Physician bullying/sarcastic comments to nursing staff

[carachel2]

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 ?

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

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 ?

Well as a new Hospital Corpsman in 1969 and thrown into a really hostile enviroment, everything else just seems so damn tame in comparison. Yes I have a strong sense of self security and probably a little egotistic as well, but Ive earned it.

My biggest advice to remember is that

" All small problems are really no problem at all, and all problems no matter how major in appearance are really just small probelms"

[wanna-be-nurse]

My biggest advice to remember is that

" All small problems are really no problem at all, and all problems no matter how major in appearance are really just small probelms"

Well said, I will try to remember that when I'm thrown in the dungeon (after I graduate from nursing school and start work)...:rotfl:

[nurse_clown]

Well as a new Hospital Corpsman in 1969 and thrown into a really hostile enviroment, everything else just seems so damn tame in comparison. Yes I have a strong sense of self security and probably a little egotistic as well, but Ive earned it.

egotistic: characteristic of those having an inflated idea of their own importance

Hmmm........:uhoh21: not a quality i'd like to earn..... but to each their own, eh?

[JessicRN]

10 years ago when I first started in the ED I was very intimidated by the MD's one outside cardiologist was the worst. He was so verbally abusive to the staff that the hospital made it so that any conversation with him was done with 2 nurses (one as a witness) Even though we had a pt who had a 3rd degree block then coded. We brought him back but when I asked to put up brytilium drip as that was what we used and that was the ACLS protocol at the time he said no and made a comment "oh so no you think you know more then me" the pt started having PVC's and still he refused and would not see the pt and kept insulting us the supervisor came in and got the same trt. The Director or ER was called and nothing happened. To make a long story longer the pt coded and we could not bring him back. "After the code his response was you useless nurses you killed my pt".We reported him and he got his wrist slapped. NOTHING ELSE.:angryfire

Now I do not care, I yell scream and fight for my Pt. I do not put up with rudeness, I inform the doctor with a witness (the supervisor) he is very rude and unprofessional and I will report him and I call the Director of the ED and make an incident report. Hard lesson to learn.

[noc_owl]

For the most part we have some great docs in our ED, but there are a couple that are difficult. The worst one is condescending, rude, high strung, and just has the appearance (to me) of being on the verge of a complete meltdown. When he is nice, it is like he is being falsely nice, overly dripping with sweetness mixed with insincerity, I don't know how to describe it any other way.

He is a short little man, and of course there are the jokes about short man syndrome, and the nickname of Napolean. He is obviously much nastier to the female nurses that are taller than him, they can do no right, and he is flirtatious with the short, petite nurses. (bleh!)

Once, he was so rude to a sweet elderly little old lady that he made her cry. I was furious and wrote it up, but nothing was done. :angryfire

[judonurse]

I always make a point of asking if the md has a personal or professional issue(always in a low tone and pleasant voice)and i inform them that if they have a issue w/ my work they should inform the charge rn and that i dont discuss personal issues at work but i would be happy to discuss it w/ them after i am off... they always get the point... never had one complain to the charge rn or talk w/ me later in 8 yrs. you only get as much guff as you will accept!

[KristyEDrn]

I used to work with an ED doc that "got off" on making nurses upset and bonus points if they cried. I was a new RN coming into this environment and was warned about him. I tried to play it nice and it worked if he was in a playful mood but mostly he was a butt. Then as I got my feet wet and felt more confident one day after he talked junk to me I told him to kiss my a@@ (not in front of pts)...and it was for something smart a@@ that he said! After that we got along great. He is an awesome doctor, not the best bedside manner or best nurse advocate but if something were wrong with me, I'd want him to be my doc. I guess once you have been in it long enough you have the confidence to stand up and put your foot down.

I had another experience at the same hosp. ED with the head ED doc about a pt who was in an MVC and got discharged while I was at lunch and ended up he didn't even have all of his xrays. I got back and thought it strange that he was gone. Told one MD who was seeing him and he told me to call him back and tell him to come back. Well the pt did come back and I apologized for the inconvience and misunderstanding. Fortunately he was fine but the point was that the head MD fussed at me for charting what the Highway Patrol officer told me about the accident even when I charted who told me. I got fussed at about charting too much! Can you believe that? He said it was IRRELIVENT! I said HOW IS THAT when it shows possible mechanism of injury? All of the other nurses stood behind me, even the NM...but I still thought he was crazy! The doc who d/c'd him even charted that he saw the xrays! What a crock. He never said anything to me about it until about month later he joked about making mistakes and I said "yeah, you know all about that, don't you?" He just laughed. He knew.

[Possum]

I had a Ed Consultant embrass me in a Recus, and now I just cant bring myself to talk to her, my boss just ignored the issue and let her get away with it, so much for support. Most of our Ed Dr's are great, and I do hate it when the good ones leave!!