see what he is post-hypo treatment *tests son*. Oh, would you look at that? 5.7mmol.
*Looking HO dead in the eyes*
Now, if I had given him Novorapid when you told me to, just how low do you think he would've gone? In the 2's? 1's?
HO went red, and walked out without saying a word. Junior doc came in 5 minutes later to say that we could go...
I was working med surg my first year as a nurse. Doc wrote an order for a med my patient was allergic to. I brought it up and asked for a new order. Doc started yelling at me to stay in my lane and get out of his face. I started walking down the hallway to the nurse manager's office and he chucked the hard chart at me, which bounced off the back of my head.
Nurse manager told me that this particular doc often made "mistakes" like that and she would speak to him... yeah... he never got in trouble for that one, nor did he ever apologize for chucking the chart at me. It makes me glad we have EMRs now
Whoa. But then would be throw a computer at someone?
ActualNurse
382 Posts
How do these docs get into med school in the first place.