This is how ignorant I was as a junior nursing student. Doctor Big Deal walked into the station where I was occupying the only chair. She sat down on the counter and stared at me. I looked back at my chart. A moment later I heard her sigh, but right then I happened to notice something of interest in the chart. I looked back at the doctor, read her name tag, and then said, "Dr. Big Beal, can I ask you a question about this child?" I then asked her about whether the child had been evaluated for the possibility of William's Syndrome , and she asked, "Which chart do you have?" We went on to discuss the child for a few minutes, and only stopped when my clinical instructor showed up and beckoned me to follow her. I relinquished my seat, and stood up and followed my instructor. Next, I got a nice talking to about how to treat doctors, when to rise from your seat, etc., etc. I ended up getting asked by that MD to go on rounds with her a few times after that. And all that b/c I was just too naively ignorant to be aware of the social dynamics going on at our first meeting.
