fetching the doctor's tea

[nursingaround1]

Just a small anecdote that happened when working at the National Neurological hospital in central London - it's the most prestigious neuro hospital in the country.

Anyway, my friend made the headlines of the local tabloids because we were both working there as temp nurses, and we'd only worked a few shifts before, but the surgeon was used to the nurses automatically getting his cup of tea, but as we were new there, had no idea. But he didn't tell me to get the tea (maybe because I was a guy) but he asked my friend (who was female) where his cup of tea was.

She politely told him she was there to fetch his tea for him.

The doctor didn't exactly complain, well, nothing official, but he did speak to the charge nurse, who did excused the temp nurses actions and had a quiet word with her.

My friend wasn't happy about this, moaned about it to her friends outside of work, one of whom happened to work in the newspaper business, and suddenly her story is on the front page of the paper.

Anyway, just saying.

[Susie2310]

Nothing wrong with that. Your urgent isn't their urgent. People actually leave the building and go out.

Different culture, different values.

You are absolutely right Fiona59; thank you for taking the time to educate me. I actually come from Europe, so I am familiar with differences in culture, but thank you all the same for informing me that there are differences.

[SummitRN, BSN, RN]

20 year old tabloid story is beyond old news. It is irrelevant.

[roser13, ASN, RN]

Nothing wrong with that. Your urgent isn't their urgent. People actually leave the building and go out.

I know one doctor who's favourite memory of working in the UK is of the tea and bacon butties brought into the OR break for snacks between cases.

Different culture, different values.

Do tell: What is a bacon buttie? It doesn't sound terribly appetizing, but since bacon is involved, it can't be that bad.

[Fiona59]

Do tell: What is a bacon buttie? It doesn't sound terribly appetizing, but since bacon is involved, it can't be that bad.

A buttie is a sandwich, or in some regions a bread bun. Fresh white bread product, rashers of bacon and either tomato or brown sauce. Some heretics have been known to put onions in there.

Sausage butties require grilled onions.

[Ruas61, BSN, RN]

Had to look up Brown sauce and rashers.

I am sure the folks on this side of the pond would hoover it up.

Everyone at my workplace is gaga over bacon.

[Susie2310]

Nothing wrong with that. Your urgent isn't their urgent. People actually leave the building and go out.

Different culture, different values.

Cultural issues aside, and I am from Europe and am very familiar with the cultural importance of "tea breaks"; putting one's tea break before the needs of a patient, so that no physician is available to give advice over the phone to a patient/family member on an important medical issue, is certainly not patient-centered care. If you had an important medical concern would you like to be told that the physician is not available to give medical advice because he/she is on their tea break?!! How would you feel if you or your family suffered an adverse outcome because your own physician was too busy drinking tea to speak to you?

[Fiona59]

Cultural issues aside, and I am from Europe and am very familiar with the cultural importance of "tea breaks"; putting one's tea break before the needs of a patient, so that no physician is available to give advice over the phone to a patient/family member on an important medical issue, is certainly not patient-centered care. If you had an important medical concern would you like to be told that the physician is not available to give medical advice because he/she is on their tea break?!! How would you feel if you or your family suffered an adverse outcome because your own physician was too busy drinking tea to speak to you?

I'm from the UK originally and never refer to myself as European.

What's that old saying? Your lack of planning does not my emergency make?

No matter what we say on here you always right.

Now, I have a pizza to eat and a family to hang with. Stop focussing on you and try enjoy this forum

[nursel56]

happened either 98 or 99. No idea which british paper, but it also made the news in new Zealand.

Don't believe, that's fine, but why on earth would I make something like this up? What is going on here. Just thought I'd share a little anecdote from the distant past. No big deal, no controversy.

And you can 'politely' tell someone you are not there to make a cup of tea, or you can tell the bugger off - not sure how some people didn't quite get that.

Well, I guess I'm not seeing where the tabloid headline part comes in there. Sounds like sort of a snoozer for a tabloid, especially one in a different hemisphere, but maybe I'm missing something. Now if the nurse had told the bugger off, or even told him to bugger off, I could see it.

Neurosurgeons tend to be an odd lot so they say, so you may have set up your audience for some first class theatrics.

A buttie is a sandwich, or in some regions a bread bun. Fresh white bread product, rashers of bacon and either tomato or brown sauce. Some heretics have been known to put onions in there.

Sausage butties require grilled onions.

I want that.

[Susie2310]

I'm from the UK originally and never refer to myself as European.

What's that old saying? Your lack of planning does not my emergency make?

No matter what we say on here you always right.

Now, I have a pizza to eat and a family to hang with. Stop focussing on you and try enjoy this forum

I am from the UK too, and whether or not you refer to yourself as European is of no relevance that I can see.

Unfortunately, your quote, "Your lack of planning does not my emergency make" does not apply in the context of my post, and you do not know anything about the situation in which it was necessary for me to call the doctors practice I referred to in Europe, so you are making judgments without sufficient information. I am sorry you feel the need to try to make me look inferior, but really all you are doing is calling attention to your own deficiencies. Your posts on this thread do explain your negative attitude towards patients and their families that is pervasive in many of your posts on this forum.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

I find it curious that the OP starts threads with stories that are from ten, fifteen, twenty years ago, and always involve something titillating, scandalous. Never anything current. Never anything from current employment. Always something that would indicate a big reaction should follow.

OP also seems to have quite a resume, having worked at nearly every specialty and in every setting I can imagine.....actually, I think the ONLY individual I have heard of who has even greater varieties of work settings and fanciful situations is Cherry Ames. Oh, wait...she was a fictional character in a book series!

[Fiona59]

Could it be Sue Barton is posting, the ever perky nursing student? Finally grew up, had a sex change and moved to Switzerland?

[roser13, ASN, RN]

Could it be Sue Barton is posting, the ever perky nursing student? Finally grew up, had a sex change and moved to Switzerland?

Oooh! Now we're getting somewhere! Could the Hardy Boys be far behind?