Physician Bullying of Nurses Reaching Epidemic Levels

Conqueror+, BSN, RN · May 19, 2015

21 years. 4 states. MANY specialties. I have witnessed: blatant sexual harassment, chart throwing, yelling. threats to life and limb, racial slurs and gender discrimination out the ying yang. It was worst up north with non American born male doctors. It happens but I would only accept so much without speaking up/moving on. As far as I was concerned thats why they called it TRAVEL nursing.

thevez · May 19, 2015

Gosh, I hope this doesn't happen to me. I have had a doctor yelled at me for helping him but no stupid nor bad words just stern commands not to help him. I am a very tolerant person as well but when it's time to stop and speak up, it's time to speak up. Doctors are part of the PROFESSIONAL team, why aren't they taught acceptable and team player behaviors in med school?

DoGoodThenGo · May 19, 2015

Ok, now I see the font of some of the furore and or confusion. My original post was done along with a series of other news articles posted at the same time. It was not my "article" and one didn't catch that that drop down choice hand landed on "article" and not "thread". Have nothing more to do with the book and or story in the OP than finding and writing about the findings here. This will teach me to post early in the am when woken up with a bout of agita. Sorry.

The "we" was used instead of the perpendicular pronoun a general sense.

Felt the linked to report/message board regarding "physician bullying" was relevant since physicians/post grads had heard/read the same and thought the concept mostly laughable in that nurses call the shots in hospital. At least that is the take away message on got from the responses.

Did I miss anything?

SubSippi · May 19, 2015

I totally agree that being called a "girl" makes me grind my teeth but, at the same time, I don't consider that bullying or abuse.

Ha no I wasn't trying to claim that was abuse. I'm bad at sticking to the topic!

allnurses Guide · May 19, 2015

There's a doc I work with that'll walk in and say, "Hi girls!" It makes me want to kick him in the shins.

I don't mind that - in fact I've told the story about a very nice man who worked for our computer tech department. He was very sweet and when he walked by the nurses station, he would say "Good morning girls!". I never thought a thing about it. I am a girl, last time a checked. Well, the nursing supervisor that day was a cranky older woman who always made mountains out of molehills and wrote this poor young man up for daring to call the female nurses "girls". Well, we "girls" wrote back that WE DIDN'T MIND and that it wasn't a big deal. Poor guy.

Heck at my point in this life cycle even if someone is being smart I appreciate being addressed as a girl, lol.

Me too! I'm getting up there in age . . . . :facepalm:

I totally agree that being called a "girl" makes me grind my teeth but, at the same time, I don't consider that bullying or abuse.

It doesn't bother me, as stated. But you are correct that this is NOT bullying.

JPINFV · May 19, 2015

Felt the linked to report/message board regarding "physician bullying" was relevant since physicians/post grads had heard/read the same and thought the concept mostly laughable in that nurses call the shots in hospital. At least that is the take away message on got from the responses.
Did I miss anything?

Well, there's a couple rules that residents learn very quickly.

1. Making the service run smoothly is more important than responding to slights (real or perceived) from nursing.

2. Every resident has heard stories about the nurses who take delight in paging residents at 2am over nonsense due to prior slights (real or perceived). As a side note, shouldn't this qualify as bulling as well?

3. Some of it may be unintentional due to CHARTING CONVENTIONS (Why do nurses always yell into their EMR? Caps lock... turn it off) or regular use of phrases that have negative connotations (there's a certain light in satire. For those who think that's an over reaction to "no orders given" I've had to calm down a charge nurse because another intern documented "RN heard murmur, but I didn't appreciate it [the murmur]" on a newborn exam in order to justify the spot pulse ox reading. When it comes to murmurs, we defer to nurses if they hear one and we don't.).

Ruby Vee, BSN · May 19, 2015

Add me to the list of those who is disappointed with the title and in disagreement with the content.

I've been a nurse for a long time. Forty years ago, this type of bullying behavior was far more common (and more tolerated by hospital administration) than it is today. Doctor bullying has been trending downward for decades. I think Alexandra Robbins wants to sell a lot of books.

Ruby Vee, BSN · May 19, 2015

Unfortunately,this is an issue that has always been present,and sadly enough is still happening alot,not only within our nursing profession,but with the patients as well.It is a situation that we can no longer continue to deny it,or continue tolerating it anymore,and that is why we all have to be united,so we can help to stop many of these bully,and arrogant doctors from abusing,and disrespecting our nursing profession. This kind of abuse,and injustice has to be stopped,and these doctors should be required to take mandatory anger management classes,including psychological therapy,among other things.And if they aren't fit to be doctors,then they should simply resign,go work in another profession,or somewhere else,and not continue abusing,and degrading other people,just because of their medical title,and status. Our beautiful,and blessed nursing profession,is not like a horse stable,where people can trample our rights,and degrade our profession,whenever they feel like doing so.It's really a shame,and pathetic,to see many ignorant nurses out there,not having the courage,or conscience to come forward,and report all these abuses. We simply can't allow this kind of negative behavior,to continue happening in our profession,period!

Oh, good lord.

There isn't a band of bullying and arrogant doctors out there running rampant abusing and disrespecting our nursing profession. This kind of abuse and injustice isn't tolerated in most places. And yes, anger management classes are used.

You're a little over the top there . . . I don't know where you're finding all of these bulling, arrogant, abusive and degrading doctors but I can assure you that out "beautiful and blessed profession" is not "like a horse stable" and that no one is "trampling our rights" or "degrading our profession" "whenever they feel like doing so." This sort of negative behavior is simply not happening all that widely in our profession. Period.

klone, MSN, RN · May 19, 2015

I don't know; I just might believe it. I would say perhaps 1:4 or more hospitals are rural, and I would also say that nurses in rural areas are more likely to be bullied/abused by physicians. World-class hospitals have no trouble attracting talent, so I believe those sorts of hospitals are more likely to kick misbehaving physicians to the curb.

Yes. I started my career at, not necessarily a RURAL hospital, but it was a small community hospital an hour away from any other hospitals. These were private practice docs, many of them who had become doctors in the culture of "nurses are underlings." As a new nurse, I had a 'physicians are like G-d' complex that was fostered by the culture there. And there was one physician who, while he never did this to me, DID scream at nurses, standing nose to nose with them and spittle flying into their faces. There was an anesthesiologist who used to throw things in the OR.

Again, as a new nurse, it didn't occur to me that this was reportable. If I were to witness it NOW, you're damn right I would report it to whomever necessary to make the behavior stop. Now that I'm older, and many of the docs I work with are quite a bit younger than I, and I have seen that they are actually humans, who aren't perfect and make mistakes, I'm no longer impressed or intimidated by them.

Editorial Team / Admin · May 19, 2015

Please note: All Nursing News threads are moderated and must be approved prior to being allowed on the boards. When this was approved, it was inadvertently approved with the thread prefix, "Article". This has now been corrected to reflect, "thread", and an introduction from the Article's first paragraph inserted.

This thread has been reported. Some members question the title, content of the Article, author, etc. All members are invited to continue the discussion, substantiate, refute, question the Article Author, and debate .... all within TOS.

Thank you.

ixchel · May 19, 2015

My facility would be considered rural and again, no bullying or nastiness.

On a side note, a previous poster mentioned age. I'm at that age (34) when some of our attendings are my age, some a couple of years younger. On one hand, it helps because being a new grad, seeing doctors my own age gets rid of that fear that doctors are intimidating. On the other hand, when did I get old enough that doctors are younger than me? lol I loved turning 30. 35 is feeling a bit more daunting. :)

I will say that the perceived rumor that doctors are intimidating and mean exists enough that I felt it in nursing school. I was terrified to communicate with doctors. What if I make them mad? What if they think I'm an idiot? My nursing program didn't perpetuate it, but clinical instructors did a little.

The further out I get from graduation, the more confident I get in knowing my observations are important to mention and sometimes get orders for. It helps considerably that I do work in such a mutually respectful environment. With the frustration I'm feeling lately over other, unrelated stuff, it's my fellow nurses and the MDs that make me want to go to work every day.

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · May 19, 2015

At the hospital where I had my first job (1985), there was an ED doctor who had a terrible reputation; she was absolutely miserable to everyone.
One time she got angry and threw a syringe at one of the nurses...a syringe that had been used on a patient who had HIV. It struck the nurse and broke her skin.
I don't know exactly what happened, but not long after that the doctor left to work elsewhere.

The fact that she was not in jail and was able to work anywhere as a doctor is an injustice.