Not scared of the doctors

Nurses General Nursing

Published

As a new grad, calling the doctors/talking to the doctors doesn't scare me or make me nervous. I'm not even good at talking to them but it doesn't bother me because I'm new and learning and if they don't understand this, poo on them.

Part of me thinks this is a good thing but another part of me worries that I'm missing something. Like, do they have some sort of power over my employment that I missing? Should I start kissing ass? At this point, I'm more afraid of HR than I am of the MD's. Is something wrong with me?

I'm thinking, "Wow, nursing school really hyped up the whole calling the doctor thing to the point that I'm worried that something's wrong with me for not being afraid."

I should add, I'm not rude or disrespectful to the MD's. I am very nice and respectful but not overly/kiss assingly so. Please don't think I'm entitled or rude to the MD's by any means, I'm just not scared or nervous by them.

Opinions? Main questions bolded above.

Specializes in FNP.
It was actually my professors who instilled the fear. I believe there were a few PowerPoint slides devoted to the subject.

Whaaaat? That is ridiculous. What a waste of time better spent studying nursing science.

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

We never had it instilled in NS that we should be afraid to call the doctor. I've been yelled at a few times, but so few that I can count on one hand. Honestly. I don't enjoy calling docs in the middle of the night any more than they enjoy being called, but most of them recognize that when I call, I'm not calling to hear the sweet sound of their voice at 0230. Like others have said, have your stuff together; have their chart in front of you, have their most recent VS/labs/assessment info with you. Go ahead and do as much as you can do for the patient without an order or per standing orders and save everyone some time. Most of them are appreciative of this and if they're not, I don't lose any sleep over it because I know I'm still doing my job well and don't have to answer to anyone for their crap attitude.

No reason to be scared of docs. I don't watch Oprah anymore, but when I did, something she said about celebrities stuck with me, and the same is true of docs. "They're just people who pee."

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Specializes in pulm/cardiology pcu, surgical onc.

MD's are people too. Why be scared of another human that also makes mistakes just like all of us.

So many times I've heard of rude doctors, and talked to one or two in my time, but scary-no.

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Specializes in LTC, Acute care.

My nursing school did not exactly teach us to be scared of doctors but they overstressed the SBAR thing, IMHO. Glad I paid attention though because now at work I SBAR my conversations with doctors especially when it's something they need to fix and they act like it's not important. That in effect covers my behind effectively.:nurse:

I've found I'm never scared, never have been either because I never make silly calls. In the beginning, I worried about what to tell them but I figured out that all I need to relay is what's concerning me about a particular patient at a given time, in time my newbie voice got stronger over the phone. If I call them, it's very important and I expect them to conduct themselves accordingly. Nothing to it really.

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Specializes in Psych, Chem Dependency, Occ. Health.

I have never been afraid to call them. I did have one very rude MD walk on the unit I was on, throw her mink coat across my charts and said very abruptly "I'll have a cup of tea". I replied without skipping a beat "The kitchen is two doors down the hall". I pushed her coat off my charts and went back to work. That was my only encounter with a truly rude physician. The last place I worked, the physicians and NPs treated like us like peers and team members. Which was good because I don't do "subservient" very well :).

Sue

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
My nursing school did not exactly teach us to be scared of doctors but they overstressed the SBAR thing, IMHO. Glad I paid attention though because now at work I SBAR my conversations with doctors especially when it's something they need to fix and they act like it's not important. That in effect covers my behind effectively.:nurse:

I've found I'm never scared, never have been either because I never make silly calls. In the beginning, I worried about what to tell them but I figured out that all I need to relay is what's concerning me about a particular patient at a given time, in time my newbie voice got stronger over the phone. If I call them, it's very important and I expect them to conduct themselves accordingly. Nothing to it really.

I am probably going to get flamed for this, but I really don't get the big deal over this SBAR business. They have it to the right of our order sheets, and you're supposed to have it all filled out. Just to amuse management, I may occasionally fill out the "A" and the "R," but honest to Pete, if I am paging a doc, I know why I am paging and what I think the patient needs. This just seems like the latest "hot idea" like PIE charting, SOAP notes, SOAPIER notes...good grief, I can't even remember all the stuff that has come and gone.

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Why should we be scared of the doctors? Aren't we supposed to all be a team for patient care? Given, some of the doctors can be difficult, but most of them, especially the younger ones, are actually pretty nice. There are some doctors in my hospital that nurses call by first name basis, and the docs don't seem to mind. Sometimes the younger docs even get flirted on by the nurses in my hospital, which kind of bugs me, which may be crossing the line. (Maybe it's because I'm in a new relationship with one and I'm jealous...idk)

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Funny I've NEVER EVER had a problem with male physicians- we get along beautifully. It's the female doctors that might be a different thing. Why is that?

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It's definitely nursing instructors who instill the "OMG I'm going to get cussed out" thought in your head. But personally, their method worked for me because before I call any Dr I make damn sure I have every piece of information I need in front of me because that's what a responsible nurse should do. But no, you're not missing anything. Now if you're calling the doctor & not not able to answer their questions because you forgot to look or don't have the info ready & you have to call them back, you may get huffed n puffed at, lol. But I bet ya next time, you'll remember to have everything ready. :)

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Specializes in Med/Surg.
Why should we be scared of the doctors? Aren't we supposed to all be a team for patient care? Given, some of the doctors can be difficult, but most of them, especially the younger ones, are actually pretty nice. There are some doctors in my hospital that nurses call by first name basis, and the docs don't seem to mind. Sometimes the younger docs even get flirted on by the nurses in my hospital, which kind of bugs me, which may be crossing the line. (Maybe it's because I'm in a new relationship with one and I'm jealous...idk)

The fact that you had to point it out does lend to that belief, yes.....

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Psych, Tele, ICU.

NO reason to be afraid. Some will always be jerks, and most will always be courteous. The ones that tell me to quit calling when my patient is circling the drain, are the ones that I will call with every change in conditions.

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Specializes in Oncology, Medical.
Given, some of the doctors can be difficult, but most of them, especially the younger ones, are actually pretty nice.

Interesting, because I find the younger ones are rather stricter and more difficult (maybe because they're not comfortable enough in their roles to allow some give and flexibility?). I recently got yelled at by a resident for not having my vitals charted by lunch time :eek: (I had an extra patient on my assignment that day and none of my patients were easy).

I've gotten over my fear of talking to doctors (I'm a shy person so talking to new people in general scares me, but I've gotten better over the years). It helped that, for the most part, the doctors we usually see on my floor are very nice. There's even one or two who sometimes hang out at the nurses station to joke around with whoever is there. There are a select few doctors who are rather notorious for being "scary" because they ask a ton of questions on the spot (everything from their vitals to their meds to what happened on the previous shift), but for those, I do my best to answer and refer back to the patient's chart if needed and that usually is satisfactory enough for the doc.

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