Our Endoscopy unit received a "complimentary" letter from a satisfied patient. He went on about the professional treatment he received from the nurses on the unit. He then concluded with the statement that our treatment of him was a direct result of the outstanding training and leadership on the part of the doctor in charge. Does anyone realize that the nurses are the ones who keep the doctors in line? Without our nagging, and emphasis on personal care and service, this patient would not even have known who his doctor was, because this "doctor in charge" doesn't deem it necessary to meet the patient before or after a procedure. I've been doing this for 35 years, and some things never change!!!
I didn't read the article yet, but when I was in my 2nd semester classes all the nurses were busy and I got to help with a procedure. I was so excited the Dr. asked me to come and help. I don't remember what the procedure was but just the thought....Anyway, he was throwing stuff all over etc. and afterwards he said okay clean up. You can get good practice doing what nurses do, being a good nurse, etc. This is my only bad experience (so far), but I haven't started working as an RN yet. We need a high level (olgilvy-mather type media ad agency).
I recently saw where the advisor for Gray's Anatomy was a nurse. She said her goal is to attempt to portray things as accurately as possible. We'll see if there are any nursing situations come up.
Just last night, had a nurse, belittled on the phone, by a condescending mannor. No nasty words or harsh language. Abuse of nurses comes in many forms. Well this pt. was going to be rushed to the OR for a CABG, and the cardiothoracic is a pure butt hole. The nurse was very upset about the condescending interaction... but it lacked the ability for a write up.
I suggested she speaker phoned the MD from here out, alerted him to this and she now had wittnesses. dr. ..... I'm placing you on speaker phone so I can receive your orders and care for the patient, I'm in the room with several nurses... please proceed....." DONE.
You may be hit with abuse in several forms ONCE.... never allow it again. Forget the public to have your backing, they are ... nevermind... unknowing to your cause and it's not their battle to fight, it's yours and your team of nurses.... so start the battle and choose it wisely and CYA!
Specializes in med/surg/tele/neuro/rehab/corrections.
A nurse died and went to heaven. St. Peter was showing her around and introducing her to different folks. This is Ghandi. Over there is Susan Anthony, and so forth. They saw a tall man with flowing beard and white gown with a stethescope. The nurse asked, "Who's that?" The reply, "Oh that's God, sometimes he likes to play doctor."
That is too funny! I"m going to copy and remember this one! LOL
Not exactly true. Your work as a nurse does involve curing as well as caring for the patient. Who gives the medicines, treatments, etc.? Who constantly assesses the pt's responses to these Rxs & Txs? Who speaks for these pts when what the doc has ordered doesn't work or has an adverse affect? The nurse does. You are often the eyes & ears of the doc and the voice of the pt. You are definitely more involved in the cure of the patient than you think. You are getting a degree in science, not caring.
Caring is great and necessary, but your future employer will be paying you to be knowledgeable
in the science of nursing. They can get people who care about the patient for free. Don't downplay your own education or scientific knowledge. That's one of the reasons the public just doesn't get what nurses do.
Hear, hear! I really think that we as nurses do not reinforce this message enough. We bear a lot of responsibility for our image as unskilled hand-holders and pillow-fluffers because so often we focus so heavily on the caring aspects of our job versus the scientific knowledge and training required to perform in our profession.
Nope, John Q. Public is oblivious. Even after this happens.
Docs are just people too. They cry, whine, hunger, thirst, urinate, defecate and hemorrahage just like the rest of us. I will never understand the God complex or where it comes from.
It's part of The member Principle. It comes from centuries of women being a man's property (chattel) and being subject to severe punishment (divorce, physical retribution, ostracism by other women for being defiant or "different") for disobeying her husband, who was her Lord and Master. This is common still in some cultures, subtley so in our own.
The males don't really fare so much better. They are expected to be strong at all times, they don't get to explore their softer side. It's a mess.
I'm a nursing student now.. I still have at least a year and a half left, and haven't started clinicals yet or anything.. so I haven't had to deal with doctors yet. What do you do when doctors treat you like this?? Just take it?
You look them straight in the eye, breathe, you take them by the shirt collar, and you tell them that, by God, they had better never treat you like that ever again, the longest day they live, if they want to live to see tomorrow. Just kidding. You should look them in the eye but don't touch them and don't say stuff you can't back up.
Look menacing. Be silent but let our stance and your eyes say it all. Let it be conveyed that you are not someone they can mess with. And don't cry, don't give in, don't let them walk on you or bowl you over, dont let them be intimidating to you. Imagine them having a BM or picture them naked.
Or you can laugh a little.
Corner them privately and tell them you expect to be treated with respect, just as if you were another colleague. Remember that you have the power of the phone and can wake them up at night, LOL, for little stuff they forget to order, like Tylenol, MOM, sleepers. Refuse to wait on them. Let them find their own damned charts, chairs, coffee. Make them contribute to the coffee fund and don't share your pencils, pens, sweets, etc. with them. Be a bytch. But do it real sneakily.
Go to medical school yourself. Report all their errors to some attorney or the doctor licensing board. Get creative. Just don't cry, don't "just take it", don't allow them to treat you like dirt.
It's part of The member Principle. It comes from centuries of women being a man's property (chattel) and being subject to severe punishment (divorce, physical retribution, ostracism by other women for being defiant or "different") for disobeying her husband, who was her Lord and Master. This is common still in some cultures, subtley so in our own.
The males don't really fare so much better. They are expected to be strong at all times, they don't get to explore their softer side. It's a mess.
I would like to say, hold up, male nurses are treated badly too, and they are, but not as often. If they let people start treating them bad, it continues the same. Unfortunately, they do seem to get more respect, from the doc, from the beginning. Not sure why.
On the other hand, from the patients... If it is a female nurse, noone normally asks for a male nurse because they don't want a woman, but male nurses do get that from time to time. I'm all about the patient feeling comfortable, but they wouldn't normally think about the female nurse being a problem.
To stand up for yourself is VERY important. NO ONE should take abuse in the workplace (or anywhere else for that matter.) To act passive aggressive though, I would feel no better, maybe even worse then the abuser. I don't think that helps at all with gaining respect. I would not respect someone that acted that way, to me or anyone else. It's revenge, and not a solution. It may just add to the problem for you and others.
Corner them privately and tell them you expect to be treated with respect, just as if you were another colleague. Remember that you have the power of the phone and can wake them up at night, LOL, for little stuff they forget to order, like Tylenol, MOM, sleepers. Refuse to wait on them. Let them find their own damned charts, chairs, coffee. Make them contribute to the coffee fund and don't share your pencils, pens, sweets, etc. with them. Be a bytch. But do it real sneakily.
Go to medical school yourself. Report all their errors to some attorney or the doctor licensing board. Get creative. Just don't cry, don't "just take it", don't allow them to treat you like dirt.
I am fortunate in that I only have a few docs that I have to interact with. This lessens the distractions and trying to learn little foibles for larger numbers of Docs... Most of them are okay to work around, some of them are as bad as or worse than two year olds who have not had a nap.
Anyway, I digress. I was looking at the whole Nursing vs Doctoring argument. Nursing is the study and treatment of the individual and family response to the treatment of illness. Doctors plan the treatment, Nurses implement the medical treatment and monitor for the patient response. It is important for a nurse to be well educated so that if she sees something ordered that is inappropriate for that patient, she can say something so that the patient's health and best intrests are preserved.
Docs do not recognize this. As I have heard from a cousin who is in med school, the attitude is that nurses don't know/understand all the rationals for the things that the Docs do and that "they shouldn't worry their pretty little heads about all that stuff, they just report vital signs and test results and leave the rest to me." I have never wanted to slap a person in my own family so badly!
If my cousin's attitude is reflective of the broader attitude, it is little wonder that the shortage of nurses is not even shorter.
Someone asked about men getting the same treatment or not...
My husband works with alot of nurses (he isn't one) and gets to observe them - in his experience, he has told me that the males do not get even a fraction of maltreatment that the female nurses do (or don't put up with if it does happen, which is probably why it rarely to never does).
Gee, the abusers ARE able to control themselves after all!!
He's dumbfounded by the stuff that the women put up with compared to the men.
Someone asked about men getting the same treatment or not...
My husband works with alot of nurses (he isn't one) and gets to observe them - in his experience, he has told me that the males do not get even a fraction of maltreatment that the female nurses do (or don't put up with if it does happen, which is probably why it rarely to never does).
Gee, the abusers ARE able to control themselves after all!!
He's dumbfounded by the stuff that the women put up with compared to the men.
I think that is the key to the situation. It's not just the men, but those women that won't put up with it as well. If you call them on it, up front, most will back down and treat you with respect. You can do this in a respectful way though, and that is part of it as well. If you want respect, be respectful, but don't allow disrespect towards you.
That is too funny! I"m going to copy and remember this one! LOL
Hear, hear! I really think that we as nurses do not reinforce this message enough. We bear a lot of responsibility for our image as unskilled hand-holders and pillow-fluffers because so often we focus so heavily on the caring aspects of our job versus the scientific knowledge and training required to perform in our profession.
msbrady
3 Posts
Our Endoscopy unit received a "complimentary" letter from a satisfied patient. He went on about the professional treatment he received from the nurses on the unit. He then concluded with the statement that our treatment of him was a direct result of the outstanding training and leadership on the part of the doctor in charge. Does anyone realize that the nurses are the ones who keep the doctors in line? Without our nagging, and emphasis on personal care and service, this patient would not even have known who his doctor was, because this "doctor in charge" doesn't deem it necessary to meet the patient before or after a procedure. I've been doing this for 35 years, and some things never change!!!