I was slapped by a doctor!

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I honestly can't believe it myself! I just graduated from my program on May 16 of last month. I am still in orientation at a large level 1 trauma center on a busy cardiac care unit. The hospitalist is known for having a horrible temper anyway. Well, he was on a roll all shift today. One of my pts BP was all over the place all day. It became very low suddenly. I told my preceptor (still on orientation) and she said to have the MD paged. He was not happy and screamed at me over the phone. I braced myself for when he got to the floor, already getting very nervous. Well, he came up fit to be tied. He slammed the papers he was holding onto the nurses station where I was standing with the health unit coordinator. I forgot to get the pts chart out for him to look at (as he requested on the phone...my fault i know :(). He asked for the chart and I said...hold on I'll have to get it for you. He turned bright red and said harshly (but not screaming) "You paged me and you're not even ready!".

And then thats when it happened -- he took his hand and hit my cheek. Now, it wasn't some soap-opera backhand where I went flying across the room or anything..but a little pop. Kinda like what a mom would do to a small child if they said a bad word or something. I was so shocked I couldn't even say anything. I just handed him the chart and he want to the pts room. The whole time I was fighting back tears. The HUC and I just exchanged looks of shock with each other! I think I am going to file a complaint tomorrow against him...and the HUC said she will back me up since she was the only one who witnessed this. I had no idea that doctors behaved this way..is this normal?? To say the least I'm dreading going back in on Wednesday. I had heard some doctor horror stories..but nothing like this -- what I consider to be assault. Am I overreacting? I don't want to be seen as a drama queen or a trouble maker being on the floor only 2 weeks in this unit :(. Ugh!

All I can say is if that had happened to me I would be living large because not only would I have called the police and pressed charges, I would also have sued him for all he was worth!!! Please, stand up for yourself and all the other nurses he will run into and report this to your manager and to the chief of staff. HOW DARE HIM STRIKE YOU! Do not let him get away with this and PLEASE, know that you are too worthy to be treated like that.:angryfire

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Specializes in nursery, L and D.

Its easy for me to sit here and say I would have done this and that, but the truth is I probably would have been exactly like you, too shocked to say a word.

I would definitely do three things, if not four, if it were me. First, get your wit to write a statement and have it notarized. Second, report him to the powers that be at the hospital. Third, get a lawyer. Can anyone say "lawsuit" Fourth, I might call the police and file a report, and probably would get a restraining order.

I am so sorry you have to deal with this unacceptable behavior, and DON'T let him get a way with it!

Let us know what happens.

Oh, and I would absolutely refuse to work with him again, in any shape or form.

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I would slap him right back, not with my hands but with our legal system. No way is this tolerated and I am sorry you ever had to be subject to this nut. He would be one sorry fool if it was me.

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Specializes in med-surg, telemetry,geriatrics.

This guy will have a lawyer and they will want to settle this one up $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ maybe not the correct path for sum but if it were a little slap for alot of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ if it were lucrative at the time I wonder where we would all be at? For instance respond to this thread, although the assault was uncalled for we all agree. How much would a slap be worth $ wise nothing eise considered. TO FORGET about it??

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Specializes in ER, Tele, Cardiac Cath Lab.

Im very sorry this happen to you. But the doctor will probably get away scott free due to the fact there was no injury. Also the administration will back the doctor in situations like this. Even a civil suit is a very long shot.

I once saw a nurse shoved against a wall by a doctor. The nurse supervisor and administration did nothing to him. Also they advise her to not to file charges if she wanted her job. Her husband came to the hospital and beat the doctor senseless. A situation that could have been avoided if the proper disciplinary action had been taken.

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Specializes in Maternal/Child, Med/Surg, Psych.

sooo not cool !!!! please if not for yourself, but for the next victim report him. the hospital i work at has a program for reporting doc's because we had a few that thought nurses were there to be at their beck and call and were verbally abusive if we did not jump when they said jump. now because of nurses who spoke up we have a professional healthy environment to care for our pts in. please let us know what happens.

you have my respect for your response--don't think i would have held it together so well.

:saint::saint::saint:

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Specializes in Acute rehab/geriatrics/cardiac rehab.

I am so sorry this happened to you. STRIKING A NURSE, NOR ANYONE ELSE, IS DEFINITELY NOT ACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR.

And at the hospital I worked at the doctor's found their own charts.....:angryfire

I could type more but I may type something unprofessional about what I hope happens to the guy....

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Specializes in CCU.

Hey guys. Thanks so much for all your support and words of advice and encouragement. I had a meeting early today at the hospital. Present were the DON, my preceptor, the unit manager, the HUC, the medical director and the physician. I filed an official complaint and the HUC has corraborated my story. I didn't file a police report -- I don't know...I've never done that and felt so weird about going that far. I just want to keep my job, keep learning, and get this all behind me. During the meeting, the doctor said he was only "joking around" with me...I couldn't believe that:no:. He did admit to hitting my face, though. Anyways, the good news is that the hospital has officially put him on "administrative leave"...the bad news -- with pay! An official decision will be reached about what to do with him on Friday when the Board of Governors of the hosptial will meet. While it's not ideal, at least its something -- and neither I nor anyone else will have to worry about working with him! Hopefully he'll get the boot altogether.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
Hopefully he'll get the boot altogether.

Only if you make a big enough stink about it.

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Please file that police report. He is an abuser who needs to be stopped. Think of the next nurse he slaps (or worse) at his next hospital...yes, if gets fired from your hospital he will move on to somewhere new.

I imagine about right now he is at home, p****d off, and taking it out on his family. Two weeks ago I reported a family to DCFS. I had an inkling of what "might" be going on and then several neighbors confirmed it. But everyone said the same thing...I don't want to call the police, I don't want to get involved..etc. Within 72 hours the little girls had been removed from the home. The father had been physically abusing both, ages 4 and 8 months.

Sometimes things happen that give us a window into someones life and we have the opportunity to do something. Please take this opportunity

and file a police report. You never know what it might reveal.

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Specializes in Psych, Ortho, Stroke, and TBI.
I'm pretty sure its inappropriate in all cultures slapping a co-worker for doing something wrong.. I couldn't imagine somewhere where this would be accepted.

Not true. Sadly. Western values (Such as this) is NOT the same across the board. And in no way was I suggesting that it's okay. On the contrary, I was indicting the action.

As a former traveled Anthro student, I've seen it first hand. Typically such actions are more about the interaction between men and women in countries were females are still not considered as equal. In some middle-eastern countries, and in some East Asian countries Eye-balling can get a physical response. It's hard to be culturally relative about such things, as any physicality towards women makes me incredibly angry.

If you pull someone from one of those countries and put them into a professional situation here, they may not no how to deal with it. (And I'm also not saying that that's what happened here.)

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Specializes in Med surg, Critical Care, LTC.

I agree with Shelly, please file that police report. He is getting what amounts to a slap on the hand, NOT THE FACE LIKE YOU GOT!

Imagine if you had slapped a doctor without provocation, or a fellow nurse, or the phlebotomist - trust me, you would be OUT THE DOOR before the day was through.

Let me tell you a story, didn't happen to me, but I know the nurse who it happend to, this was YEARS ago. A nurse and a surgeon decided to have an affair (I know, never heard that one before!) but they decided to have sex in the OR after hours. They got caught. What happened:

Surgeon got administrative leave WITH PAY

Nurse - fired!! Period.

Surgeon, still practicing at our hospital - Nurse, left the area, have no idea.

Both accused of same offense, if the nurse was smart, she would have battled this one out, but she was "too embarrassed" and just wanted it "over with".

Don't let him get away with it. You can file a police report - if nothing else, I don't know if you have to press charges.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

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