Physician bullying/sarcastic comments to nursing staff

Nurses Relations

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Have you encountered this in your ER and what has your department done to remedy the situation ?

When I worked in another department years ago (CCU) we all just dealt with the occasional sarcastic physician comment. We all knew which ones were the "grumpy docs" and dealt with it as best we could.

ER is a different story. There is one doctor in particular who is CONSTANT with his sarcastic comments, flippant remarks , and "over the counter" banterring. I'm new in the department and new to the ER and learning to develop a tough shell. I've endured his comments for awhile...mainly because I *am* still learning and most recently because I believe this type of confrontation is unprofessional for both parties.

I will pursue this through my nurse manager but ARGGHHH....it makes my skin boil just thinking about it. Any BTDT's ?

Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

Sarcastic MDs never last long around me. They quickly learn that I can make things so much easier for them and the patient, or I can make things easier for the pt and very very difficult for the MD.

I think when rookies are oriented to the ER, part of their orientation is to be aware of me and what I tell them.

And if those guys get their little panties in a twist, I don't hesitate to call them on it either.

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Now I am not an ob-gyn nurse in any sense of the word and my orientation in the gyn rooms was maybe one day. The few other dr's I have assisted prefer to sit down on the stool, talk to the patient while they are sitting on the table and *then* pull out the stirrups themselves. This one stood there, talked to the patient and then said to me (as I am busily pulling out the necessary supplies) "what are you standing around for ??? We are going to do a PELVIC exam (insert sarcastic tone and a wave of the hands towards the stirrups)." #@$%@$## Can he not even pull out the stirrups ?

As a wanna be nurse, I hear the horror stories and the repeated mantra of being able to put up with abuse such as this, but I really don't understand why as a nurse you put up with this and don't respond with something simple such as "Oh i do apologize, in the past, the doctors have always been able to do that on their own"

That isn't insubordination, but it succintly shown them their are being idiots. You shouldn't let them talk to you in this way. It perpetuates the unprofessionalism.

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Sarcastic MDs never last long around me. They quickly learn that I can make things so much easier for them and the patient, or I can make things easier for the pt and very very difficult for the MD.

I think when rookies are oriented to the ER, part of their orientation is to be aware of me and what I tell them.

And if those guys get their little panties in a twist, I don't hesitate to call them on it either.

I guess I'm glad that you are so tough and all but put yourself in my place of being completely new in this department. I am almost like a new grad in many aspects. Sitting in an office for ten years focusing on one disease does little to advance your skills and critical thinking processes for the multitudes of illnesses we see in the ER.

Would you be so tough if you were thrown into a completely new scenario and knew there were things you still had to learn ?

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As a wanna be nurse, I hear the horror stories and the repeated mantra of being able to put up with abuse such as this, but I really don't understand why as a nurse you put up with this and don't respond with something simple such as "Oh i do apologize, in the past, the doctors have always been able to do that on their own"

That isn't insubordination, but it succintly shown them their are being idiots. You shouldn't let them talk to you in this way. It perpetuates the unprofessionalism.

Well, it is not something I will repeatedly put up with. I have to say that a lot of the time I am just SO shocked I am left speechless. I also refuse to stoop to their level of unprofessionalism by flipping off comments at the bedside in earshot of the patients. I am learning when and how to respond.

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Its easy to say what one person would do in a situation like this. Hind sight is...you know. I think that the only way you will know how to handle this is by experience. Look at how the nurses (older more experienced ones) handle this. Don't look at the passive, aggresive ones, but the happy ones who work well with others and assert themselves well and enjoy their jobs. Know and BELIEVE that you shouldn't allow ANYONE, no matter what little letters after their name or degrees they have, should speak to you in a way that YOU feel its inappropriate. Be assertive and on top of your game. Be confident in what you do and say. In time, I feel you will get the hang of it.

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Ok, I have to answer to this one. We have a CODE PINK. If a MD is berating a RN in out department the nurses will call a code pink and gather around the nurse that is being yelled at ( if available). This is quite effective....the code would go CODE PINK the the area, :chuckle and the staff would know where to go.

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I guess I'm glad that you are so tough and all but put yourself in my place of being completely new in this department. I am almost like a new grad in many aspects. Sitting in an office for ten years focusing on one disease does little to advance your skills and critical thinking processes for the multitudes of illnesses we see in the ER.

Would you be so tough if you were thrown into a completely new scenario and knew there were things you still had to learn ?

No, no no. You took that the wrong way, I wasn't trying to be arrogant in my confindence, I was simply saying how I would think I would handle it and wonder why you wouldn't. I haven't a clue what it is like if your field, I have only been there in my dreams :rolleyes:

But yeah, I would still be assertive in something basic such as this, in a new area. You weren't new to preparing the doctor for this patient, You had done it before. Just bc he has more knowledge with what is going to happen after the ladies feet are in the stirrups, YOU are the one with more knowledge regarding what YOUR responsibilities are.

Sorry if you took my post as arrogant, totally didn't mean to be. Just talking, being inquisitive :) I am starting on the rn track soon and my OCD/ADD brain likes to get in every bit of info i can :)

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on a funny note....... when i worked in ED we had a few dr's like that, never to miss out on an opportunity to have my say on things the lap of the gods opened when a friend brought this "dr evil" toy from austin powers..... if you pushed its head it said......" im the boss need the info" if you pushed its L ear it said " why am i surrounded by idiots" if you pushed its R ear it said "silence i will not tollerate your insolence" ......(my fav one) and if you pushed its chin he laughed. man did i piss off a few dr's with that.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
any way, we had a new intern that had only been there about a month and he had already started with the nasty little comments to the nurses, hateful thing,he was. i called him by his first name and he hit the roof and started yelling at me in front of the attending and the rest of the nurses. telling me he had gone to school for a long time to get the title of doctor and he would not tolerate anything but dr. soandso. you could have heard a pin drop. everyone just stood there and stared at him. i told he that i would certainly call him doctor. a little while later he called me by my first name. still having everyone at the desk i told him to never call me by my first name as well and since he was much younger than me he could call me mrs. ____ or nurse ____ because i had earn both titles and had 20 yrs of ed experence. the attending was leaning back in a chair and started laughing so hard he fell out of the chair the supervisor was laughing and left as fast as she could. and then the rest of the staff went to other rooms just howling. thar kid never was given a residency in er either. hmmmmm i wonder why?

there's one in every intern class who will tell you his first name is "doctor." where i came from, we'd just call the paging operator and ask for his first name, then use it every chance we'd get. after about 12 hours of this, they'd usually get over themselves a bit. although one time, an intern told me his first name was "doctor" during rounds, and the nurse practitioner nearly ruptured herself laughing.

"oh, man," she said. "you don't know what you've just let yourself in for. around here, the nurses don't call you dr. unless you're screwing up. so every time another physician hears the nurses calling you "dr. smith," they'll assume that you've screwed up. and if they hear the nurses calling you "dr." all the time, they'll assume you're just a big screw up! by the way -- you should call her "mrs. vee." he was considerably humbled by the end of that day!

another time, i was caring for a 370 pound man, who was pretty much total care. the anesthesiologist wanted to come in and evaluate him before surgery, and wanted me to "sit him up so i can listen to his lungs." i politely told him that i couldn't sit the man up with his balloon pump in his femoral artery, but if he'd help me roll the guy on his side, i'd be happy to hold him while he listened. the guy threw a complete fit, screaming at me that "you wouldn't ask dr. b. (our medical director) to turn a patient, so why in hell would you ask me to?" dr. b. heard the ruckus from his office, and before i could even reply dr. b. was in the room saying "you need help with a turn, ruby?" he helped me turn the patient and hold him so the anesthesiologist could listen. and then he drew the anesthesiologist into his office for a little chat. after the "chat," the anesthesiologist came back and mumbled what may have been an apology at me . . . and the next time i saw him, he was far more pleasant.

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This one stood there, talked to the patient and then said to me (as I am busily pulling out the necessary supplies) "what are you standing around for ??? We are going to do a PELVIC exam (insert sarcastic tone and a wave of the hands towards the stirrups)." #@$%@$## Can he not even pull out the stirrups ?

Don't these docs realize how they sound to their patients? I hate when people talk down to others.

I'm kind of glad that I am going into nursing at a more advanced age. I think I've developed a thicker skin, and I wouldn't hesitate to ask him/her to step out of the room and just let him/her have it. No one, NO ONE, deserves to be treated as if they are inferior.

Sorry for the rant, but this does boil my blood!

Kris

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one morning i was just coming off my shift. one of our doc's (who has a habit of blowing up). came to the unit at the change of shift, there is about 15 ppl standing around talking and reporting etc. etc. so, this doc looks in one of the charts to find out a test hadn't been done and started ranting and raving. he was yelling and screaming and i was just standing there watching the scene. none of his ranting made any sense to me. i shrugged my shoulders and turned around to leave but i realized i was the only one around. the crowd (of my coworkers) that had been there suddenly had "things to do" and they all left me standing there with this raving leunatic doc. when he left, ppl (all of a sudden) appeared out of the woodwork.

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the guy threw a complete fit, screaming at me that "you wouldn't ask dr. b. (our medical director) to turn a patient, so why in hell would you ask me to?" dr. b. heard the ruckus from his office, and before i could even reply dr. b. was in the room saying "you need help with a turn, ruby?" he helped me turn the patient and hold him so the anesthesiologist could listen. and then he drew the anesthesiologist into his office for a little chat. after the "chat," the anesthesiologist came back and mumbled what may have been an apology at me . . . and the next time i saw him, he was far more pleasant.

that is awesome!!!!!!!

now that is a fantastic doctor!!!!

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