New nurse scared to talk to doctors!!

acgemt · Sep 10, 2005

I know what you mean. I hate talking to the doctors...especially over the phone, and most of the time I wind up with thte ones with heavy accents that I can barely understand...I think it just takes practice. I make it a point when I introduce myself to them for the first time that I am on orientation and to please bare with me. Most of the time I find that if I am upfront with them, they will tell me that I am did fine (receiving telephone orders, etc), and that gives me a little more confidence each time.

Audreyfay · Sep 11, 2005

I can definitely empathize with you. I was a shy self-conscious gal when I started nursing. Over the years, I've grown and learned. You will too. You will go through times when you will be think "why did I....?" It is part of the learning process. I used to despise talking with doctors. (Actually, I really don't even like doctors.) There are only a chosen few who have made it to my "like" list. It's a skill, learning what to say and what they might ask. After almost 30 years in nursing, there are STILL some doctors I don't like to call and talk to. But I do. And my patients appreciate it.

NurseNicoleRN · Sep 11, 2005

yes docs can be intimidated and make you feel stupid but its a learning experience im a new nurse on an oncology floor just started in AUG....i work at a teaching hospital and the first years just started in july and to tell you the truth i know more than them .......some of them dont even know that metroprolol will also help with heart rate?!?!? i had one md try to make a mockery of me because a pt of mine who had an ileostomy place 7 days ago had stool from his rectum when i assesed him he told me it is impossible and stupid for me to say that luckily i saved the stool because it was blood smeared and i didnt fully asess how much blood i got it and put it on the counter next to him.......glad to say he apoligized and said it was definetly stool and my pt had a possible impaction or fistula that i founnd.....docs dont know everything and they sound stupid sometimes too and what they do know we can learn from if you think of it like that you should be fine

SteveNNP, MSN, NP · Sep 14, 2005

New NICU nurse here on nights---- I also hate waking our docs up after they've been on the floor all day. However, I try to make sure it's something important, something they WILL give me an order for, and I'll usually ask an experienced nurse/resource nurse for advice before calling. We got yelled at on night shift for calling one of the docs every hour from 2-6am because several pts went bad, lab went offline, results came back late, etc. HOWEVER, I figure if you're making 250-500 g's a year, I can call you at any dad gum time I feel the need, day or night. That's what "on-call" means. Day shift gets the docs in person all day on the floor. We have to use our own judgement and intuition on nights. sorry for the rant, hope this helps!

SteveRN21

MamaTheNurse, BSN, RN · Sep 14, 2005

I was the same way!! Believe it or not, it does get easier but you need to work at it!!

Rounding with docs on your patients is a nice way to break the ice and to get them familiar with your name and face and your abilities on a non-emergent basis - that will really help when you have to call them when stuff goes crazy, believe me. When you are doing your first assessment, make sure you ask the patient if they have any concerns or questions - sometimes patients forget or are intimidated by docs so they get tongue-tied during rounds. Many times, I have gently reminded patients of things we discussed when the doc was also in the room and it was usually addressed immediately rather than when the patient remembered (literally) 15 minutes after the doc left the floor and had to be paged. Not that you have to kiss up, but new grads/employees have to prove themselves to docs so make sure you have stuff for dressing changes/procedures already in the room or at least know your storerooms well enough that you can grab it immediately - that shows that you are organized and are ready for whatever happens. Being able to rattle off labs, vitals, last BM, etc. is mandatory, both for good patient care and again, shows you are organized and know what's going on with the patient.

In terms of calling on the phone, I feel your pain - I worked nights for years and that was my least favourite thing to do!!! Check with your clinical supervisor or boss or whoever and find out if your institution has a "cheat sheet" to use when calling - our hospital has a really nice one that reminds you of all the stuff you should know or have in front of you before you call a doc - nothing drives docs more crazy than hearing "I don't know - let me get the chart" because the nurse doesn't have it right there. I have to admit, that would drive me nuts too!!!

I don't know if you work at a big or small hospital and I know things are really different at the teaching hospitals where you have residents and interns in the mix but overall, docs are creatures of habit and most have memories like elephants (sometime, ask an older doc if he can name 5 people out of his plain med school class - he'll be able to do that and probably more) so they will remember if you are 1) an unsafe nurse or 2) someone who has there s**t together- being known as 2) will make your life a whole lot easier and you will also get known house-wide as a good nurse. And always remember, you never should take verbal or physical abuse from a doc for anything. The day I let a doc treat me like crap is the day someone produces the gun that got held to his head to make him go to med school (to explain his bad attitude and the need to take out his frustration on the nurses)!!! And even then, it had better be a big gun!!!! :rotfl: :rotfl:

Just keep plugging along - it does get better!!!

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Sep 14, 2005

Just thought I would throw this into the discussion. . .I have a friend who I've known for over 30 years. We were in college together. All this guy talked about was being a doctor. He was (and still is) a cool person. He is married to an RN. Before he even went to medical school he heard all the talk from his wife's RN friends when we would sit around at home talking about the things we had to put up with at work. Nasty doctors was right up there at the top of the list. I visited them when he was doing his residency in family medicine and was at their home one evening when he must have gotten 5 or 6 calls from nurses at the hospital. He got pretty grumpy with a couple of the callers and I pointed this out to him. I got a long speech from him about the many, unnecessary and silly calls he got. Of course, he recognized that this is not true of all calls, but when the dumb calls come one after another it gets very aggravating, he says. He said it was very aggravating when nurses called for things he'd already ordered. Some nurses, he felt, just grabbed a phone and called him without taking a look through the patient's chart first. He knows, however, that most RNs are doing exactly what their job requires because his wife and her friends have let him know this.

Gail-Anne · Sep 14, 2005

Good advice re: be prepared, anticipate Dr questions depending on whether or not they are primary Dr. Older nurses remember the days when many thought DRlyness was next to godlyness, had to deal with lots more then I found!

And remember... a dog chases a cat that runs! If a Dr snarls etc, stand up for yourself, you'll usually find that you'll get along with them better in the long run.

First time I ever refused a Dr order I was a student in emerg. This ERP was known for chewing-up and spitting-out students. The staff was amazed at his good response (yes, I had info that he didn't know yet on pt, which changed his order) The first time he tried to set me up as "just a student...get me a REAL nurse" by rattling off tests he wanted done very fast, I looked him staight in the eye, made a "time-out" sign, pulled out my paper and pencil and then told him to take it from the top... He laughed and wrote his own orders. Only 2 students out of 60 ever got along with this man. Remember to take a deep breath and roll with the punches.

goats'r'us, ASN, RN · Sep 15, 2005

I am posting this thread because I thought someone might be able to help me get over my nervousness about talking to doctors. I graduated in May 05 and am working at a hospital about 50 miles from my home and I really don't know anyone there. I get so nervous about having to call a doctor or talk to them when they make rounds. Is this normal? I am just afraid I am going to say something totally stupid or they will ask me something that I don't know and they will think I am stupid! I have a great preceptor and he knows that this bothers me, and he is trying to make me face my fears by making me call them and talk to them. So far, it hasn't been that bad, but I am just waiting for one to go off on me and I don't know how to handle that. Sometimes I just want to wear a sign that reads "I am a new nurse"!!

i know how you feel, but remember, they might like to think so, but they aren't god! they might like to think that they're above the realm of nurses, but they still eat, drink, crap and laugh like everyone else!

do as i do.. establish yourself as an endearingly obnoxious individual, and make them love (or at least tolerate) you!

AMARTIN1 · Sep 15, 2005

Like any other procedure you would perform, you prepare yourself. Before calling a doctor make sure you have the patient's chart and medication sheet in front of you. Anticipate what kinds of questions the doctor is going to ask of you and be prepared with the answers or be able to find the answer in the chart in front of you. Be prepared to state your reasons for calling him. Always call the doctor with a purpose in mind (to notify him of the patient's condition or that you are seeking a specific order for something).
If you have all your ducks in a row as I listed above, you won't look stupid. I suspect that you are also worried about being yelled at. You can also be prepared for that as well. I've been a nurse for many years and I know that some doctors have a reputation among the nurses for being nasty when you call them. Have a response ready in case the doctor lashes out at you and write it down on your paper before you call him. "I called because your patient asked me to." "I called because I thought you would want to know this information." "I thought you would want to know this about your patient and I resent you yelling at me." "You're rude." That way, if you do get blasted, you'll have your response in front of you and you just have to read it off the paper. And, don't worry. Unlike the doctors on TV, they can't get you fired for doing your job.
You know the nice thing about making phone calls to doctors? Unless the doctor specifically comes in looking for cparrish who called him, he's not going to know who you are. Although, my years of experience taught me that it is a good idea to develop a relationship with doctors. If they can put a face to a name they are less likely to give you a hard time when you call them and are more inclined to take the time to explain their thinking to you. The smart docs know that taking the time to cultivate good relationships with not only their office nurses, but the regular hospital nurses as well pays off in spades. For instance, I knew which doctors absolutely wanted me to pick up the phone and notify them for just about anything and which ones would let me wait until 6am to wake them up. I worked in teaching hospitals for many years, and you know what? Medical students and a lot of first year residents and interns were scared to death that the nurses would think they were stupid!!! We all start out at the beginning.

Very true!!! I actually called a physician once and told him "sorry to bother you" and he stopped me and said not to ever tell a physician that, they get paid to be bothered :). It also does help to try to develop a relationship with them and have the chart in front of you when you have to call. In my hospital, they developed a nursing communication tool with your pt's specific problem and all pertinent information needed when calling the doctor. They only want the specifics, no more and no less. Well I hope this helps and with time and more experience, you will be a pro!! :) Good luck and God Bless..AMARTIN1

AMARTIN1 · Sep 15, 2005

New NICU nurse here on nights---- I also hate waking our docs up after they've been on the floor all day. However, I try to make sure it's something important, something they WILL give me an order for, and I'll usually ask an experienced nurse/resource nurse for advice before calling. We got yelled at on night shift for calling one of the docs every hour from 2-6am because several pts went bad, lab went offline, results came back late, etc. HOWEVER, I figure if you're making 250-500 g's a year, I can call you at any dad gum time I feel the need, day or night. That's what "on-call" means. Day shift gets the docs in person all day on the floor. We have to use our own judgement and intuition on nights. sorry for the rant, hope this helps!
SteveRN21

Oh how right you are!!! :)

DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN · Sep 15, 2005

Imagine them in the toilet. No really! They are human too and imagining that person doing something ordinary will bring that hom

Ditto.......they put their pants on one leg at a time like eveyone else. I hear them complaining about having to cook when they get home or cleaning house just like us. Dr. J currently has a big bruise on his forehead. He ran into a tree branch while mowing the yard and knocked himself out. Dr. H is a thin man and refuses any treats we offer him, he's 57 y/o, and says no "I'm afraid my wife will find out". She is a health freak. I asked him once. What are you having for dinner tonight? Green boxes he answered. Green Boxes? "Healthy Choice"!

Nickle · Sep 15, 2005

Check with your clinical supervisor or boss or whoever and find out if your institution has a "cheat sheet" to use when calling - our hospital has a really nice one that reminds you of all the stuff you should know or have in front of you before you call a doc -

MamaTheNurse, would you mind posting the items from the "calling a doctor cheat sheet" from your facility? That would be really helpful. Thank you.