How do you deal with a doctor who sweared on you over the phone?

2ndyearstudent, CNA · Nov 25, 2010

Ok I work home health care and usually I communicate with doctors via phone.Today a certain doctor swore at me (this is the first time I ever spoke with him he told me "Get your a.s.s over here and then also he said are you stupid or something.I was in shock by the way he had spoken to me.

If the scenario actually was as you describe it below, I might have said, "Can we continue this conversation after you grow the **** up?"

tferdaise · Nov 25, 2010

At times Physicans need to reminded that they are not god. I have had Dr's swore at me on the phone and in person. I just remind them they are not being professional and that you don't expect be treated with such disrepect. I also explain to them, if they do not change thier attitude that you will hang up on them. Yes, I have hung up on (or walked away) them too. But I would inform your supervisor of this behavior from the Dr. (remember to cover your ass)

Ok I work home health care and usually I communicate with doctors via phone.Today a certain doctor swore at me (this is the first time I ever spoke with him he told me "Get your ass over here and then also he said are you stupid or something.I was in shock by the way he had spoken to me.

Conqueror+, BSN, RN · Nov 25, 2010

Never experienced this until I did some travgel nursing in Philadelphia. I said "we have a bad connection" and hung up. He called right back and started with the "can you hear me? " I said yes and the ninny started up again. I repeated "we have a bad connection" and hung up again. When he called back a third time he got the message and NEVER pulled that with me again. Other nurses did tolerate it and got it from him regularly.

wooh, BSN, RN · Nov 25, 2010

It is not your job to translate, thats what translators are for. I am not sure about all facilities but in a facility I used to work for, It was a HIPPA violation for anyone to translate anything besides a certified translator.

It is NOT a HIPAA violation. It's just bad policy. There's a lot that goes into interpreting. I remember at my hospital orientation they had the head of our interpreting department come and talk to us. She did this awesome demonstration where she had one of us repeat everything she said, basically like we expect interpreters to do. All in English, and we all sucked at it. And that was without having to switch languages. It's one thing to speak enough of whatever language to do your job, but when you start interpreting, you have to be aware of the cultural significance of different phrasings, and be able to strictly interpret back and forth. If you start paraphrasing, it can come down to very much he said/she said (LITERALLY!!) if miscommunication results.

But it is not a HIPAA violation. (Unless you do something stupid like pull a guy from the waiting room that doesn't know the patient and doesn't work for the employer in question. But that's just plain stupid. I could say, "I speak French!" and then go in and just saying, "La blah dee blah, bleu cheese francois!" and if you don't speak French, how will you know I'm not?) I swear, it seems like everything that's "against the rules" gets labelled a HIPAA violation.

wooh, BSN, RN · Nov 25, 2010

I had a friend who had a dr. swear at her while giving an order and she wrote ever single word of it down verbatim as a T.O. and sent it right on through the system as a med order.
Did not come back well on the doc.

:yeah:

Brand new nurse, I called the doctor because old confused man had pulled out his foley, balloon intact, and was bleeding copiously from his member. Now I was tired, as I'd worked 3p-7a, and was back at 3p, and still new, so I didn't have the sass at the ready that I always have now. He says to put some pressure on it. So I asked, "Where should I put pressure?" His response, "I don't know, put a clothespin on the end of it!"

To this day, I regret not having the wits about me that day to write it as a telephone order.

One of the other nurses that day brought me one of those little clothespins that they have for baby showers. I kept it on my badge. It was a tiny clothespin, so we figured it would be just the right size if that particular doctor ever needed pressure applied. :devil:

Gluteus Maximus · Nov 26, 2010

But that's just plain stupid. I could say, "I speak French!" and then go in and just saying, "La blah dee blah, bleu cheese francois!" and if you don't speak French, how will you know I'm not?)

Ha! This part cracked me up.

In my career being bilingual (English/French) is part of the job description. I'm often called in by other nurses who are supposed to be able to speak french but don't, to translate one thing or another. More often than not I'm agreeable to assist, for the patient, not so much for the nurse as I'm just not that nice; but somehow, somewhere, a select few are allowed to fall through the cracks. Meh. I can deal with that.

But what I can't accept is the ones that not only have a very poor grasp of the French language but remarkably, the English language as well. How on earth did they get hired? I'm required to pass an oral and comprehension french test to prove my worth but they get by not being able to communicate at all? Bah. It's like affirmative action for the illiterate.

BluegrassRN · Nov 26, 2010

I had a friend who had a dr. swear at her while giving an order and she wrote ever single word of it down verbatim as a T.O. and sent it right on through the system as a med order.
Did not come back well on the doc.

And *this* reminds me of a time when we were calling for some orders on a guy who was not a DNR but should have been (there was confusion regarding family and multiple living wills). The doc was completely unhelpful, and wouldn't give us orders. He literally said to slow code him, which the nurse refused to accept. She told him she needed something more specific than that. His response: "Well, I don't care, just whatever you do, don't take him out to the back 40 and shoot him." So that's the order she wrote: "Do not take to back 40 and shoot." We get better orders from that doc now.

I am unfortunately usually not clever enough to think of these things (or do these things) when it's *me*. I just have to report on those who do think of funny/witty/effective responses. I'm enjoying reading everyone else's.

Creamsoda, ASN, RN · Nov 26, 2010

Id just be like "***" but say all the words..."*** did you say to me?"

I guess I just dont care what they think of me