How to handle a verbally abusive MD

klone, MSN, RN · Nov 23, 2014

Is there someone above the Administrator? Is the LTC facility owned by a parent company or corporation?

At this point I would do a few things. First, I would keep a notebook of every instance of abuse - exact quotes, as well as dates.

Secondly, and this may be hard, but you need to draw firm boundaries and let him know in a clear and calm manner that what he is doing is unacceptable. "Dr. Albescu (I googled Romanian surnames), you cannot speak to me in that manner. If you have something to say, I need you to say it without yelling and without insults and swearing. This is not an acceptable way to communicate."

And be prepared to be fired, if he's the medical director.

Good luck.

FurBabyMom, MSN, RN · Nov 23, 2014

Is there someone above the Administrator? Is the LTC facility owned by a parent company or corporation?
At this point I would do a few things. First, I would keep a notebook of every instance of abuse - exact quotes, as well as dates.
Secondly, and this may be hard, but you need to draw firm boundaries and let him know in a clear and calm manner that what he is doing is unacceptable. "Dr. Albescu (I googled Romanian surnames), you cannot speak to me in that manner. If you have something to say, I need you to say it without yelling and without insults and swearing. This is not an acceptable way to communicate."
And be prepared to be fired, if he's the medical director.
Good luck.

I have really nothing else to add, except that maybe it's time to begin looking for a new job (even to get to start PRN or part time, that way your have your foot in the door somewhere else, just in case). It's hard to stand up for yourself sometimes. But you have to do what is right for you provided you do it professionally. There are always choices and always consequences for choices/actions, which may mean that if he's the boss man that you may get reprimanded or fired. But at least you will be able to know you stood up for yourself and coworkers.

One of my jobs, I learned more about what and who I didn't want to become in healthcare than what I should do to care for my patients. But it has helped me be a better person and a better coworker. I'm more self aware and learned those lessons earlier. For what it's worth, things happen for a reason and it generally (personal experience) works out better than you would've imagined it could - not that the process of getting through that in between time is always easy or fun.

annie.rn · Nov 23, 2014

Is there someone above the Administrator? Is the LTC facility owned by a parent company or corporation?
At this point I would do a few things. First, I would keep a notebook of every instance of abuse - exact quotes, as well as dates.
Secondly, and this may be hard, but you need to draw firm boundaries and let him know in a clear and calm manner that what he is doing is unacceptable. "Dr. Albescu (I googled Romanian surnames), you cannot speak to me in that manner. If you have something to say, I need you to say it without yelling and without insults and swearing. This is not an acceptable way to communicate."
And be prepared to be fired, if he's the medical director.
Good luck.

You might be surprised at the result if you try klone's excellent advice. Sometimes I find that doctors like this are nothing but blowhards and if you stand up to them they back down and even come to respect those nurses who stand up for themselves. I hope that's the case :-)

kejRN88 · Nov 23, 2014

Wow! I had a recent experience with a new physician on my unit. The physician was very unprofessional towards me, ot like in your situation, but unprofessional nonetheless. I agree with klone, you should keep a record of all instances. And speak up for yourself. I did not do that in my situation, one of the reasons was that I was so flabbergasted that the MD did it. She is new to our hospital and I have only had one other OB talk to me that way. I spoke to my charge nurse and she reported it to our manager. I ended up speaking to my manager at length about it. She said that she would speak to this doctor. I have not worked with this physician since this occurred, so I am kind of nervous about it. I am glad that I have a manager and unit director that is willing to stand up for us. I believe that nurses and physicians should be able to work together in a collaborative manner. I am sorry that you do not have a manager to support you! Good luck to you!

amoLucia · Nov 23, 2014

To Op - you might want to change your screen name here. While you have a right to voice your concerns, some people who know YOU and YOUR FACILITY, may be able to put you 2 together and it will paint the facility in a bad light. Facilities DO NO like the negative publicity. Anonymity does have its benefits for public media.

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Nov 23, 2014

I work in a long term care facility, that has a medical director that constantly is verbally abusive to the nurses. This evening for example he made a statement to me that had me so angry but, i held kept the conversation professional, but it was difficult as this is not the first time that he has said abusive things. The MD has a strong Romanian accent so it is difficult at times to understand what he is saying on the phone, so tonight when i asked him to repeat his order he stated " i cannot help that you have some sort of brain injury that makes it impossible for you to do your job", end quote, he has called me a mentally retarded idiot, has used the f word with me and on and on. When i went to my Administrator she stated "oh he is like that with all of the nurses" , so, what do i do? Keep my mouth shut? Call an attorney, seriously do we not have the right as nurses to not be verbally abused by an MD? If so, what is one to do? I need some input on this one as i am ready to quit because of this MD and the lack of support from my Administrator!

JCAHO requires all accredited facilities to have a zero tolerance policy for disruptive doctors and administrators. Being an LTC facility, I'm not sure if you have JCAHO accreditation but you should check to see if there are any policies that could help you.

JCAHO requires ' Zero Tolerance' for Disruptive Doctors and Administrators | Fox Rothschild LLP

PMFB-RN, RN · Nov 24, 2014

I would catch him alone in the parking lot and have a little "talk" with him and teach him some manners. I have done it before and it's highly effective.

debarose · Nov 24, 2014

Funny how you mention that I have seen plenty of foreign doctors that come into our LTC and think they are some sort of Greek God or something! You may want to just look for a different scenery!

CapeCodMermaid, RN · Nov 24, 2014

I've worked with doctors like that. I tell them politely that they will not speak to me (and now any of the nurses in my facility) in any other than a professional manner. If they continue, they get reported to the Medical Director. It's easy enough to say something about making a hostile work environment. If your administration doesn't care remind them it's against the law.

When I was a new nurse I was harassed by the medical director. My administrator wouldn't do anything. (This was years ago before we had laws against this sort of thing.) I ended up by telling the medical director if he didn't cease and desist, I would have no choice but to tell my son, who would, of course, 'take care' of him. He stopped immediately and apologized profusely. I never did tell him that my son was 8 years old!

bell1962 · Nov 24, 2014

I worked with a MD once who always yelled at the staff .He too was from a different country and had issues with treating women with respect and as equals. He would bow up and yell frequently. One day he was yelling about not finding a chart (not my job) and also blaming me for a mistake he made in front of a patient. After the patients left (this was ambulatory care) I basically told him he cannot treat his staff that way and was kind of upset with him. After words were exchanged I left. The next morning I went to work and was busy sterilizng instruments when he walked in. He had a sheepish look on his face and said he thought I might not come back. That I knew how to make a guy feel guilty...After that incident we got along fine and worked well together for many years.He even attended my wedding. When I left to accept a new job he was sad to see me go..even had tears in his eyes.

Sixtyseven · Nov 26, 2014

Whether it is a doctor, resident or family member, or other staff, my answer is the same: "I'm not speaking to you in that way, and I don't expect you to speak to me that way." Always works.