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
Good post. I just live in a very conservative area, and I don't know if we could get fired for standing up to the almighty M.D. I agree that there are some things we just have to take, if a patient is confused, sick, etc. I'm not that big a baby. But I figured that dealing with abusive co-workers is something we just have to put up with. I sure hope not!
Fired is not my first concern, I will not be accept being put in physical danger for fear of losing my job. If I wanted to be put in danger daily I would become a cop instead. My safety and health so I can provide for my family is foremost in my mind. Now again I am not talking about going off half cocked for anything. If I feel like I am being put in physical danger from him thowing objects at me that is a CRIMINAL act and will be deal with as such. If I am terminated over it a civil suit will follow against the doctor and hospital for lost wages, emotional distress, ect. As was pointed out in the post above, this is not the dark ages.
Fired is not my first concern, I will not be accept being put in physical danger for fear of losing my job. If I wanted to be put in danger daily I would become a cop instead. My safety and health so I can provide for my family is foremost in my mind. Now again I am not talking about going off half cocked for anything. If I feel like I am being put in physical danger from him thowing objects at me that is a CRIMINAL act and will be deal with as such. If I am terminated over it a civil suit will follow against the doctor and hospital for lost wages, emotional distress, ect. As was pointed out in the post above, this is not the dark ages.
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
You're absolutely right.
I understand where you're coming from - as you explained in your previous post. Everyone confronting a workplace issue will factor in the likely consequences to their ability to feed their family and ever work in that town again. What's even sadder, is that other victims of the abuse will keep their mouths shut if one of their colleagues does stand up to the bullies. The principles are universal. If you like old movies go see "On the Waterfront". It's theme is what happens when one guy dares to stand up to entrenched corruption. Yes, I know the OR isn't the shipyard :) but still. . .
I think the time is ripe to put Scrubby's list into action. Enough people have simply had it with this crap, and their anger will cause them to shore up the person who speaks out. The problem we have here is that some nurse's have a union, and some don't. I'm sure the powers that be like it that way, but it makes it harder to push forward on these much needed changes to what was acceptable in the past. You shouldn't have to just "hope" you aren't subjected to abuse. You should be able to know you won't be. Best wishes with the rest of nursing school!!
I would definately be talking with a good Labor Law Attorney......let's see........Hostile Work Environment........Emotional Distress..........Exposure to Body Fluids & Infectious Diseases.........
Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.
Well I tell you exactly what I would do. I would write a very strong letter to the CEO of the hospital with a copy to the Chief of Staff. In addition, I would send a copy to the dean of the nursing program. This guy has to be taken to task and I guarantee you they have other complaints on him. Just because you are a student does not mean that you have to put up with stuff like this. I would certianly report him. And I might even go as far as to report him to the licensing board. And in addition, you need to do what ever your school requires after a body fluid exposure.
I want to follow up and thank everyone for your replies. I read each and every one of them and let reply sink in. All were valuable. Thank You.
First, I have been given alot of thought to hostile working conditions. In my previous life, I was a social worker and I was also a VP of sales (I have a graduate degree in business, a MBA), I worked for a major computer manufacturer, made lots of money, had plenty of responsbilities and work place drama believe me. I have worked and lived overseas in places that are hostile to females and Americans. However, nothing has shocked me to the realization at how very bad lateral violance is within healthcare. Especially within nursing.
I will also remind you that my husband is a dr, a cardiologist here in Houston. I add that because I think its important to the rest of my post and my 'realization of lateral violence'.
A previous poster mentioned that you cannot stand up for yourself because of fear of losing your job in the "insitution" of what has become the medical profession. All of you are nurses because of what started (and for the most part is) a continued passion and love for humanity.
So to "Stand up" against lateral violence (this case was extreme I understand) would mean sacraficing not only your job, but possibly your entire livlihood. Of course you cannot do this. You must feed your family, you love your patients, you keep your head down. You try.
In my case, being that my husband makes a decent wage ( more than decent lets be honest) I do not need to make anything at all. I want to learn the "art" and "love" of nursing because my husband and I would like to travel and do medical mission work and I want to help later when I have skills.
However, I spent alot of time reading various posts here in this forum relating to absurd lateral violence issues and in my experience, it seems almost exclusive to nursing and a few other medical careers.
This must stop. I have talked to alot of my husbands colleagues about this issue, including many nurse managers and etc at his hospital and practice to get their input. Its rampant and its "institutionalized".
I think I have found my new calling! I have a meeting next week (thanks to husband who can pull strings) to help facilitate somekind of committee or organization to stop/educate this absurd medical lateral violence!
The dr I originally wrote about has been placed on a leave because I did in fact report her to the necessary people. But you know what, I CAN because I dont NEED to have an income, I am not bleeding my bank account to become a nurse and pouring out blood, sweat n tears to do so. I dont NEED to keep my head down so I dont rock the boat, because I have no fear of the future of my employement.
I cannot tell you the rave response I have gotten from the nurses I have spoken to. I am holding a round table about lateral violence, I do not know much about it, I just want to understand it more and how to fix it.
Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.
Greenykilt,
I cannot tell you how refreshing it is to see someone who can afford it and "gets it" take action. I wish we could have you go undercover to a lot of institutions and be an agent for change.
You will be a wonderful missionary nurse.
Thank you for your efforts and for "walking the talk".
Good for you. this has to stop. I hope this was reported and an incident report filled out. Not only would I meet with this doc but with hospital administration and the nursing administration at the school you are or were attending.Get everything in writing just in case, God forbid, you get sick. I think you might be able to report this directly to OSHA as well. I need to share that I walked away from a $80,000 position due to unethical practices that I tolerated for about 3yrs(worked there for 10). When I confronted my administration about the issue,their response was " Why now" meaning I never had done anything about it before. My answer was 'Why did it ever even happen:rolleyes" ? My only regret is that I did not do it sooner. I slept a lot better at night,took 18 months off,doing freelance work and returned to home care field position part time and am happy. Ps I never again have nor will I ever compromise my ethics for a job or anything else.
i am glad to hear that someone who can affect the situation has chosen not to look the other way. there is so much that goes on that people are unaware of. for those of you interested in this subject and along similar lines see the thread about the nurse who was arrested for reporting what she saw as medical incompetence.
i feel that we have not moved forward at all from when i started working in healthcare in 1981. i think that nurses have actually lost power because we are so replaceable now. the fact that the nurses said nothing, did nothing while you were assaulted this way simply confirms my suspicion that they were afraid and were probably subjected to similar abuses themselves without repercussion. what a horrible experience.
i will say that in my personal experience the treatment of the nurses was the worst in the or. nursing school is certainly no picnic, and other nurses can be pretty rough too, but as i recall the or was the worst. this doc sounds like a real prima dona such as i witnessed in the or. i never saw anything like this during a delivery. please don't let it stop you from reaching for your goals. we need strong people in nursing, we need leaders. that is one reason why i also wanted an mba. i thought i could make a difference. still, the forces holding us back are very strong and i cannot afford to push because as you said, i need my pay. i hope that what you witnessed does give you motivation to be an agent for change.
John--RN
120 Posts
Fired is not my first concern, I will not be accept being put in physical danger for fear of losing my job. If I wanted to be put in danger daily I would become a cop instead. My safety and health so I can provide for my family is foremost in my mind. Now again I am not talking about going off half cocked for anything. If I feel like I am being put in physical danger from him thowing objects at me that is a CRIMINAL act and will be deal with as such. If I am terminated over it a civil suit will follow against the doctor and hospital for lost wages, emotional distress, ect. As was pointed out in the post above, this is not the dark ages.