Physician Bullying of Nurses Reaching Epidemic Levels

SubSippi · May 24, 2015

If just one time you greet him with, "Hi, Boy", he might sit up and take notice.
Or just tell him you are a grown woman or your name is Ms. Nurse or you don't like being called a girl because.... whatever your reason and you would appreciate it if he'd call you.... What is your reason, by the way?
He might not be aware. He might have no idea he's offending you.

No he's definitely not aware that he's being offensive. If it was a grandfatherly type doc it wouldn't make me so mad...but he's pretty young, and has a perpetual condescending attitude.

So basically I look for things to make me mad.

allnurses Guide · May 24, 2015

No he's definitely not aware that he's being offensive. If it was a grandfatherly type doc it wouldn't make me so mad...but he's pretty young, and has a perpetual condescending attitude.
So basically I look for things to make me mad.

It definitely depends on what is meant by the person saying "Hi girls!" as he passes the nurses station. My experience was simply a nice young man who was our computer tech geek. He meant nothing except saying hello to all of the women.

So, to get written up for that made me very sad.

The sup who wrote him up was a (literally) small in stature dictator-type who was regularly heard giving out incorrect medical information.

"Oh no dear, you must not breastfeed your infant while you have a cold because if the baby gets your cold, breastmilk increases mucous-production and your baby won't be able to breath".

:sarcastic: Um, that old wives tale was debunked a long time ago and a new mom who wants to breastfeed should breastfeed.

Don't even get me started on that woman. :no: She was way worse than someone calling me a girl.

joemomma35 · May 29, 2015

Gee, kind of like nurses, huh? Sorry, I don't feel sorry for doctors. I've always worked every bit as hard as any doctor I've ever known, for a whole lot less pay and respect. It's good for them to know how it feels. And I don't care about their debt. They just chose to go into Medicine at a bad time, if they're hoping to get rich.

Why do I see a chip on your shoulder? Practically everyone in healthcare works their asses off, there's no reason to pit yourself versus another group. Many nurses in general need to cut it out with the me-first attitude.

MichelletheRN · Jun 1, 2015

I don't like to be verbally abused, berated, disrespected, or having someone play mind games with me.

I returned to work in a small rural hospital after a year as an RNAC or MDS nurse. I had worked for many years as a nurse at a small rural hospital before and I am not treated poorly, the doctors and nurses and NPs are quite kind and friendly, and my stress level is greatly diminished.

If you want to talk abuse, I can tell you things you wouldn't even believe that happened at the nursing home, and it was ALL at the hands of 2 RNs and 1 LPN. I was to the point where i would get sick every day just going in to the nursing home, I would cry every day, and I kept having to get my antidepressants upped and take Ambien just to sleep because i dreaded having to go in. I considered suicide. My doctor kept telling me i HAD to get out of there before it killed me. He was quite concerned over it.

Don't be afraid of doctors. But oh, some nurses....be afraid. ..be very afraid. Nurses "eat their young"...but I'm telling you....they eat 40 year olds, too.

Pearl83 · Oct 31, 2015

I've experienced some level of bullying from a PA and I decided to tell her off coz she had such bad attitude every time I spoke with her over the phone.....After meeting her recently, she seemed very nice.Hope it stays that way. Talk about nurses eating their young. There's a few nurses that are sarcastic at work and just giving them report is like a night mare.....

tricianurse68 · Oct 31, 2015

I have been in the medical field for 25 years. Both as a Surgical Tech and as a RN. I have been mistreated multiple times early on in my career. Once as a tech a surgeon threw a instrument across the room and called me an idiot for handing him the wrong thing. I have also been asked if I was "f***ing stupid" by another surgeon. I can assure you that I had done nothing that warranted such behavior. I am a more seasoned nurse now and would not put up with the same treatment at this point in my career, but I assure you nothing was done to address the MD's actions in either case.

jdoyle33613 · Oct 31, 2015

In my short time precepting I experienced bullying by a doctor. It was traumatizing and when I realized I would have to deal with this doctor on a daily basis and others like him I chose not to stay at that hospital; in fact, I chose a different type of nursing all together. I was not scared to leave in-patient nursing so early in my career because I realized I am in charge of my career and there are so many choices out there. I chose not to be talked to like a piece of crap because the doctors accent was so strong that I couldn't understand him and had to ask him to please repeat what he said. I was completely respectful to him and he in turn was an a%$h@!^ to me. I was also forewarned about other doctors who treated nurses like crap. I just decided I wasn't going to put up with it! Best decision of my life:)))

lollipopnurse · Nov 1, 2015

While I know that this exists (I have heard several stories from personal friends/family), my personal experiences are nothing but wonderful. The doctor I report to always listens to me and has never even been short with me, let alone rude. I do remember one doctor during my clinical rotation in CCU who told a nurse she had a 'cranial-rectal inversion.' I was so surprised at first, but after talking with the nurses who worked with him, they told me she completely deserved it.

MissManders · Nov 1, 2015

You have me on board for most of this article, but then you lost me when it complained about nurses emptying trash and changing linens. CNAs do this on a daily basis, how is that any more or less "risk of cross contamination"? It shouldn't be if you do things like wash your hands. However, if a nurse thinks that he/she is above those duties just because they have more education...then they are no better than the doctors they are claiming bully them.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Nov 1, 2015

You have me on board for most of this article, but then you lost me when it complained about nurses emptying trash and changing linens. CNAs do this on a daily basis, how is that any more or less "risk of cross contamination"? It shouldn't be if you do things like wash your hands. However, if a nurse thinks that he/she is above those duties just because they have more education...then they are no better than the doctors they are claiming bully them.

If nurses claim to be bullied by everyone they encounter, it seems that they are overly blessed with imagined slights and underly blessed with assessment skills.

MrNurse(x2), ADN · Nov 12, 2015

I have been in acute care for 28 years and have seen the transition from attending to hospital employed physicians. I can understand the "customer" mindset when attendings could spew their hate at hospital staff and be overlooked, but I can't, in any way, understand how hospital employees can get away with violating HR policy. The customer relationship is gone and violent or inappropriate conduct can be communicated when employers check background.

Trilldayz,RN BSN · Nov 27, 2015

I've never been bullied by a doctor. I have never had a problem getting as much in their faces as they get in mine. Lol. I've gotten in several screaming matches with these jerks and I regret nothing. One thing I WILL NOT do is stay silent when I am blatantly disrespected by an MD, or any staff member. Never lost a job because of it, either. I am a woman with confidence and will be treated with respect. Zero tolerance.