Helping out those on the Dark Side

[netglow]

Just curious... how many of you actually seek out collaboration with MDs?

I mean not because you have to, but because you like to. To actually have fruitful troubleshooting sessions re: patient DX, in which you are able to chime in with your take on the situation etc. Or are your experiences more on the side of... It's a necessary evil, and here comes "clueless" once again, I wish he/she could appreciate a bit of new knowledge offered free of charge from an RN? If this last part is more like your experience, what wierd/funny exhanges have you had when you've tried to enlighten or prevent catastrophe?

I am hoping to elicit some humorous posts too... today, the board is too depressing

[Nurseboy1]

Working in a teaching hospital with residents, I find especially working night shift that there is a lot of collaboration with the docs. In the ICU environment, the residents are acutely aware that there are many areas that the nurses can help them in.

For instance while I can't insert a central line myself I have helped with literally hundreds and can offer some suggestions when the residents are having diffculty. And I have been in many more resucitations than the residents, and can often help the resident decide if the patient simply needs more fluids or if we need to hang a pressor.

There is lots of collaboration in my unit. I try to help the residents whenever possible, since today's resident is tomorrows attending. If they have positive experiences with nurses during their residency, and we are able to display our knowledge and proffesionalism to them, then they are much more likely to take us more seriously when they are fellows and attendings.