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?
Residents as a whole tend to be pretty lazy/dumb. I witnessed an ortho surgery resident attempting to place a fresh bandage over the amputation wound of a patient without completely cleaning the area (the patient had pooped and there was feces everywhere). I was only a first semester nursing student, first day in clinical and I happened to be in the room. I asked the resident of he needed some help cleaning the patient, he started to just shrug it off saying it would be fine. Needless to say I jumped in a "helped" him clean the sun first. Just, gross!
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?
What kinda crazy stuff has your doctor done?
I called a doc for orders and the doc said, "oh, he's still alive?"
I called a doc for orders and the doc said, "oh, he's still alive?"
I went through this with my 89-y-o aunt who had metastatic lung cancer. Palliative care doc refused to give her pain meds the day before she died. I don't know what he was thinking. I used to think palliative care docs were so humane. Not anymore. You gotta watch out for these 89-y-o bedridden nearly comatose potential drug addicts. I think he was just a power/control freak. My cousin loved him. She could not see through his smile and smooth talk.
Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.
I went through this with my 89-y-o aunt who had metastatic lung cancer. Palliative care doc refused to give her pain meds the day before she died. I don't know what he was thinking. I used to think palliative care docs were so humane. Not anymore. You gotta watch out for these 89-y-o bedridden nearly comatose potential drug addicts. I think he was just a power/control freak. My cousin loved him. She could not see through his smile and smooth talk.
Oh, yeah, I see those ninety-ish year old ladies strolling around 'The Block", still in their hospital gowns, turning tricks and using the $$ to go trawling for street-drugs!
Oh, yeah, I see those ninety-ish year old ladies strolling around 'The Block", still in their hospital gowns, turning tricks and using the $$ to go trawling for street-drugs!
Yes 90-ish ladies with multiple medical problems who would be strolling in their wheelchairs, doing wheelies no doubt.
Me: Hi, Doc. Your CICU pt is having frequent runs of vtach, some lasting >30 sec. She's alert, but short of breath and having quite a bit of chest pain.
Doc: Have you had to cardiovert?
Me: No, not YET. Kind of hoping to avoid that.
Doc: Call me back when you have to cardiovert. (Hangs up)
Me: Hi, Doc. Your CICU pt is having frequent runs of vtach, some lasting >30 sec. She's alert, but short of breath and having quite a bit of chest pain.
Doc: Have you had to cardiovert?
Me: No, not YET. Kind of hoping to avoid that.
Doc: Call me back when you have to cardiovert. (Hangs up)
I worked with an ER doc at a community hospital who did the same thing. The ER docs were expected to respond to emergencies throughout the hospital. He decided he was only going to respond to cardiac arrest emergencies. So when we called him for an emergency which was going to become a cardiac arrest, he would say call me when it is. He is still practicing medicine. He has been sued a few times but they all ended in out-of-court settlements so no public access to them. Another doc at the same hospital, a surgeon, refused to give a Tylenol order for someone with a posop temp over 40. He said his patients did not get infections. He became very angry. He was also sued repeatedly and settled out of court. He also harassed the female nursing staff, verbally and sexually. Yup, he is still practicing and patients like him. He is good-looking, dresses well and is a smooth talker.
Me: Hi, Doc. Your CICU pt is having frequent runs of vtach, some lasting >30 sec. She's alert, but short of breath and having quite a bit of chest pain.
Doc: Have you had to cardiovert?
Me: No, not YET. Kind of hoping to avoid that.
Doc: Call me back when you have to cardiovert. (Hangs up)
Had a resident order an echocardiogram for a kiddo with a diagnosis of undescended testicles...had to explain that if he needed an echo for that, he had more serious problems than we could address.
Had a resident order an echocardiogram for a kiddo with a diagnosis of undescended testicles...had to explain that if he needed an echo for that, he had more serious problems than we could address.
Had a nursing supervisor who did EKGs on people after they died to make sure they were really dead. This was in LTC DNR facility. He said this was the ONLY indication for doing EKGs. He got fired for sexually harassing female nurses.
@ixchel and ActualNurse...I'm sorry to hear about your family members. My grandma had it, and I remember feeling so heartbroken when my dad told me, although I knew. It's so hard to have your loved one taken while they're still alive.
BeachsideRN, ASN
1,722 Posts
Residents as a whole tend to be pretty lazy/dumb. I witnessed an ortho surgery resident attempting to place a fresh bandage over the amputation wound of a patient without completely cleaning the area (the patient had pooped and there was feces everywhere). I was only a first semester nursing student, first day in clinical and I happened to be in the room. I asked the resident of he needed some help cleaning the patient, he started to just shrug it off saying it would be fine. Needless to say I jumped in a "helped" him clean the sun first. Just, gross!