Had my first doctor scream at me today

[TigerGalLE]

I am a new grad. This is my last week on orientation.. Well today was horrible! Nothing went right! I was crazy busy.. I couldn't find any of my charts because they tend to "float around." Meaning doctors have them then social work has them... Anyways that is a whole other topic..

Today I was in my patients room and the unit secretary called down there on the intercom. Asked if the patient was in the room. I said yes, why? He said; Just making sure. Well then here comes transport to take my patient downstairs for an XRAY. So I send my patient and everything is fine.

20 minutes later a doctor is asking for the chart. I tell the doctor that the patient is in XRAY. He begins to scream at me saying that he called 30 minutes ago to make sure the patient was here. Said he drove 30 minutes to come see this patient and now the patient isn't in the room. Continued to yell at me about how he didn't have all day to deal with my stupid mistakes. At this point a senior nurse stepped in to back me up (thank god). I called XRAY and the doc ended up going downstairs to see the patient. But I was so embarrassed. Everyone at the station witnessed this. The other doctors were looking at me and shaking their heads. I almost cried and then I remembered how my critical care instructor told us to never let a doctor make us cry. So I sucked it up and went about my day..

I was just so embarrassed and so mad. There had obviously been a miscommunication issue here. I spoke with the unit secretary and he agreed he should of told me why he was checking to see if the patient was there.. Luckily everyone backed me up. But dang!! Doctors can't do their job without us nurses! They need to learn some respect!:angryfire

[RNfaster]

First of all I would get hold of that jerk of a unit secretary and demand to know why he didn't tell you that the doctor was on his way in and not to send the patient anywhere. It sounds to me like he set you up and I would give him a little of what I just received or write him up. From now on do not trust him and watch your back, be sure to tell your manager.

Don't feel quite so bad I was screamed at so bad the other day that the surgeon was back in the OR suite on the phone yelling at me so loudly they could here him outside the other end of the surgery dept through the double doors in the hallway. I just laughed it off...he was the one looking the jack ass .

Burn Out, I disagree that the unit secretary should be blamed. Sure both the OP and the nurse might have put two and two together (and probed for details further) after communicating about the patient's presence and seeing the patient go to x-ray. But the doctor is really at fault for his inappropriate tantrum. --And, how hard was it for the doctor to go down to x-ray? -I think the unit secretary can be faulted for just passing on the info sans details, but I don't think it smacks of malice. And I don't think anyone has the right to throw a tantrum in a workplace. ...except maybe a two year old in a grocery store...and even then, that two year old should be taken home and put to bed.

[santhony44, MSN, RN, NP]

By the way, the other docs looking at you and shaking their heads very possibly were responding to your being yelled at, not at your having made a "mistake." The doctor was doing a good job of making himself look like and idiot.

[fultzymom]

Sorry this happened to you. If it makes you feel better, I am sure that all of us have had this happen to us. Doesn't make it any better. My first doc got mad because I requested an in-house x-ray for a lady who's leg was swollen big et he was yelling that if she had a fracture, didn't I think she should go out to the ER? My supervisor told me to request an in-house to save a trip out on night shift for this lady et the waiting in the ER. I was just doing what I was told. I finally gave the call to the supervisor because he would not let up on me. I said, "I'm going to put you on with my supervisor who will deal with you." By the time the supervisor got off the phone, I had the order for the in-house x-ray.

[HisHands, ASN, RN]

We have one group of docs (actually, MDs and NPs) that are always on call for one of our regular docs. So, we get the priviledge of calling them pretty frequently. Anyway, I had to page this one NP (that wretched....) because my patient with a cast to his RLE suddenly start to stink like old dirty foot, and suddenly in the heel of the cast, there was a massive wet spot that soaked through the plaster. She gave me a T.O. to send pt to the hospital. Well, I ended up talking to the pt who was his own RP, and he declined to go to the hospital. He apparently had an appt with the doc who put the cast on in the AM and wanted to see that doc. Attempted to explain to the pt that time was of the essence, he probably has an infection to his foot, and they needed to get that cast of. Stated he appreciated the care he was getting at our rehab facility and thought we could handle it here. I talked to the wife who gave me the same response, that we could handle it until AM. I involved the shift supervisor with no change. They weren't going anywhere. So, I call back the NP to inform her that pt declined going to the hospital, and if there was further action we should take here. She answered the phone and stated, "I don't know. I don't care. Do whatever you want to that pateint. But for chr*st's sake never, ever call me again." I said, "But, I need to know what you want me to do with this pt." She proceeded to scream at me that I was an idiot, and obviously couldn't handle the patient load i had been given, and when she was a floor nurse, she never had to page the oncall for such foolish things.

Ok, so long story short. After a while, the wife decided that maybe the hospital was the best place for her hubby. I called back witchy NP, who answered the phone by saying, "I thought I told you never to call me again." Explained the situation, she said, Fine, send him out. And two days later pt foot was amputated for uncontrollable infection growth.

I felt like such a jerk for paging her, but the more older I get, the more ballsy I get. And I just remember, this is what s/he gets paid for. I don't care what they say, they get paid great money to sit by the phone, and wait for me to call.

Stand up for yourself.... and demand the same respect that you give.

~Crystal

[Ariesbsn]

It really sucks that you had to go through that.

After the second time I got chewed, I decided that I just wasn't going to tolerate it again and came up with several replies that I practiced and was ready to use on the next doctor who started to get nasty.

This is my first and most professional:

"Dr. X, a knowledge deficit is best corrected by teaching, not by yelling and belittling. If you would like to teach me calmly, I am most interested in learning. However, it is not an option for you to continue to yell and belittle me. When you are ready to talk to me calmly and with respect, please feel free to come get me. I will be _______."

[rgroyer1RNBSN, BSN, RN]

Well dont take that sh&t I never have and never will. I have been a nurse for awhile now. My first surgeon that yelled at me I dont remember what it was for but he threw a chart across the desk at me and didnt think I was going to do anything. Well I just picked up the d@mn chart and threw it right back at him and told him I was the last nurse hed ever throw a chart at. He then proceeded to yell at me, well I knew just the medicine for him, at that time I worked at a small town hospital, and the don and I had been friends for about 3 years beforehand because this is when I was an LPN anyway the don had been the RN a couple years before I worked with all the time at a nursing facility. Anyway I was friends with her and I knew that she was one of the good ol RN's who still wheres the cap and such so I told him if he wanted to chew someone out go down to the Don's office and chew her out because when I had worked at the nursing facility with her I had seen her snap her fingers at a doc and practically chew his head off so this moron proceeds to go down the hall to chew her out, well she just about took him apart neddless to say he apologized and became friendly very quickley.:angryfire

[LeahJet, ASN, RN]

I once had a doc pitch a little fit about not having a certain supply in the ER. Consulting docs are always coming into our ER and just "grabbing" any ER nurse that happens to be running around tending to her/his own business. They tend to think that we should stop all of our silly ER stuff and fetch stuff for them....

ANYway.....

He threw himself a little tantrum.

Ok, I admit, I am a smartass. It works for me.

I said... "Aww, you're really upset aren't you? Bless your heart. Why don't you just hold tight for a second and I'll page the supervisor to go to surgery to get what you need. OK?" (I was speaking in a tone that you would a 5 year old)

He sputtered and stammered a minute then he sat down and waited.

Turn the tables on them.

Condescension can go both ways.

I admit, not the most professional way to deal with it but I am sure they have had nurses try to deal with them professionally and it obviously didn't work.

This way, I walk off with a big ole grin on my face.

[LeahJet, ASN, RN]

wow.... sorry about the crazy capitals in the last post. i have no idea where they came from!

[Roy Fokker, BSN, RN]

wow.... sorry about the crazy capitals in the last post. i have no idea where they came from!

There! All fixed

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Leah, you're lucky that approach didn't backfire. I wouldn't recommend it.

That kind of stuff I can blow off rather easily, if they are complaining about something I let the rant go on and then address their concerns without acknowledging their behavior, usually I can get them to quit whining and complaining and get to the bottom of what they are saying, which is somehow I've messed up or the people around me have messed up. Most rants don't just spontaneously occur for the sake of having a God complex, it's because they are angry....expressing it inappropriately for sure.

Fortunately, as I said above, I've never heard a doctor scream.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

The other day one of my instructors recommended the following CEU: Talking With The Docs: Effective participant-Physician Communication

http://www.consultantsforthefuture.com/course/talkingwiththedocs.htm

It's not free, but for first year nurses who need CEU's for their license it might be worth getting.

[SueBee RN-BSN]

I hope you told this doctor to shut his pie hole- Never let anyone treat you this way.