doctors treatment of nurses??

[nursejllrn]

Does anyone work where the doctor's actually treat the nurses well? You know, friendly considerate etc. In my 18 years as a nurse I have worked in two different hospitals where the docs were actually pretty nice, and on the rare occasion they did act like a jerk, they would usually apoligize. Just FYI both of these facilities were small hospitals. Coincidence?

[General E. Speaking, RN, RN]

small hosp. some are rude but most are not. We joke around at the nurses station. Some even ask about my family and in turn talk about their kids (mainly the women docs) Have socialized with a few outside of work. I think of myself as part of the team.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

You have RN's who think they are better than CNA an LPN...Never look down on anyone. CNA and LPN are their to help YOU and are a vital asset. Always be a team player and lend a helping hand not just linger and give demands.

Well-said.

[Nemhain]

I'm happy to say that about 90% of the doctors I encounter maintain a professional attitude and about 20% of those are super nice. Like tweety posted, most of the time a doctor gets angry it's when a nurse has really messed up the order. I've mostly been nursing at small to medium hospitals.

[muffie, RN]

i work at a large teaching hospital and the docs are usually friendly and professional

however, we are all only human...

[wonderbee, BSN, RN]

Where I work in a big teaching hospital, mostly we're treated with respect and there's even comraderie. Even the neurosurgeons are mostly pretty decent people. Dare I say there is even some dating going on? I know it's different in community hospitals with private docs. I think I would miss that if I left a teaching hospital.

[unknownlegend]

I guess I'm lucky. The majority of the doctors I work with are fairly nice. There are a few that have their quirks or can be twits in the middle of the night but for the most part there is nice sense of community and team work, particularly on my floor. Most of the docs and nurses are on first name bases and we often talk about family and life outside of work. Several of the docs bring their kids with them on rounds and its not uncommon for several of us to be overheard joking around. And yes, I work in a small community hospital (med/surg 42 beds). Coincidence? I think not...

[slou!]

My current large hospital is pretty nice as far as doctors go. The one i worked at before was full of attitude, though. I've experienced doctors call names, use profanity on the phone, and throw charts and instruments ! Very unprofessional and totally uncalled for. One neurosurgeon was absolutely notorious for his bad attitude and temper. He would often flip over tables in the OR, scream, and one time even cornered a nurse in the medication room with his hand raised above his head while he yelled at her. Most of the time administration let him slide for his outbursts, bc at this particular hospital the buzz-word was "physician satisfaction" (bleh), but when he cornered that nurse in the room in a threatening manner, that was the final straw...the group of us nurses' called security and had him physically removed from the unit. The nurse involved genuinely felt her safety was in danger (even though if anything did happen, the rest of us would have kicked this guy's butt) and she pressed formal charges through the hospital. I left shortly after, but I wonder what became of that situation....

Wow! I can't believe that! Maybe that's because I am not a nurse :)

I have to admit the "stories" I hear about doctors' treatement torwards nurses does make me a little nervous for when I do become a nurse!

[Alexsys]

Overall the majority of the ones I have worked with were really friendly. There was one or two that I had to get straight. I dont tolerate being talked down to by ANYONE. But with some, I think that when you let it be known that you are not going to take crap, they will not give it. But I was professional when I straightened them out

[grammyr]

I work in a small rural facility and ALL of doctors are professional and friendly. Some of them even bring us our favorite things : chocolate and ink pens!!!!! One of our ED docs brings breakfast for the hospital staff every Saturday morning at 8am when he comes in.

[nrsang97, BSN, RN]

For the most part the docs I have worked with have been prosessional and even friendly. At one hospital I worked at a nurse POLITELY asked a MD to please feel free to use the phone at the desk since cell phones weren't permitted on the unit. This creep of a doctor called her a Fu***** B**** and that he will do what he wants. We called security and had him removed from the unit. The next day I had a consult to call to this guy and I was scared to death that I had to call him. No disciplinary action to my knowledge. Another doc while I was in orinetation and we just finished coding a pt, and I just got yelled at by the daughter for not telling them via phone that he was coding, Dr. yelled at me for not knowing why his pt didn't get a tray for breakfast. I told him I would check with pt nurse (My assignment was on other hall). He told my with my attitude I wouldn't last 6 months. Had a doc tell me that I could "Do whatever I wanted with the pt since she was hospice. Don't call me again." Did that mean I could order a MS drip?? (I didn't just the increased frequency on tylenol) Also had doc yelling at me over phone because no one was answering. I had his pt trying to get on the elevator and no one at the desk to clerk at the time. (clerk was on break). I told the doc he had a choice, "Either I let your pt get onto the elevator and wander into the street and get hit by a car or I answer the phone. I chose pt safety. Any questions?" Doc quickly appologized.

At the most recent hospital I worked at, a smaller hospital, the docs were a little more relaxed. Very professional. Only pissed when you did things like d/c home or to LTC with out orders. We had a nurse do that twice to the same doc's pt's. I felt like I worked more as a team with these docs. I did know most of them from the previous hospital I worked at. So for the most part here they were friendly and professional. I really miss some of them.

I know work for the largest hospital in same system as previous hospital and this is a large teaching hospital 900 beds. Docs are deffinately professional and attentive to pt need. I did freak out the intensivest, pt had levo drip d/c'd and I gave BP meds. (BP 125/43) No real documentation for pt to be on levo so my preceptor and I stopped drip. But doc was really nice eventhough I had just scared the crap out of him. BP was actually higher when they were rounding (150/50).

For the most part docs are very professional. There are the ones who can be unprofessional jerks.

[gonzo1, ASN, RN]

I work at 300 bed hospital in 35 bed ER. I really like all my doc's. Never call them by their first names though. But a lot of the nurses do. Feel like we are a good team with good pt outcomes. 95 percent of the doc's I meet are cool, one is a jerk and the rest are a-okay.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

For the most part people will do whatever you put up with, so be assertive. The simplest thing would be to ask "what?" slowly so they can rethink what they just said, or repeat it back to them, "you said I was a stupid, incompetent, what?"

The next would be to say evenly, "Don't speak to me like that, I don't like it." You can't possibly get in trouble for either of those. Unfortunately some nurses work in an environment where doc is god and they won't get any backup. If they are putting their jobs on the line every time they speak up naturally they will let people get away with more. That kind of hospital will rot your soul after awhile, so think about making a graceful exit if it is getting to you.

Ask during interviews how they handle outbursts from staff. Look for a written policy for medical staff discipline. It's a fair question, and if they say they have it then your NM will have your back, at least in theory.