"You put me and my unborn child's life at risk"

Nurses General Nursing

Published

This is what a Dr. told me today..

When assessing my patient this AM I noticed that the patient had a scaly rash on his abdomen. The patient was admitted from the ER last night. I asked him when he developed the rash and he said it was about a week ago. When I came out into the nurse's station his MD was sitting there. I told the MD that I had noticed a rash on his abdomen and no one mentioned it in report so I wanted to make her aware.... She is a very rude doctor anyways and she just looked and me and didn't say anything.

About an hour later I heard her paging me over the intercom system to come to the nurses station. I went and asked her what she needed... (By the way she is pregnant)..... She said in a very snide voice... "You need to go back into that pt's room.... look at that rash... when you've figured out what it is you need to come back and report your findings to me." I said... Well I've already seen it, i'm not sure what it is... She repeated the exact same thing again... I just kind of stood there and looked at her.. she then said... "Well then, take another, more experienced nurse with you, when y'all can figure out what the rash is.. come back and report it to me."

I was very confused at this point but kind of started to get what she meant....... I got another nurse and we looked again.. The experienced nurse told me she was sure it was shingles.. So I went back and said.. "I guess it is shingles." She then said... "I want you to know... that you personally.. put me and my unborn child's life at risk.. You, as a nurse should be able to recognize shingles.. But since you didn't know what the rash was.. My life was put at risk."

I was completely floored..... I just said... "well I am a nurse and I don't diagnose people." And I walked away dumbfounded and angry.... I can't believe she said that to me.. and in front of everyone! Ohhh I was soooo mad and my DON was mad too. If she doesn't want to be put at risk she doesn't need to be a MD in the hospital and if she used standard precautions she's fine. AND she's lucky I even saw the rash.. otherwise I doubt she would of lifted up the pt's gown to look and she'd never of known!!!!!!!!!

Angry

Tiger

I hope you wrote this Doctor up. I would have told her not to speak to me like that but then I've been a nurse for a long time and probably get away with more. But I would definately write it up. That's just horrible!!!!

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Specializes in ICU, CRU, ER, Med/Surg.

It always amazes me when people who are so "educated" act so "stupid."

She's the one that wanted to be a doctor! If she doesn't want to be around sick people then she should "go to the house, get in bed and pull the covers up over her head!"

I wouldn't feel bad one bit...matter of fact...I'd see if I couldn't find her a TB patient or some MRSA to play in.

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Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

It was her bad. Just a total witch!!

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Rashes are not always easy to identify. I used to wrestle in HS and college. I could not tell you how many times my family Dr tried to "guess" what I had after several wrong attempts and wrong meds i ended up seeing a skin specialist for a single correct diag.

Shingles can look like impetigo or mat herpes. The fact that this patient was immune compromised it really could have been anything he/she was exposed too. This is a common transmission of shingles.

She could have been the Dr in a bubble and seen all her patients through a glass wall.

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Specializes in Making the Pt laugh..

My Dx of the Dr is Mad Cow Disease.

I have read a number of responses suggesting that the Dr should have used "Universal Precautions"....is that within their scope of practice?

Sorry my sarcasm is showing, I have seen Dr's who can't even spell "Universal Precautions" let alone carry out the basics.:smackingf

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Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.

This is just sooo wrong on so many levels.

Nurses do not diagnose medical conditions....MDs do. And you cannot easily diagnose shingles on sight. I have had two patients recently that were "diagnosed" by more than one MD (oncology and infectious disease) as having shingles - biopsies were done, and it was cancer mets in both cases...one was cutaneous lymphoma and the other was prostate ca mets to skin.

Second, what medical professional, especially one that wishes to have children, doesn't get titered or vaccinated against varicella. As a traveler, I had to titer positive or be vaccinated, as I work on immunosuppression units.

Third, she should be busting the ER MDs chops....s/he missed it and that could have compromised staff members and other patients' safety.

Fourth, and most important.....

DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY D%^& MDS HAVE COMPROMISED MY/ PATIENTS/NURSE'S HEALTH BY

- TELLING PATIENTS THAT THEY CAN CRUSH THALIDOMIDE CAPSULES To heck aerosolizing the drug to everyone in the room...those deformed babies that women gave birth to in the 50s...after as little as one dose....that's no big deal.

-BY NOT WEARING ISO GARB OR WASHING THEIR HANDS BETWEEN PATIENTS OR ROOMS. Yeah, MDs are granted immunity against spreading disease that us ordinary mortals never attain.

- BY TAKING ME AND PREGNANT NURSE INTO A ROOM TO CONTROL AN OUT OF CONTROL PATIENT so that he can do a lumbar puncture....Then gets ticked when we can not hold the patient still enough...stalks out and leaves floor, without telling us that he is finished...leaving contaminanted sharps all over the bed......and then, 36 hours later, putting the patient on iso for meningitis. He then tells us that he thought the patient "might" have meningitis. It would have been nice if he had clued in the staff.

- BY NEVER PUTTING YOUR "SUSPECT" TB PATIENT ON ISO, BECAUSE IT MIGHT WORRY HIM/HER - - because of you in one hospital, I had a CXR every 6 weeks, because of exposure issues. When I get cancer from the radiation, I'll have my lawyer call you.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For an MD to complain about a nursing "exposing" them to danger....it's the pot calling the kettle black.

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Specializes in Neuro/Med-Surg/Oncology.

:yeahthat:

We just had a pt w/cutaneous lymphoma and it was horrible. He had been being treated for "psoriasis" since 1995.

Also, didnt you know? Dcotors don't spread nosocomial infections, only nurses. :rolleyes:

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Specializes in ER/ICU, CCL, EP.

Also, didnt you know? Dcotors don't spread nosocomial infections, only nurses. :rolleyes:

I KNEW I started feeling dirty as soon as I graduated! ;)

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Specializes in Emergency.

I couldn't agree more! The MD should have known what was going on with HER patient! We ALL take risks working in the medical profession. As an ER nurse for over 35 years, you never know what's coming through the door at any time. You just use universal precautions and pray for the best.

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This physician who is well educated put her preganacy at risk. If she is pregnant and treating patients she knows she has to take precautions.

She evidently saw this patient and never investigated that he might have something that could put her at risk.

She was not clear in what she was getting at when she sent you back in to investigate the rash. It sounds like she already suspected. She could have told you what was on her mind and why she was sending you instead of going herself.

Since this was shingles and she was preg she no doubt signed this pt to another physician. Perhaps she could have called a physician for a consult to check it out.

You are right you do not make medical diagnosis. On the other hand physicians often rely on us to tell them we believe the pt has thus and so when they can not see the pt directly. (like on the phone)

If she told you what this was about you could have cleared it up with "I do not recognize the rash" or " I have never seen shingles and do not know what it looks like."

Instead she chose to be a drama queen and put you down, because she failed to communicate effectively.

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If she was that concerned about shingles (If I was the doctor), I would have asked questions about what it looked like...but because of her poor attitude and her desire to not speak to someone that was trying to help her...SHE PUT HER OWN unborn child at risk...not you.

If she was a smart doctor, she should have explained to you what shingles look like (b/c how many rashes are that important to a pregnant MD???), and if you didn't feel like you could make a proper assessment, then I am sure you would have found another nurse who could recognize it.

Sorry...you handled the situation well..b/c diagnosing isn't your job...that's hers.

I agree, she shouldn't be an MD. I guess she'll sue a patient that comes in with MRSA next.

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doctor's with their huge ego...

they should know that when they've taken the oath, they're gonna come across these kinds of situations, otherwise it wouldn't be called 'practice'...

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