So this incident was not really even a comfrontation, more of a bizarre occurence. I was having a one on one discussion with a colleague regarding time off. I was telling her that I wanted to request 4th of July off and that i hadn't requested time off since the beginning of the year . All of a sudden the attending jumps in on my conversation from behind me railing. "If you think you're going to get any time off on a holiday your head must be so far up your rectum" "if your are going to get that holiday off you have to work memorial day or some other holiday" " Ive worked every holiday in here and if i was your manager...on and on he goes...and I'm going to be in a really bad mood because I have to be on call every day next month" Then he goes on to say that he has to take extra call because another attendings family member is sick and how unfortunate that is conversing as if he wasn't just a huge jerk 30 seconds ago?????
I was beyond shocked and blindsided to say the very least. I have never had any conversation with this man at all and even the resident who he was on rounds with looked confused and shocked. Thankfully I didn't react in the manner he came at me with.
I know my co-workers don't like this doctor and now I have experienced why. I work nights so I've never really been around this guy.
I left work more confused, disrespected and shocked as this is someone who has no say in nursing whatsoever. Furthermore my manager will work the schedule to staff needs the best he can even if he can't approve special time off. But again why this attending thought that was any of his business I really don't know.
At first i was going to let it go due to the sheer weirdness and obsurdity of the entire incident but now the day after I feel i shouldnt let it go. That was beyond rude. I've never even had a nurse colleague speak to me like that... No one ever, especially with such language, there was staff and patient family all around. So now I'm wondering what course of action should I take?
I think your right, I can't count the many times I've heard docs tease nurses about "break time" or time off. It's unfortunate their profession affords them so little time off. While it may be totally possible this was a person under stress, this is not the first of this guys outbursts apparently and seems to be a malignant personality. I wonder how it would've went down had it been the other way around?
I think your right, I can't count the many times I've heard docs tease nurses about "break time" or time off. It's unfortunate their profession affords them so little time off. While it may be totally possible this was a person under stress, this is not the first of this guys outbursts apparently and seems to be a malignant personality. I wonder how it would've went down had it been the other way around?
- many, many doctors are deadly envious about one thing nursing. Namely, the fact that we really can go home at X time.
For many doctors, it is unthinkable to just simply go and ask about holiday off. It depends on hospital/system, but almost 100% they have to find someone to cover their patients. Counting that you need to trust this covering person literally as yourself, and that there are much less doctors than nurses in any given facility, finding coverage is a problem haunting at least 8 attendings out of 10. Add to this the enormous patient loads many of them need to keep to support their similarly enormous loans, insurance premiums, expensive lifestyle, etc.
What surprises me is how rarely the episodes like the OP described actually happen.
If I have time, I would probably bring that poor man a cup of coffee. I do not say that what he said was appropriate and nice, but I bet he was tired as a dog at that moment.
Well - to be honest - I have only limited patience for that kind of whining.
They know what they are getting themselves in - I mean it is hard to go through residency and ignore that...
Having said that, it seems to me that you are actually making up excuses for the "poor poor doctor" when in fact everybody needs to behave nowadays. The times when it was ok for the MD to yell and stomp and what not are done - we do not cater coffee to ranting MDs (at least not in my place ...).
They, like nurses, have choices. They can work in a different setting, take a different position..
We nurses also have stress, some of us have jobs that require on call. Most nursing jobs are stressful.
I am not saying that being confrontational would help that situation but I would also not make up excuses based on the physician taking on whatever the system throws at him.
I think your right, I can't count the many times I've heard docs tease nurses about "break time" or time off. It's unfortunate their profession affords them so little time off. While it may be totally possible this was a person under stress, this is not the first of this guys outbursts apparently and seems to be a malignant personality. I wonder how it would've went down had it been the other way around?
Next time you see him tell him that he owes you a coffee and a donut since you listened to his verbal outbreak ...
Well - to be honest - I have only limited patience for that kind of whining.
They know what they are getting themselves in - I mean it is hard to go through residency and ignore that...
Having said that, it seems to me that you are actually making up excuses for the "poor poor doctor" when in fact everybody needs to behave nowadays. The times when it was ok for the MD to yell and stomp and what not are done - we do not cater coffee to ranting MDs (at least not in my place ...).
They, like nurses, have choices. They can work in a different setting, take a different position..
We nurses also have stress, some of us have jobs that require on call. Most nursing jobs are stressful.
I am not saying that being confrontational would help that situation but I would also not make up excuses based on the physician taking on whatever the system throws at him.
Well - to be honest - I have only limited patience for that kind of whining.
They know what they are getting themselves in - I mean it is hard to go through residency and ignore that...
Having said that, it seems to me that you are actually making up excuses for the "poor poor doctor" when in fact everybody needs to behave nowadays. The times when it was ok for the MD to yell and stomp and what not are done - we do not cater coffee to ranting MDs (at least not in my place ...).
They, like nurses, have choices. They can work in a different setting, take a different position..
We nurses also have stress, some of us have jobs that require on call. Most nursing jobs are stressful.
I am not saying that being confrontational would help that situation but I would also not make up excuses based on the physician taking on whatever the system throws at him.
Same correct about many of us, isn't it?
(the bitter truth is that many of them do not have an idea of what real life implies almost to the end of the residency, when the financial support brought by you and me the taxpayers starts to get loose. But this is an entirely another subject).
Anyway, his or her own cup of coffee for any of us. It was the way I got some of the very malignant attendings listening and appreciating myself and other nurses, eventually (and yes, one of them eventually brought us that Keurig machine, although I would not touch the junk it makes out of good coffee).
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
Yeah, bummer he doesn't get your time off and bummer you don't get his paycheque. We all live with the choices we make. That tirade is not something I'd bother to take personally. He made himself look bad, not you. Master the Art of the Blank Look for his next performance, then go about your business. It's less fun to get worked up when no one else plays along.
His behavior was definitely rude, but did it impact patient care in any way?
What do you think a union rep or HR might do about a co-worker butting in on a conversation that had nothing to do with patient care?
You could try to talk to the physician in question, but I'm not certain how constructive that would be.
I would suggest letting it go. The best time to deal with things like this is in the moment, and the moment has passed.
I must say it sounds like he has the world's crappiest schedule. That doesn't excuse him acting like a horse's behind, but taking call every day for a month? I. Just. Can't. Even.
Was this the first person who was ever rude or boorish to you at work? I wanna live in your world.
Master the Withering Stare. Shake it off. Avoid. You have bigger fish to fry.
Additionally, when one has conversation at the nurses station, that can be overheard by others, you can more than likely expect a lot of input from said others.
A reasonable expectation is to not have conversations of a personal nature at the nurses station, especially when the attending is sitting there attempting to work, and one is going on and on about time off/holidays, etc. Most find that distracting. Depending on the personality of the MD, you could have ended up with "ok, then, I have never had a holiday off. Are you going to take off my orders now, or shall we discuss your holiday some more?'
All4NursingRN
377 Posts
Oh I forgot you were there when it happened. FYI I've been a nurse for 10 years and seen a whole lot. Nothing this weird.