Hateful ER Docs

[MrsWampthang]

:angryfire Does anyone else ever have to deal with ER docs that are demeaning, disrespectful and just downright hateful? We have one ER doc that could take the award for Ahole of the year. He has been this way for years, has had numerous complaints by staff made against him, yet continues to be allowed to verbally abuse the staff. How do you handle a doc like this? I usually just nod my head, and then go over in the corner and cuss him out to myself, but it is getting really old. If I treated one of my coworkers like he treats us, I would be fired after the first complaint, I wouldn't be allowed to continue to abuse my coworkers time after time. Anyway, just needed to vent; it was a long 4 hours with this Ahole last night :angryfire Thank goodness I only had to work that long with him. Anybody have any suggestions on how to handle him and what his problem might be?

Thanks, Pam

[needsmore$]

Good luck Pam

[LeahJet, ASN, RN]

"DR.S"???

~too funny~

hey pam :chuckle

[FirewalkerRN]

you deal with this by telling him to speak to you with respect and until he can do that you will not respond. then walk away. if you wouldn't take that kind of crap from your children/husband/mother/father (and i'm guessing you probably love those folks), why take it from a doc (which you obviously don't)? nothing says he has to like your nor you him. but respect is a must. end of story.

I agree with this 100%. I have worked with several MDs like this in the past and one of them stands out in my mind. He and I have had several "conversations" regarding where I attended medical school when using my judgement ie: Putting O2 on pt with 80 SpO2 after being overmedicated. He came in and removed it saying "Oh my...... what Doctor ordered this?" I kept the patient in the ED to monitor because I didn't have anything else going on and the floor was hammered. He left......I put it back on........and I will be danged if he didn't show up again to deliver a baby...... he took it off again.......still griping. I finally told him "Look, the patient needs it whether you like it or not......you will eventually go home and get in bed and I will continue to give this patient what she needs."

He actually enjoyed working with me because he wasn't sure what I would say. The first time we got sideways........it was when he was pressing my buttons during a crisis. I snapped......figured I would get called on it. Nope.

I would be cautious how you handle this because he may not just be testing you. He may be an A-hole......plain and simple. He may be stuck in a career he hates but can't leave due to the time invested and his age. He may just need a lady friend.

You should have a medical director or someone similar who heads up meeting/calls the shots for the MDs, contract or not. It has been my experience that they meet monthly to discuss what's happening. I have written a couple MDs up on simple things they would not comply with and about 3 weeks later it was fixed. Magic? Who knows

Be careful how hard you push it until you know your limits.

Best of luck

Scott

[QMA_David]

The problem is that like most staff in Nursing, the Doc's are stressed out as well and usually going on little sleep. I can over look someone snapping and biting people's heads off here and there but someone who is ALWAYS an azzhole needs to be dealt with just like you would anyone else.

The Nurses and Techs I worked with in the Hospitals never put up with that Garbage. Because usually 9 times out of 10 its a 3rd or 4th year Resident and not staff. Most of the staff Docs have great respect for Nursing.

If one of the Doc's is rude and nasty simply say. Ok, sure I will get this or get that but do you think you could be a little more patient? If that doesn't work, I've seen several times when a group of Rn's decided to page a Resident over every single little thing a patient had or complained about from a cough, 15 minutes later a page because the patient didn't use his Incentive Spirometery q1hour exactly 10 times but only 8 times, stuff he can't really give orders on but your "just making the Medicne Team aware" type stuff. They quickly learn just like a puppy, there are consequences for acting like an *** to everyone. :chuckle

[MrsWampthang, BSN, RN]

"DR.S"???

~too funny~

hey pam :chuckle

I wish I had as much backbone as you and a couple of others do. You handle that doc great! :)

hey right back atcha!

[z's playa]

I wish I had as much backbone as you and a couple of others do. You handle that doc great! :)

hey right back atcha!

Hey!.....let us in on the joke!! :chuckle What happened? Someone stood up to him?

Z

[LeahJet, ASN, RN]

I wish I had as much backbone as you and a couple of others do. You handle that doc great! :)

hey right back atcha!

~~Well, I'm not so sure that it's backbone as much as it is a coping mechanism. The way I look at it, you'll never change him (or any other difficult people you encounter in life). So, I just do what works for me. The way I cope is when he is ranting or throwing a BF (b!tch fit), I either speak to him slowly like he is an unruly 5 year old, or just meet it with an amused smile, or counter it with something like..."Well, thank you, that was helpful". I know, it borders on sarcasm...well, ok...it crosses the border...but you know what? It's what works for me. I get to walk away feeling a bit smug and that makes me smile even more. Walking away with a smile is soooo much better than pent up rage. Everything is about dealing and coping. He copes by belittling others and BF's. Proof that education does not breed class.

Just try to find what works for you. I absolutely live for humor. Seeing a grown man toss a pen and act like a child cracks me up.~And~ it doesn't hurt that seeing me amused by his antics yanks his chain even more~evil grin~

oh~~~ and the joke is~~~ I work with the starter of this post.

I recognized the doc she was talking about.

Yep, he's a peach...=)