"Get out of here... go do some 'doctor' stuff..."

[Music in My Heart]

I work at a busy Level I trauma center with some renowned attending physicians. I stumble across their names when I read citation lists and textbook contributor lists.

The other day, the attending came out of a room and said, "The patient just had diarrhea all over the gurney. I directed her to the bathroom but you need to get a commode in there." I was just in the middle of a med pass and said, "I'll be right there."

I grabbed a commode and walked in just in time to see the attending carrying in some linens. "Oh, get out of here doc... go do some doctor stuff... I got this." She smiled and said, "No, I'm not busy right now" and finished making the bed which she'd already cleaned.

I was flabbergasted... and humbled by her act of service toward the patient and toward me. I already respected the lady for her doctoring but was just blown away at her attitude of service and belief that no task is beneath her.

[CountryMomma, ASN, RN]

Every time I come across a Dr who really rustles my jimmies, as the younguns says, I just remember that for every Dr who acts like they strolled right out of the 70's, there are at least two, maybe three that realize they are part of a team, not the ringleader of the circus.

My Dr sat with me through my labor with my last two sons. Even shooed one of the nurses out so she could go do nursing stuff. She knew I was a long laborer and wanted to gave the nurses a break. Seeing them work together like that gave me a much more positive outlook on the physician-nurse relationship.

[RNfaster]

I have had a doctor help with a code brown without my asking. He started as a tech. I have also asked doctors to help me when no one was available to help and received assistance.

[TU RN, DNP, CRNA]

Great story! And an attending? What a truly admirable person. I've had doctors run to the pharmacy/lab and help with turning patients before, but nobody older than a PGY1.

Great story! And an attending? What a truly admirable person. I've had doctors run to the pharmacy/lab and help with turning patients before, but nobody older than a PGY1.

Right?

Even a lot of our PGY3's are pretty helpful and just get things done but cleaning a poopy gurney?? And as an attending?

The best part? She's fairly young so we've got many years of working together... and many, many m/s and PGYs to learn the craft under her tutelage.

[turnforthenurse, MSN, NP]

I have had providers help me with boosting a patient up on bed.... otherwise that's it. A provider helping to clean up a code brown is a very rare site indeed. you are lucky!

[SubSippi]

I saw a doctor feed a patient once.

I actually wonder where there are medical teams that NEVER occasionally clean up a patient

The thing is, it wasn't just about cleaning the patient (who was ambulatory and basically took care of that herself, anyway)... it's that the doc dealt with the soiled linen and cleaned the gurney... and even made it up afterwards.

[diver117]

wow, much respect to the dr

[OhioTry]

There are of course, some things only a doctor can do- diagnosing and prescribing medications being two common ones that I can think of off the top of my head. Likewise, there are some things nurses can do but aides can't, like passing meds. If someone is busy with things that only they can do, then it's OK to leave the grunt work to the closest aide. But there's a special place in hell for people who let their snobbery get in the way of providing a patient/resident with the best care possible. Fortunately this doctor realized this, and decided that the best way she could help in that moment was by changing a bed. She could have found an aide to do it, but that would have taken longer than simply doing it herself.

[FurBabyMom, MSN, RN]

A while back, one of the surgery attendings I work with saw I was busy with things that I needed to do before the patient's procedure could start. He took it upon himself to grab the med student and personally walk the med student through putting the patient's foley in.

[CrazierThanYou]

I work with a nurse who thinks he is above cleaning up patients, it drives me crazy! I was a CNA before becoming a nurse and nurses are not above cleaning patients... He runs to get the CNA for every little thing. It's nice when all members of the team will help out when they have time! I would certainly put up a recognition if you have that at your facility, that's awesome!

Sounds like a supervisor or nurse manager needs to have a word with him.

[Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

I am blessed to work with some really awesome docs too.

Not too long ago an attending with 30yrs of experience helped me turn and clean up a patient after we rapid responsed her. (She was ok when all was said and done.)

Another attending came to see a septic patient, sat with her without leaving for almost two hours just to watch her, helped us figure out a cooling blanket (being an OB floor, we don't use them often), and helped me get her comfortable. Same attending happened to be on during aforementioned rapid response and came running to lend an extra pair of hands even though it was not her patient.

Best attending moment, though, was the neonatologist who stayed over his call shift. Parents for whatever reason wouldn't/couldn't hold their dying baby and held/rocked that baby until she died so she would not die alone.