Does anyone else have a problem with packs of residents/interns/med students blocking hallways? I have always mentioned to nurses that sometimes the "whitecoats" look like flocks of lost birds, but lately it has gotten really bad. I will be answering a call light and have to shove my way through a group of them. A polite "excuse me" elicits no response and if I say it again loud enough to bother the attending, I get cold looks before they scoot over 4 inches so I can get through.
Last week I was ambulating a patient with difficulty breathing and he kept stopping. I asked if he was dizzy/tired/ etc. but he jsut looked up at the pack of residents and mumbled "is there any way to go around? I dont want to bother them."
I said "they are standing in front of your room, and so what if it bothers them this hospital was founded to take care of patients not doctors."
He chuckled and the doctors gave us just enough room to pass, with looks on their faces like it was a severe injustice that they had to be interrupted.
Any suggestions?