OHHH The Arrogance of Some Doctors!!

Indy, LPN, LVN · Jul 31, 2005

So while I'm reading this thread, my phone rang. That's cute, since nobody normally calls me on a sunday. It's the same rude redneck who's called me maybe half a dozen times in the last couple of weeks. You know, the people who think that when you call someone, the first thing you say is "WHO IS THIS!" or in dialect, "WHOOZIS!" I hate it when people do that, even if you aren't stupid enough to be dialing a total stranger.

Each time this rude (bleep) has called me, I've refused to give my name, and asked him who he was and why he's rude on my phone. Each time, he hangs up. Unfortunately for him, he got me on a morning today before I've had my coffee. I'm afraid I was ruder than he was with my resulting language.

lpnstudentin2010, LPN · Jul 31, 2005

If it were me, I would have said something. "Could that not wait until you have finished with my exam?" or "Do you mind?" or "It is a bit unnerving that you are having a conversation that is not related to my medial needs while you are looking at my private parts"
She should have spoken up. I know he does that every day (or nearly) and it is as routine to him as eating lunch, but it is not the same for the patient.

I am not sure I would have had the courage to do this sort of thing

obliviousRN · Aug 1, 2005

I hate to be the devil's advocate here (who am I kidding?heehee) but I don't necessarily think that it was as horrible as most of you. Here's why:

All our docs (rural hospital) work out of the hospital associated clinic. They carry cell phones for us to get in touch with them when we have an ER patient or an OB patient walk in. That phone call could have easily been a "I've got a chest pain in the ER" or a "she's crowning!" phone call. Or maybe a patient on a dopamine drip who's not doing well and I need an order for XXXXX. Or a patient who's going downhill very fast.

Our docs are constantly interrupted in clinic for these phone calls. My patient who may be dying or giving birth is pretty important. I'm sorry if my phone call interrupts your Pap smear, but I would think that my patient who is on the verge of coding is pretty happy that I've called the doc for additional orders.

Now please don't take this in a bad "tone of voice" or being a smarty pants. I'm being very serious (trying to do it politely). This is a regular circumstance for our docs here. It's the only way to contact them. And unfortunately, if they are on ER or OB call, they HAVE to answer the phone.

Now that said - if the doc is talking real estate or where they're going to dinner that night...................totally different story.

CritterLover, BSN, RN · Aug 1, 2005

a hospital i've worked pacu in has an ent doc who will answer his cell phone while operating (being that surgery in the mouth is a clean, rather than sterile procedure).

excuse me? how clean does he think that cell phone is? and how much attention is he paying to his patient? if driving while talking on a cell phone is dangerous, how safe can operating while talking on the phone be?

Plagueis · Aug 1, 2005

Is it just me, or have cell phones made people even more rude than they were 10 years ago?

No, I totally agree with you. I have a cell phone myself, but I still don't like them. I keep mine off while at the library, in class, and at the movies. Don't people realize that we can all hear their conversations? Also, while people may claim that they need the cell phone on at all times "in case of an emergency," I have yet to accidentally overhear a cell conversation about a life-and-death emergency. I remember back in the "old days" where if a child/parent/spouse/friend needed to reach someone at work, they would call the work number, and would be put through. There is no excuse for a doctor to answer his/her cell during a physical examination. For many centuries, doctors were somehow able to survive without answering cell phones during exams, so why can't they now?