Evil Doctors

Most doctors I know are caring. However, what I do find is common,,,, there are doctors that are from the middle east who were raised in a culture that women were 'below' men. These doctors won't even look at women, won't talk to them, ,, in my unit there are two in particular that make rounds. They will sit around and BS with the male nurses, but when it comes to me asking them a question, they won't even look at me and answer it. Sometimes it is so bad that I ask a male nurse in the unit to talk to the doctor and ask him questions for me.

There is the "women are below men" thing.

But in many traditional Muslim cultures, it's indecent for a man to look at or talk to an unrelated female.

I took care of a young man once who broke my heart. Dying of AIDS, he was a conservative Muslim from Saudi Arabia who spoke no English. You could see how difficult it was for him to make eye contact with me ... and he had to tolerate not only eye contact but direct physical care. Luckily, we were able to get him home before he died.

sometimes they have really bad days too....and after seeing some nurses and how they speak on a phone when calling them for orders (I have rambled myself a time or two)...anyway one of our docs is great...but one night I had my orientee put down an NG tube. I threw pillows behind pts head so it was tilted forward as you initially put it down ("tilt your chin down so it opens up the food pipe and closes the wind pipe" I say) to avoid going down into the lungs. Well stat port CXRs weren't very stat that night. We ended up putting 3 tubes down. The radiologist said no more tubes down tonight-too much radiation. So we call this doctor to get an order for IV fluids with Dextrose --instead he reorders the NG to be placed. Of course I have done the last 2-our technique is great it would just get to a point and feel like it was bunching up---. Well the fourth one was getting xrayed as we left that night--I even think the, yes, the regular charge nurse put that one down. Well we left and the next shift nurse had called me before I had even gotten home to tell me she had called this doctor to tell him the chr nurse's tube was bunched up in there too. (they never got to the lung--they would get to the esoph junction the radiologist would say). She called me because the doctor was yelling at her on the phone and wanted her to call me to see 'what techniques were they using, and call me back.' I said, "Well, as there were three of us, two of who regularly got their tubes in their pts, one who was a new nurse, I think we know what we are doing, and you can tell him that we do it according to Perry and Potter procedures, if that is going to help him in anyway to get an NG tube in that patient." I didn't hear back from her that night. Found out the next day he had her try 3 more times. They finally ended up doing it under flouro. Then she got a Gtube. But like I said very good and usually very nice doctor. He heard from the regular charge nurse though--been a little sheepish lately...

I was going to respond, but then I realized I just didn't care enough to write anything.

Plus I have to slaughter this goat before I can call on the dark lord to curse the souls of the the ER nurses.

I'm sure TiredMD isn't evil, but he does have a wicked sense of humor.

I'm sure TiredMD isn't evil . . .

No no, definitely evil. Nasty evil. I refuse to talk to anyone unless they have a doctorate. I beat up nurses who make me mad (but only after work). And I'm quite sure I'm better than everyone else around me.

As a patient I will put my toe into these waters, so to speak.

I have been around hospitals my entire life. My mother is a nurse, and I have a lifelong illness.

I have found that there are bad apples in every bunch. Some of my favorite people are doctors and nurses. In my case, ( I cannot speak for all patients) I have noticed that doctors and nurses do seem to have a different demeanor with me because I am knowledgeable about my disease and my body. My symptoms never really change, and treatment never changes too much. And they always like the rare ones! LOL

I tend to think that:

A) Doctors are busy. They have alot of patients and limited time.

B) Doctors and nurses sometimes have to " shut down " their " Care-O-Meter" regarding feelings etc. , to focus on handling the situation. I don't think that they don't care. I think that if they really let theirselves think of the suffering and death, it would get to them.

C) There is a level of decorum I expect from my doctor. And a professional attitude is far more calming than if the doctor is as upset as I am. That would frighten me. If he/she is able to stay calm, I think the situation stays calm.

At least that's my two cents :)

I've met some incredible doctors to work with and some others that are devoted to the care of their patients. I've also met some real prick doctors too. Same thing for nurses, too.

Goes the same way for police officiers. And dentists. And customer service reps at supermarkets. And lawyers. And waitrers/waitresses. And flight attendents. And vendors. And teachers. Shall I go on?