I have come across a delema at work that I have not had experience with. I've been an employee of my hospital a long time...with the last 10 yrs as an RN. We had an incident recently where during a Cesarean Section the Physician put his hands on our Scrub Tech in anger and pushed him away from the field saying "get the **** out of my OR" after the Doctor was asked/reminded that what he was doing was "nonsterile/unsafe" The baby was saftely delivered and the patient stable before this occured. This particular doctor likes to make our OR environment "intense" and it is uncomforable and he acts like a bully. Now there are several of us (techs and RNs) that feel that if he put hands on an employee in anger once he will do it again. Risk Management was involved, but there doesn't seem to be any consequences for his actions as he still has a bullying attitude. The tech & doctor are male...could this be the reason that it isn't taken more seriously?
If your Hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission, there are available actions that you can take that may force the hospital's hand. In 2008, disruptive and intimidating behavior by physicians was deemed to be a Sentinel Event. (Revisiting disruptive and inappropriate behavior: Five years after standards introduced | Joint Commission). While Sentinel Events are not required to be reported to the Joint Commission, the hospital is obligated to follow specific protocol in addressing this occurrence. By itself, a Sentinel Event does not jeopardize the facility's accreditation. However, not taking the prescibed action required by the Joint Commission can affect the accreditation. While the hospital may choose not to share the event with the Joint Commission, it may become aware of the event through patients, families, employees and others. If the Joint Commission is made aware of the event, they will contact the hospital to ensure the commission rules are being followed. Pages SE-7,8 of the Joint Commission paper "Sentinal Events (SE)" describes this. (http://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/6/camh_24_se_all_current.pdf) Every hospital at which I have been employed has been very keen on maintaining their accreditation. This may be a tool that will assist you in getting results.
If you are in a hostile work environment DO NOT RELY ON HR- HR is only there to protect the hospital- not you.
Any meetings with them will not be documented- if its not documented it didn't happen, therefore any proof that you tried to do something will not be there.
Get a consult with an attorney- ask how you should document this, your attempts, etc... as we all know when push comes to shove the MD is going to prevail.
I have worked in an OR for 16+ years and have been bullied throughout. This behavior greatly decreases the safety we ALL are trying to provide the patient. When once again, having to work with this unstable doctor, one can not help but knot up on the inside. This is because you know that it does not matter how prepared we are this dangerous MD will find fault in something/anything. More than not, you are trying to prevent the wrath of this unstable individual from coming down on everyone in the room. Focused thinking on the patient needs-- now is focused thinking of an unpredictable bully. My understanding is that risk management and directors will NOT stand up to the bully either! I've been told "oh that's just dr so and so, just ignore him ", "he brings in a lot of money", "he might take his business somewhere else". Nothing ever said about the patient who depends on us to protect them. I'm afraid I'm just a poor old dumb nurse, but someone must have an idea, something that might change things for the patient and all the employees in that room? Maybe if patients actually know WHO their doctor is they would see another doctor. I have just changed my position from OR nurse to a different department. Be aware, the bullying gets worse as the nurse gets older, my two "older" nurse friends have left too. One retired, and one to a different hospital, where she fully expects to be up against the same type of bullying just in a different hospital. We hear much talk of bullies, in all walks of life and school, where is the champion with the answer?
And maybe most frightening of all is that --if the poor bullied tech. did say or do anything where would his next job be??? I shudder to think.
Where is the champion? You are the champion. I know it's not easy, I know it's terrifying, but you and everyone else who has a complaint about a doctor has to fight the battle. No one can or will really do this for you. No knight in shining armor is coming to your rescue. Even if you are in a union.
You might try quietly and privately talking with your nemesis and just tell him very nicely what you have told us. It might not work, it might make him angry, but you just might get him to realize how you feel around him.
If you won't stand up for yourself, who will? Likely no one. So be your own champion. At least try.
I've been on the receiving end of aggression from physicians many times in my career - both male and female providers. It gets reported, they are talked to, but it never prevents it from happening again. This is unacceptable from people whom are well educated, and know better - after all, common decency and manners are taught to us all at our mother's knee at an early age.
I don't think all of us are taught at Mom's knee early on to be decent. Some moms are deceased, some are ill, some are teaching their kids to be snotty, or whatever.
Why have you been on the receiving end of aggression MANY times?
I have been blessed with a great manager and director. There are only a handful of surgeons where I work that are hard to deal with and can be complete you-know-what's and everyone knows it. Typically when these doctors go and complain about staff, the first thing my manager asks is, "Well, what did you do to them?" She makes sure that the surgeons treat us with respect.
Hooray for your boss! That is how it should be handled. I'm surprised she has kept her job.
The only advice I can give is to document in case this happens to you. Then you have the occurances, time, place, etc. Im sure the office of the professions would have something to say about it. No one has the right to put their hands on another.
I had a bully doctor over the phone. One day I called him for a patient that had returned from the ER. He started to yell at me because he misinterpreted what I had told him. I told him, "Dr X, don't yell at me! When I call you, you will respect me like I respect you!" He apologized to me and lowered his voice. There was another time a different doctor tried to yell at me because I called him on accident at 3am. I hung up on him when he started to yell. When he called back, but I redirected his call to our kitchen until he stopped calling (yes, I knew it was him bacause of caller id). He knows not to be mean to me, lol. Hope my story give you some tickle :)
There was another time a different doctor tried to yell at me because I called him on accident at 3am. I hung up on him when he started to yell. When he called back, but I redirected his call to our kitchen until he stopped calling (yes, I knew it was him bacause of caller id). He knows not to be mean to me, lol. Hope my story give you some tickle ?
That was pretty ballsy of you. Lol.
Although if you called him "on accident" at 3 am, I sure hope you apologized. I don't blame him for being peeved. He shouldn't yell, but surely you would understand him voicing his displeasure?
its not taken seriously as DOCS bring money, I once was suspended without pay for 3 days because a doctor cursed me like i was pond scum, I told her she wouldn't talk to me like that , I laid the phone on the table people around me could hear screaming, when she quit screaming I picked up the phone to a dead line, my suspension was for unprofessional communications "i had hung up on a doctor, I challenged the HR to investigate it to ask witnesses, the HR lady said oh you mean there are witnesses, ..... yes was my reply, upon their investigation they gave me the one day off with pay as I had started serving the suspension, but still demanded i take probation as I didn't direct the doctor to my superiors, ( like I could get a word in edgewise)
these occurrences are the norm in smaller cities throughout the south and midsouth..... I don't see this as much in the cities
I'm so sorry you have to deal with this. We have had "bullying" issues in our hospital as well and unfortunately the tendency is to go along with what the person wants to avoid blow-ups and to basically shut them up. The most important point though is that this has now advanced to physical workplace violence. The physician probably should have been removed and disciplined that day, but I know it's nowhere near that simple. I would suggest that you encourage the person who was assaulted to press charges and press the issue with HR (not just risk management). Since this is affecting your work experience and creating a hostile work environment you can address it yourself from that angle. This guy likely gets off on scaring the crap out of people so the only thing that is going to really get through is when he is no longer able to intimidate, when his practice or livelihood is threatened, or when he is fired. I suggest checking with your hospital policies and seeing if there is a "workers rights" clause. We have one, and it clearly states that a worker has the right to refuse to participate in any situation in which they don't feel safe or that puts them in danger (eg. an unsafe patient transfer).
The administration needs to be pushed to discipline this man (and yes, I think it matters that he's a man, and that he's a doctor). Can you imagine if a tech or nurse had gone after a doctor like that? Instant termination, right? You know the situation and what may or may not fly in your facility, but honestly, action is definitely needed. If no one will work with this guy he can't operate. As long as you have a way to back up your right to refuse and your coworkers know they won't be disciplined, they should refuse.
Just some ideas, I hope you are able to get this addressed very soon. Best of luck.
very little union protection in America for nurses
Ziggy26 said:
I'm in Canada and maybe I'm missing something about your jurisdiction but as a nurse by trade and an administrator, I'm curious, do you not have a union that will fight this on your behalf? If this kind of assault were taking place here, that's the first place I would go not to mention filing a complaint /c the College of Physicians & Surgeons.
This seems to be a problem basically in right to work states and in facilities in which these abusive physicians bring in a lot of business. You have several options that you can follow. Make sure that this behavior is witnessed and all the staff is willing to make a complaint to the Hospital Administration with the firm understanding that there will be no retaliation for making the complaint. When filing a complaint make sure that an incident report is filled out detailing the misconduct and possible negative patient outcome. Give Administration a firm time line in which to keep you informed about what is being done about this situation. If administration doesn't follow the timeline, file a complaint against this Physician with the State Medical Board, and file a complaint with the local Police for Assault and Battery. Notify JCAHO of the Hospital's inability to discipline this Physician and the recurring episodes, as violence against employees (Physician to Nurse) can cause the Hospital to lose its accreditation. Lastly organize and join a Union.
whkjr
4 Posts
If your Hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission, there are available actions that you can take that may force the hospital's hand. In 2008, disruptive and intimidating behavior by physicians was deemed to be a Sentinel Event. (Revisiting disruptive and inappropriate behavior: Five years after standards introduced | Joint Commission). While Sentinel Events are not required to be reported to the Joint Commission, the hospital is obligated to follow specific protocol in addressing this occurrence. By itself, a Sentinel Event does not jeopardize the facility's accreditation. However, not taking the prescibed action required by the Joint Commission can affect the accreditation. While the hospital may choose not to share the event with the Joint Commission, it may become aware of the event through patients, families, employees and others. If the Joint Commission is made aware of the event, they will contact the hospital to ensure the commission rules are being followed. Pages SE-7,8 of the Joint Commission paper "Sentinal Events (SE)" describes this. (http://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/6/camh_24_se_all_current.pdf) Every hospital at which I have been employed has been very keen on maintaining their accreditation. This may be a tool that will assist you in getting results.