Had the WORST shadow experience, am shaking

Nursing Students General Students

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I can barely even breathe I am just outraged and upset and everything else. I shadowed in ob/gyn (my choice for working after graduation, if I am so lucky) and lucked out shadowing an amazing team of nurses. Its a big downtown hospital, very busy. Anyway, the backstory is that a first time mom was getting in induction, did not like her perinatologist, who is known to frankly be a big jerk and is legendary for being really rude, disruptive and awful to the nurses, paitents, other drs (and I mean other dr's saying they refuse to work with this dr anymore or refer their perinatologist cases onwards).

SO,the patient was literally crying to not have to see dr ------- again, and the nurse said she had no choice but would be there thru it all, helping and coaching (it was really amazing to see her caring bedside manner!)

Etc etc I ASSUME the nurse waited til the last minute to call the dr, the high risk dr whizzes in, I should say.. STORMS IN SCREAMING "wHO IS HAVING A BABY AND HOW DARE YOU NOT TELL ME"

does not say or look at the patient, who bursts into huge sobbing tears.

at this particular hospital, they handle lots of serious high risk (which this patient was not, just had the misfortune of selecting this dr by accident) so in comes the hi risk patient team.

I at this point am behind the nurse (out of the way yet involved by looking) when the dr stormed in slamming stuff. Literally screaming.

delivery happens. Perfect delivery, mom and baby fine, great.

Dr then proceeds to stitch up the patient, the dr is still VERY IRATE and yells at the nurse who is holding a sponge says "Give it to me then if you cant hold it right" the nurse sarcastically says "ok dr X, I am gonna tell you right now I wont take this tonite"

and here is where I come in.

The dr takes the SPONGE filled with blood out of her hands and throws it down, BUT THE SPONGE HITS ME IN THE ARM and splashes BLOOD ON ME

EVERYONE started arguing. The patient was crying again, thinking something was happening to HER

I am STUNNED.

no one apologized and the dr didnt even LOOK at me. The other nurses were horrorfied on my behalf. I do NOT know what to do.

Maybe nursing is NOT for me. This is not how another human should be treated. And get this, the PATIENT who just had a baby and getting stiched up says "EXCUSE ME, if you want to argue you do it outside of THIS ROOM, do you understand me?"

she was the coolest out of them all.

If this is how high flying peri's treat their nurses , this is not my field, I refuse to be talked to like this and I refuse to have wet fresh blood flung at me.

I quit. This is enough. I am switching to OT school. Done

now I get to see if I get HIV or hep C right

THANKS FOR NOTHING

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Please go through your post and proofread it. You mentioned 'Dr. Name'. I don't believe you meant to identify anyone by name.

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Specializes in Psychiatry.

I'm sorry you experienced this. Healthcare IS high stress, but this experience was really bad. How embarrassing!!

Just don't let this ONE experience leave you feeling jaded about the profession as a whole :nurse:

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Specializes in Professional Development Specialist.

You will have days like this, no matter what your profession. I agree with the PP to first edit that name and second don't let one day make you quit. Yes, there will be doctors like that. But no matter where you work there will be people who don't work well with others and are just jerks. You will learn how to work with those individuals (like the nurse who said she wouldn't put up with that tonight.) You'll also learn how to be the person who speaks up and says "step outside, this is not appropriate" instead of the patient. Hang in there! Your instincts to be horrified for that patient were very right on, and I'd be happy to have you as my nurse. The good will most likely outweight the bad.

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Specializes in Cardiac, Derm, OB.

This "Dr" needs to be reported for peer review and privileges suspended.

I am sorry you have to witness this side, but don't let it make you walk away. You will learn to be the advocate. Good luck and try to stay positive.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

I'm a little confused- is there 1 jerk or 2? Either way, the doctor who threw the sponge filled with body fluids, I believe is a crime. I think you should report it to the doc's superiors in writing. I think this doctor's behavior is beyond what anyone should have to put up with. Since you aren't actually employed there, you may not suffer the repercussions the others might.

The patient, having her first baby was robbed of her experience, the one women never forget. This woman will never forget the yelling, crying and arguing. That is unconscionable to me.

Nursing as a whole isn't anything like that. I also witnessed a horrible birth when I was a student, the details and emotions of it- still there. I shared that a while back. I really don't have enough expletives in mind to call the person that behaved so shamefully in that delivery room.

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To nursel56, I believe greenykilt said the doctor in question was female. Just sayin.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
To nursel56, I believe greenykilt said the doctor in question was female. Just sayin.

Thanks- made it gender neutral. The only reference I saw in the OPs story to a gender was "jerk". Normally I think of a guy when I hear that word. :D sorry, guys ;)

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Thanks- made it gender neutral. The only reference I saw in the OPs story to a gender was "jerk". Normally I think of a guy when I hear that word. :D sorry, guys ;)

Ha ha, well you sound like a fun person which makes the reverse sexism a little more tolerable. Not all guys are jerks, at least not the ones in health care.

And to poor greenykilt, I feel for you. I pitty the doctor who intentionally throws blood at me while I'm at clinical, he or she will get a hot-cup-a-reality. Can you say BIOHAZARD! Oh and I'm relatively sure that unless you had cuts on your body there is absolutely nothing to worry about.

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Thanks everyone. I am a "older" student who has a MBA and previous VP experience and have been around many politically explosive, difficult and embarassing situations. But this one to me is inexusable.

I am actually on my way to the hospital. I am dressed up , head to toe in a suit complete with heels and full makeup/hair.

Why? because I have called the jerk dr's after call service, told her she needed to meet me up at the hospital to have a discussion about her personal ethics. She is meeting me up there in 45 minutes.

No one puts baby in the corner (ok had to add that)

also it probably will help that my husband is a well known dr up there, I have NOT told anyone this because I dont want to deal with that, I am going into nursing for the sole fact of doing some missionary work in 3rd world countries in women services, in which my husband will be doing cardiac care when we can. I wont even discuss what my husband thinks should happen, I am wanting to handle this one myself.

Anyway, wish me luck. This is unacceptable. I am not only doing this for myself, but doing this to all the nurses she treats this way. So there ya go.

Thank you

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Specializes in ICU.

Good luck - hope it went well.

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Specializes in GERIATRICS AND PRISON.

Hello,

How did it go. Allways help if you have connections higher then hers.

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