Rude Nephrologist to New Nurse - has this happened/how did you handle it?

[katie0416]

Ok so I have been a nurse for two months now....I called a doc at 6am to get admission orders on a patient who came up from the er with no orders - of course. I waited til 6 because I knew he would be mad if i called at 4am :) So he started spitting off orders but this doc is foreign so i had a very hard time understanding him and it sounded as if he was in his car or something because there was a lot of background noise. So i kept asking him to repeat things and he was getting irritated. I kept apologizing for not understanding but at one point he was like - this is the renal floor right? And I said yes sir, but I cant understand you and I dont want to write a wrong order. Eventually he just skipped two orders I just couldnt get right and got off the phone. So I went to my charge nurse and she said that I had done right - because Im sorry but Im not writing an order I dont specifically hear the doc say and say is correct when i read it back. She said maybe I should have handed to phone to her - but whatever.

Anyways - how would you all have handled this and/or has something similar happended to you? I kept beating myself up about it but know im like you know the patient is still alive - it wasnt an emergency - and one of his partners came in and changed his whole set of orders four hours later anyways - so Im trying to let it go.

thanks!

[Lacie, BSN, RN]

I have had to do the same thing many times "I apologize Doctor but I am having a very hard time understanding your verbal order and would like to ensure I am getting the proper documentation. Would you please repeat slowly and spell any medications you are ordering." Once I have these down I always repeat the order I have written and ask for thier confirmation I have the order correct. Be sure you also chart in your nursing notes difficulty understanding and your requested confirmation. I'm sorry but I have an issue with MD's who feel it's our responsiblity to understand them if they are unable to speak clear english and do it so quickly it sounds all jumble to me lol. Dont feel bad as I wouldnt continue with any orders that I couldnt understand. It's bad enough I cant read thier writing most of the time without having to deal with thier temper tantrums when asked to speak clearly.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

It is never impolite to ask the physician to call back when they have a better connection.

I'm a nephrology APN who travels to different dialysis units and sometimes my cell signal isn't what it needs to be - lol. I don't get upset and neither do our physicians when asked to call back.

It sounds like you did fine.