Has a doctor made your day?

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As nurses, we encounter many doctors, and let's face it, some we like and some we dread their presence on our unit. Sometimes we feel they really don't know what we do all day, but not long ago, I had something happen that still makes me smile. The LTC facility I work at allows the MD's to make rounds when they choose to and on 2nd that gets hectic if you're the only nurse on a unit and the MD has 15 or 20 people he wants to see. On such a night, Dr. S came to make rounds, giving me only a phone call as notice to get the charts ready. He's a pretty good doc, so I tried to overcome the load of work he was about to give me and keep a good attitude. He came in, we did rounds and then sat down to write orders. He was all finished and getting ready to leave. He stood up, took out his wallet and handed me $50.00. He said, "Good lady, buy your staff pizza on me." You could have knocked me over with a feather. But this gesture was a way for him to say, he notices all we do and it was greatly appreciated by the staff. Perhaps to some this was a token gesture but it sure made our day and I think it was a really great way for him to show me he did notice what we do. Share your stories of how a doc has made your day.

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I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I would be offended if someone called me a "good lady". Ummmmm noooooo, I am a professional registered nurse. It seems a little degrading to me, but I wasn't there. It just sounds like "good doggie" to me. Am I being too sensitive? I would also be offended he gave me $50.

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TRN,

I think you are being a little too sensitive. When things got insane in the ED I used to work in- two of the MD's would always spring for pizza.

You don't say where you are from, but don't come down south- everyone calls everyone honey and sugar and darling (takes a little getting used to, but then it seems normal). and oddly enough it goes both ways- I see the secy's callign the nurses and MD's honey, sugar, darling etc... no one seems to be offended- perhaps we should be, but that seems like a waste of time.

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I'd love to get 50 bucks for some pizza. The nicest thing I ever heard about a doc at our hospital was from my co-workers (I had the night off). A man in with his wife in LDR got very hostile with the nurses and even threatenned violene (all in a day's work eh?). Doctor M. (6foot 3inches) slammed the guy against the wall and said "You will not threaten the nurses!". The man never said anything else to the staff for the rest of his wife's stay. I think it's a sad story in a way but the fact that a doctor would physically defend a nurse is heartenning. He's everyone's favortite doc anyways.

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I guess I'm sensitive as well, and I wasn't there either. It was nice of him to buy you all pizza. But me I prefer respect. The fact he gave you little notice of his visit doesn't show me he really showed you that. I really hope his intention was sincere and not, this worked well, I gave her no notice , I got to do this at my convience and its worth the pizza to me to come and go as I please. Sorry.

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I HAD A GREAT THING HAPPEN THE OTHER DAY, ONE OF THE DR'S I WORK WITH HAD BEEN SICK WITH A U.R.I FOR ABOUT A WEEK NOW AND NOT GOTTEN ANY BETTER WITH ALL THE MEDS HE HAD BEEN TAKING. HE FINALLY SAID GUESS I WILL TAKE THE ADVICE OF AN OTHER DR. AND TOLD ME TO GET AN INJECTION OF SOLU MEDROL PREPARED. WELL I DID AND HE ASKED ME TO GIVE IT TO HIM I.M YOU KNOW WHERE..I WAS A BIT SHOCKED THAT HE WOULD ASK ME BECAUSE I AM NOW AS A MEDICAL ASSISTANT AND NEW AT THIS URGENT CARE. BUT I DID DO LIKE I WAS ASKED AND AT THE END OF THE SHOT HE TURNED TO ME AND SAID THAT THE SHOT I GAVE HIM WAS THE BEST SHOT BY A NOVICE HE EVER HAD THEN PROCEEDED TO TELL THE OFFICE MANAGER THAT MY INJECTION SKILLS WERE GREAT. THAT JUST MADE MY DAY, HE DIDN'T HAVE TO GO THAT EXTRA STEP TO TELL THE OFFICE MANAGER.

THANKS

KARENCCMA

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We have an office staff of 8 (including the two docs) and everytime someone has a birthday, the docs send us all to lunch on them which is nice. They'll also have lunch catered after a day of them showing up an hour late, which backs up the entire day. I agree it's their way of saying thanks. I don't feel offended at all!

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In my original post I should have mentioned this doctor was from India and I in no way felt disrespected by the term "good lady". He was always very respectful to me and the other nurses. When he called us "good lady" I believe he was showing respect. His wife was also a doctor that came to our facility. Once I was sent to the ER for health problems I was having. Dr. S. saw me sitting in xray. He stopped what he was doing, came in a sat with me, again calling me "good lady" and said if I needed anything to give him a call and he'd do whatever he could. He calls all the nurse's this, perhaps because his English isn't so good. He did refer to us by name, so it wasn't because he didn't know who we were. I just think it was his way and I feel no disrespect at all.

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I agree with hollykate. Here in Texas, there are no first names, honey and sugar are standard. In the ER, the docs buy us lunch when they know we've had a rough day/night. Our manager as well will buy us lunch, she even came in on her own time on a weekend to do so. Our docs respect us and stick up for us with the patients and the "specialist doctors" as well.

That doctor handing that nurse a $50 in no way to me showed disrespect. You all are just too sensitive. Take a thank you for what it is worth. Doctors make a lot of money and maybe that is the only way they know how to show thanks is by giving money.

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One experience I have had that made my day happened a few months ago. I had my usual two pts in ICU- one was a really sick guy, the other just a permanent fixture in the unit on isolation and squirmy- used to pull off dressings and scratch the open wound- no amt of restraints would stop that! I was trying to calibrate a newly inserted Swan that wasn't working well- and the squirmy pt was doing the usual routine and needed attention as well. Another nurse was already in there to help me, and I was feeling overwhelmed. Our intern gowned up, gloved up, went in, redressed the wound correctly, re-restrained the pt and got the pt pulled up and settled in bed with the other nurse. It wasn't even a pt on his service. That, really really made my day. Unfortunately, I will say, I never could get the darn Swan working like it should have been- so it remained a looooong day!

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I have no doubt that the physicians on our combined maternity/neonatal unit have respect and appreciation for us. They are there when we need them and they treat us with respect,courtesy, and dignity. There have been many times they have stood up for us to administration. When we make mistakes, they don't yell or throw fits, they teach us. Needless to say they make our day many times.

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The head of the cardiothoracic surgery dept. once walked into a fresh post-op CABG's ICU room, where the very experienced nurse was getting grief from the very inexperienced intern, who had been on the service ALL WEEK...when the surgeon saw what was going on, he told the intern, "You do NOT tell the nurses what to do. Your job here is to sit down, keep your mouth shut, and learn from them." Love that man.....consistently a nurse advocate.

I was assisting a resident who was nearing the end of his 5 year surgery rotation and teasing him about how he was going to miss me when he left. He said, "Miss you? Hell, I want to hire you! Would you be willing to relocate?"

Also love those docs who walk into a room and calmly ask what you've already done and what meds or fluids you've given, then write for them, or tell you to use whatever you like to sedate the pt for a procedure and they'll write for it later, because they have worked with you long enough to trust your judgement.

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