Hi. I'm a brand new RN working nights on a telemetry med-surg unit. Just started off on my own. I know there are a handful of topics on this particular subject. But I just wanted to share a particular experience I had last night calling a doctor regarding a patient, and wanted to hear how some of you would've handled this. If there is anything I need to work on, it is my assertive skills.
So I called the doctor. And it went like this...
Me: Hi Dr _____. This is ____ from _____. I'm calling in regards to a patient, _____ from room ______ who came in w/ _______. Are you familiar with him??
Dr: If you ask me that question again, I will beat your head!!! Are you stupid? Didn't you see my name on the board!? Don't you dare ask me that. Just get straight to the #^#/ point.
Of course, I apologized. Then continued and so forth, just trying to get to the point while he still rambled on. I suppose it was a dumb question. I mean, I'm still figuring all the things in the hospital and Doctor names, who is on call/who covers who, who is private - just still figuring how everything works and so forth. But still, I felt that was just a bit overboard. Yes he is a private doctor; and maybe it was a dumb thing I asked (I always ask "are you familiar with this patient" with every greeting to determine the familiarity and how much background history to provide - maybe I shouldn't ask that).
Well, at least I got orders... and I got to finally make the patient comfortable (he was ETOH withdrawal) I know that some angry or irritated doctors will just hang up or say whatever and leave you like "Huh?"
I don't know. Afterward, and even still now, I feel kind of bad. Even feel intimidated if I have to to speak to him again. I asked some of my coworkers their opinion, and apparently they weren't too surprised and told me he usually bickers about petty things such as so. What do you guys think? How do you handle angry or rude doctors or coworkers? Any advice to someone too soft like me. Thanks :)
I am an NP who takes my own call24/7/365, and my nurses who call me NEVER apologize for calling me, and I wouldn't want them to. I worked the floor for 23 years, and I know I will not be called for no reason. If there is a problem, I want to know! I may not always be totally coherent in the middle of the night, but call me anyway. And yes, report the doc who disrespected you. He knows he was wrong.....
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I have been a nurse for almost 20 years. I agree with some of the posts and some I do not. I disagree with the ones who say do not report it. Here's why. In my years of management this lack of documentation has caused me a lot of problems. We all know the person that doesn't do their job. The aide that can't be found. The nurse who never answers her phone and doesn't document properly. Then there would be a "significant" issue. However, I couldn't fire them. Why? Because I didn't have all the "little" documentation that would lead up to justifying this. Trust me, even in right to work states you need to follow appropriate documentation of problems. With JCAHO tracking this, as an employee you have the right to not work in a hostile workplace. The documentation helps with a pattern. Sooner or later the hospital will have to address it, especially if a call is made to JCAHO if the hospital doesn't handle it.
Yes, you standing up for youself will help diminish it. It doesn't help the next new nurse and the one after that. It is uncalled for. You are the patient's advocate. When you are afraid to call the doctor for fear of being yelled at, the patient is the one who suffers. You let them itch all night because you don't want to wake the doctor up for hydrocortisone cream or a benadryl. NO! That is not fair to the patient.
Best of luck as you continue your career.
While I understand and agree with your point that it's difficult to fire someone without documentation, I still don't believe it's in the best interest of a brand new nurse to start off by reporting someone. It makes it look as though she cannot get along with others, and that may haunt her down the road.
sorry i disagree. im a new nurse as well and when you document what occurred..and the dr. was proven inappropriate if that haunts you down the road at that facility you need to find another job.
as a new nurse, i had a dr go off and me and guess what i did? i told him he WILL NOT talk to me that way...I TOLD HIM! YOU WILL NOT be disrespectful to me..and i reported it..and guess what? HE got spoken to. he was yelling and people heard it. so no. dont squeal and go to the corner with your tail under your butt. You are worthy of respect and as an adult you will not take anything less.
Maybe I am alone here, but I simply could not say "please" to someone who had just treated me like a piece of garbage. And quite honestly, it surprises me that some posters here have minimized his ridiculous behavior, stating the reason that nurses call unprepared.
I guess, I just don't see a point to stooping to another person's level of rudeness, or compromising my own level of professionalism because someone else was having a bad day and took it out on me. Has nothing to do with me, why take it personally?
Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
I guess, I just don't see a point to stooping to another person's level of rudeness, or compromising my own level of professionalism because someone else was having a bad day and took it out on me. Has nothing to do with me, why take it personally?
Has nothing to do with "stooping" and everything to do with effectively dealing with and correcting the behavior.
Ugh nothing more dreadful then calling the doctors..like my scenario.."Hey Dr. Your patient is going septic. These are the latest labs..I need to start antibiotics..A, B..can I confirm this?" ..Doctor's response (You called me at 2am for this?)...Me: "Silent...well I did the thinking part for you I just need your approval"...hehehehe
Social grease? What are we greasing up for? Look inappropriate is inappropriate, professional is professional. You must stick up for yourself and the patient. We don't bother doctors on call-they know it's part of the territory. We should not apologize for doing our job and reporting the facts or the need for further orders. If this was a male to male interaction, the doctor would not talk this way. I've seen doctors dress down a female nurse, then in the same situation at a different time with a male nurse, act nice and professional. What you make excuses for allows more abuse to exist. I have been blamed for many things, and I can take a lot. What I won't take is my character being trashed or any threatening talk or body language. I have taken many doctors to task when that happened and reported a few. If some said they were going to beat my head in, my first inclination would be to say "Excuse me? Did I hear you correctly? You will do what?" To gain respect you have to demand it and treat others as you would want to be treated. When the line is crossed, follow the hospital policy and keep a paper trail of documentation concerning the behavior concerns.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Social grease? What are we greasing up for?
Ick! Social grease just makes the interaction go a bit smoother. I'm not apologizing for "bothering" them; I'm just setting the stage for a pleasant interaction rather than an unpleasant one. I've noticed I've had a lot fewer (almost none) angry doctors when I set the stage.
when there is no option, you TELL, not ask. no yelling or other disrespect needed, just a firm statement.
I guess, I just don't see a point to stooping to another person's level of rudeness, or compromising my own level of professionalism because someone else was having a bad day and took it out on me. Has nothing to do with me, why take it personally?
In my opinion, you did everything right. That Dr was way out of line to talk to you that way. I agree with the others who said report him/her. While I was reading your post I thought of a form of communication for healthcare professionals called SBAR. I looked up a website for you that you may find helpful: saferhealthcare.com/sbar/what-is-sbar/. You may have heard of it before. It stands for Situation Background Assessment Recommendations. You briefly describe the current situation of your patient. Then you give a brief background or history of your pt. Then you give your assessment of the situation. The last one recommendation is what action by the person you are communicating with you are looking for. Where I work my we will make recommendations to the dr especially at night because often we get them out of sleep. Besides, in many cases we know the pt very well. Hope that helps. It's a thought. Good luck and keep up the good work.
LadysSolo
411 Posts
I am an NP who takes my own call24/7/365, and my nurses who call me NEVER apologize for calling me, and I wouldn't want them to. I worked the floor for 23 years, and I know I will not be called for no reason. If there is a problem, I want to know! I may not always be totally coherent in the middle of the night, but call me anyway. And yes, report the doc who disrespected you. He knows he was wrong.....