Tips for a newbie on dealing with mean doctors?

Nurses General Nursing

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I am graduating in May and already have a position in a PCU with a large teaching hospital in my area. I am hired for night shift and am anticipating some uncomfortable situations with angry tired doctors. I tend to avoid confrontation, and am afraid I will be so shocked I won't be able to say anything to them. I was hoping some experienced nurses could share some tips or one liners to diffuse a tense situation and get what you want from a doctors without engaging in a screaming match. Any other tips on dealing with doctors in general is appreciated. Out of all the new things I am going to learn and all the scary things that can happen, dealing with doctors is what I am most terrified of! THANKS!!!!!

The idea of the screaming MD used to scare me too.

I agree with the reply from hogan4736, above, who wrote: "I disagree w/ starting your call off w/ an apology...It makes us sound sheepish and puts us at a disadvantage...It's their job to be on call 24/7...Not MY problem you decided to go to med school......BE PREPARED...I'll take notes before the call...I'll lay out the labs in front of me...Read the H&P before calling...If the pt is dizzy, I'll have orthos already done...Think ahead...We work for the pt, not them..."

This is, I think, SO WELL SAID!!!!

The writer, hogan4736 has a great plan, and when I call an MD, I try to follow it myself.

As a newer RN, I got over my fear of screaming MD's after the second time one of them screamed at me....

I realized that their "screaming" indicates a lack of self-control. The fact is, the screaming MD "pales" in comparison to all of the serious things that can quickly go wrong for a very ill patient.

If an MD or anyone else screams at you, their unprofesional behavior says more (negatively) about them than it does you.

Over time, the docs who want to work WITH you to help the patient will far outnumber the screamers.

From a practical standpoint, and after I do the prep-work that hogan4736 describes, I make the call to the screaming MD.

I find it helps me to remember that the # of hours in my shift is limited, and then I get to go home....but this patient is possibly dealing with a life changing event. It may be a long time till they go home.... So, do I focus on the screaming MD, or do I focus on the patient? Naturally, we all know, we focus on our patient.

Another thought---Getting through Med School may entitle him or her to a Platinum Amex Card, but it does NOT entitle them to treat you badly!! Hold your ground, stay focused on the patient, be prepared with facts, and you will find that these screaming events are not so significant...You will see your own value! The MD really needs the info you have...

You will also find that you are not alone, there ARE other RN's on your shift for you to consult as a resource, and a Nursing Supervisor always in any hospital.

Again, documentation IS your friend, and as long as you say focused on the patient--the screaming will subside. Sure, it IS uncomfortable, but it is also TEMPORARY :-)

And, it makes for a great story, much later, after you have taken good care of your patient, and the screamer is history...

mccmaeve

Specializes in progressive care.
don't be scared. their poo smells no better than yours.

My poo happens to smell like roses...:lol2:

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i am graduating in may and already have a position in a pcu with a large teaching hospital in my area. i am hired for night shift and am anticipating some uncomfortable situations with angry tired doctors. i tend to avoid confrontation, and am afraid i will be so shocked i won't be able to say anything to them. i was hoping some experienced nurses could share some tips or one liners to diffuse a tense situation and get what you want from a doctors without engaging in a screaming match. any other tips on dealing with doctors in general is appreciated. out of all the new things i am going to learn and all the scary things that can happen, dealing with doctors is what i am most terrified of! thanks!!!!!

gee, you haven't even graduated yet and you're worried about dealling with "mean" doctors? i'm wondering what makes you so convinced that the doctors are going to be mean, angry and confrontational. and why would you even consider engaging in a screaming match with anyone at work?

most doctors, especially those in teaching hospitals are pleasant and easy to work with. they're people. deal with them in a friendly, pleasant manner and i'm sure you'll get the same back from most. on the other hand, if you go into an interaction expecting them to be mean, angry or confrontation, that's probably what you're going to get.

if you're always or often getting a negative interaction with someone -- be it physician, experienced nurse, family member, or whoever, take a minute to think about what you may have said or done to precipitate or escalate the situation and about how you might improve things next time. if you're always getting negative reactions, it probably isn't that everyone around you is mean -- it could be that you're eliciting the reactions you're getting.

you'll get exactly as much bullsh** as you'll tolerate, so don't tolerate any. expect people to be pleasant and polite and they probably will be.

good luck

thanks for the kind words mccmaeve...

truthfully, it's a skill that's (for me) learned in the ED...Having an open dialogue w/ the physicians, I learned to go to them w/ clear, quick, succinct information about my patient, with the goal of getting what I want for my patient...when I went to work in the SNF, I used those same direct, prepared skills when dealing w/ the docs (and NPs) on the telephone...Always got what the pt needed, which was my goal...confidence and preparedness are the key elements

Specializes in ER/Geriatrics.

Why is it that we feel the need to tolerate or try to figure out how to deal with mean doctors.............ZERO TOLERENCE....you get what you put up with! Don't tolerate any abuse of any kind.

Liz

Specializes in progressive care.

The reason Im am worried about it already is that throughout nursing school I have heard stories about mean doctors. I dont believe all doctors are mean, I just want to be more than prepared for the first time it happens, and it seems that no matter where you work, it will happen from time to time. I want to learn the best and most effective ways to deal with them. The don't teach it in nursing school.

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