ER Doctor

workingforskies · Mar 6, 2008

From an old ER nurse, First sorry for your bad experience. You have every right to expect better treatment. My take on your story is that you are dealing with a bitter, burned out ER MD.

You can complain to the administration and exactly ZERO will come of it. (Despite all the the assurances to the contrary that you may see posted later on that say something to the effect of: "Oh it will be taken seriously"). You can also give a bad review on the worthless mail-in survey card you are sure to get and the ER nurses will be blamed for your bad experience for the sins of the ER doc.

My advice, take your medicine, pay the portion of the bill that your crappy HMO won't cover and be glad you are at least still alive enough to post an occasional thread on the WWW. Also, next time your feel you require emergency treatment, go to a different ER. Low numbers at one hospital when there are higher numbers at the competition are the ONLY thing a hospital will fret about.

Personally and with all sincerity, I do hope you fell better.

CaLLaCoDe, BSN, RN · Mar 6, 2008

Actually I might turn your experience around to "what I learned from being a patient what not to do with my patient." Professionalism is the best policy always.

The flu to me is no laughing matter. You were right to go into ER with flu like symptoms that were possibly a reaction to the contrast die. Thank you for your helpful post.

MIA-RN · Mar 6, 2008

I am an ER nurse and I am sorry that you had such a cruddy experience. I agree maybe it was a burned out doctor, but that is surely no excuse for shoddy behavior.

Truthfully, the flu is pretty wretched this year and I've seen some really sick people come thru our ER with it. I hope you are feeling better soon.

Blee O'Myacin, BSN, RN · Mar 6, 2008

So yesterday I was not feeling well. All kinds of flu like symptoms but I also had an MRI in the morning and when I called my doctors office they referred me to the hospital to make sure I was not having a reaction to the dye I was given at the MRI. I didnt go right away because I figured I was fine.
So finally getting some sleep I was awoken around 2am with uncontrolable shaking, teeth chattering, could barely stand. So my step dad brought me to the ER.
The nurse was nice but the doctor pretty much laughed about my symptoms. He was saying I just had the flu and I needed rest. So he did all his testing, the nurse gave me an IV and then some pain meds. I have been sick before but never this sick.
Its so annoying when you feel terriable and just because a doctor has seen it more then once recently he thinks it funny that I am there. So now im resting, doing all the flu things to get rid of it.
So there is rant about that ER Doctor.

You had all the necessary testing, you got fluids and pain meds. Rest up and get well soon. Perhaps that ER doc just got finished pronouncing a child, and your flu vs. contrast reaction wasn't getting his full, emotional support. Or, he found some mirthy humor in the fact that you went to the ER at 0200 for flu symptoms. Or, he is just wasn't born a nice person.

After working in the ER, I have newfound respect for the ER docs - even the abrasive ones. Primary care docs dump their overflow onto them and expect them to pick up the slack. They might be 20 deep in charts, have 30 more in the rack and 60 people in the waiting room. I'm sorry to say that while this year's flu is terrible and we've admitted more than a few people with it, but the ED does not have the resources to dedicate themselves to giving TLC, broth and crackers to everyone who is showing up with the whatever bug is making the rounds.

I really hope you feel better soon, and realize that how that doc treated you, however unprofessional, it wasn't personal. He was the one writing the orders for the fluids, pain meds and tests, so you did get what you required and were able to be discharged feeling better.

Blee

missingunc · Mar 6, 2008

Thank you everyone for your responses :) Im just going to do what they said and get better. I am just thankful the nurse was nice. It is a good matter to think of "how NOT to treat a patient".

Crocuta, RN · Mar 6, 2008

From an old ER nurse, First sorry for your bad experience. You have every right to expect better treatment. My take on your story is that you are dealing with a bitter, burned out ER MD.
You can complain to the administration and exactly ZERO will come of it. (Despite all the the assurances to the contrary that you may see posted later on that say something to the effect of: "Oh it will be taken seriously"). You can also give a bad review on the worthless mail-in survey card you are sure to get and the ER nurses will be blamed for your bad experience for the sins of the ER doc.

I'm sorry, but this is a really unfair blanket statement to make. I hope you won't take this personally, because it's certainly not meant to be, but someone might read this and say that it's the words of a "bitter, burned out nurse."

Not *all* administrations ignore all complaints, and not all ER surveys are worthless and sent to the circular file for future reference, nor are they all used to blame ED nurses.

If we work at such facilities, we can vote with our feet and find facilities that are more supportive of nurses and patients, or we can choose to make direct change and become the kind of administrators that we want to see in practice.

missingunc, send a letter to the hospital CEO and tell them about your experience. Be polite, but remind them that you were there due to a legitimate concern your doctor had. I hope you feel better soon.

missingunc · Mar 6, 2008

Thank you. I was there for a legitimate reason and to be laughed at is not fun. Espically when you are so weak you have to be in a wheelchair and can barely take being hugged because it is painful.

Im resting and trying to get better. Thank you for your support.

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Mar 6, 2008

The doctor may have been less than sympathetic, but you had the flu...just a common bug

We're seeing dozens of people who freak out because they get the sweats and chills of a high fever and demand admission. They aren't going to die, there is nothing we can do that they can't do at home. The problem may be that they haven't been that sick before and they are frightened. They deserve sympathy, but after the first baker's dozen I start to wish Tylenol would put out some PSA's about one dose not lasting 24hours straight, and the advantages of PO hydration with fevers.

suanna · Mar 6, 2008

You were advised to go to the E.R. by your physician-I would have gone. The E.R doc was a bit of an a**, but in a strange, inept way he may have been trying to be reassuring-("you're not in danger of dying of a dye reaction-I think it's just a flu") I've worked E.R. a few times and have never been impressed with the overwhelming compassion that abounds there. As a rule the E.R. gets the lowest patient satisfaction scores in the hospital. I not meaning to put down the E.R. nursing staff! It just seems the E.R. hardens you more that other areas of health care. I think with all the B.S. they have to put up with every day, the use of simple coutresy and tact gets a little rusty.

SDS_RN, RN · Mar 6, 2008

As a rule the E.R. gets the lowest patient satisfaction scores in the hospital. I not meaning to put down the E.R. nursing staff! It just seems the E.R. hardens you more that other areas of health care. I think with all the B.S. they have to put up with every day, the use of simple coutresy and tact gets a little rusty.

I'm an ED nurse and yes I would have to say that sometimes you see the same people over and over again abusing the system and it does harden you a little. These are the most demanding and unappreciative people and sometimes it's hard to maintain your courtesy and tact. I do my very best to treat all my pt's w/ dignity and respect no matter what their status but they make it very trying sometimes. Sorry that was off the topic.

We usually don't get worked up about people who come in w/ the flu but we do empathize because you are feeling miserable. However, we can't do much more for you than you can do for yourself. You were right to ensure you weren't having a dye reaction but I probably would have went in after your doc told you to. I'm sorry that you were treated that way noboby likes to be laughed at and he should have been a little more tactful. I hope you feel better soon.

missingunc · Mar 6, 2008

The doctor may have been less than sympathetic, but you had the flu...just a common bug
We're seeing dozens of people who freak out because they get the sweats and chills of a high fever and demand admission. They aren't going to die, there is nothing we can do that they can't do at home. The problem may be that they haven't been that sick before and they are frightened. They deserve sympathy, but after the first baker's dozen I start to wish Tylenol would put out some PSA's about one dose not lasting 24hours straight, and the advantages of PO hydration with fevers.

Common bug or not...i didnt just have the chills, shaking uncontrolably and was advised to go to the E.R. I wouldn't have gone if I knew it was only the flu. I was treated for dehydration and they knew I had to have an eye kept on my symptoms because of the stomach pains, shaking, fatigue..I have a history of Kidney Infections and I am currently being tested for MS.

Aside from all my health issues.. I had a da*n good reason to be there. So sorry if they see people with common symptoms but I did not have your average fever with some sickness!

Another thing.. I dont care if they see 100 people with a flu symptoms, they should treat the patients with a little more respect then what I was given..made out like I was the jerk for being there.

Shame on that doctor and anyone who agreed with his bed side manners. :madface: :nono: