Published
My personal thoughts on this is that this is a learned behavior. It's been that way for years and is totally ingrained in the medical culture. I can't tell you how many times I've watched staff doctors in academic medical centers completely disregard nurses. This shows the medical students and residents that they are training that this is the hospital norm and expected on their part as well. Medicine is very heirarchical and very much and old boy's club (even though more and more MDs are women, these attitudes still seem to persist!) No one wants to rock the boat.
I'm with ya that it is crappy to deal with, though.
That's pretty much what I was going to say.Why? Because they can. As long as nurses allow it, it will continue. When nurses stop allowing it, it will stop.
But it's more than just "nurses allow it." I have been in hospitals where it was common advice that the doctors get what they want. It comes right down from the top. You can either get on board(and keep your job) or you can buck the trend(in which case,they will find a way to dispose of you.) Many hospitals, especially teaching hospitals,are still operating with a good ol' boy mindset and until hospital management changes, the good ol' boys are going to keep doing what they've always done.
But it's more than just "nurses allow it."
Oh ... I agree that it is difficult for 1 nurse, by herself, to change such things. However, if all the nurses stood together within that system and put their feet down ... it would have an impact. The problem isn't that 1 nurse might lose her job for saying something ... the problem is that some other nurse would take that job and replace that 1 courageous nurse.
If we all stood together, we could make a huge change.
But we won't.
And we must take responsibility for that.
mosaicism105, MSN
199 Posts
there are still doctors out there who treats nurses as maids or some kind of second rate trying hard medical professionals. I hate those...