Rude remarks by doc with his own kids

janettalinda · Dec 18, 2007

(sorry, I got cut off) There is ALWAYS somithing you can do. We are not powerless. For starters open your mouth and say "I am not here to babysit your children." And by the way, I am solidly pro-union. Have only worked in union hospitals and perhaps that's why I never saw or heard of anything like this particular type of abuse of position. Union nurses have more self respect and would simply say "doctor's babysitter is not in my job discription."

Lorie P. · Dec 18, 2007

there is nothing you can do about this doctor. you have no right to say anything to him. this is a free country and he can say what he wants to his children. so, he's a jerk.
true, still very unprofessional and i have no intentions of saying anything to him.
i was just making a comment about how unprofessioanl he was and will end it at that.
no more comments and this was about that, nothing more and not about md's bringing kids to rounds .
end of discussion for me

Agnus · Dec 18, 2007

He is entitled to raise his children to be jerks. He is entitled to be a jerk. Let it go. You are frustrating yourself over something totally out of your control and really has no real impact on your life. Take some deep breaths. There are things worth your energy in this world this is not one of them.

Agnus · Dec 18, 2007

Wouldn't HIPAA apply in these cases?

No this has nothing to do with HIPAA. Patient privacy is not being violated. If a patient does not object to a physician's child or anyone else at the bedside during rounds then no violation exists. If names are not mentioned in public areas no violation exist.

It is not unlawful to be a jerk.

Sylv · Dec 18, 2007

:uhoh21:last night when i got to work, i was pulled to another floor which did not bother me. as i went walking up the nurse's station, which sits right in front of the elevators, i seen one of our more popular docs finishing rounds with his 2 kids in tow.
doc ben says" ok kids tell them by, kids say by every one ( 7y boy and 4y girl). doc says push the button, the elevators open and he says very loudly ,ok guys let go see the lady with the biggest butt, what floor should we go to? kids reply, we don't know dad. he laughs :lol2:and says how about the first floor by the cafeteria , that usually where they hang out!!'
now this is not the first remark this doc has made, few weeks back, he had same son and son's friend with them, makes the remark, come on boys, let she go show you a big one!
the nurses on the floor just laughed and said that's doc ben for you.
now what kind of example is he setting for his kids? :madface:not to mention, what if family members or worse yet, one of his pt's heard him.
i did tell my nurse manager, who replied, well there's really nothing we can do about that.
i used to have respect for this man, no longer, how very unprofessional, rude and down right mean.:down:
:angryfire:angryfirestill burns me a good one when writing this!!

who is he talking about, the nurses?

Weeping Willow · Dec 18, 2007

Maybe he was talking about his ex-wife . . . just kidding.
I have known a number of physicians who round with their children in tow, including one who would wear the "baby-backpack" and round with his sleeping infant. I don't think there is anything particularly wrong with this, nor is it prohibited by any law or regulation that I am aware of.

No but it is totally inappropriate because the child's presence tells me that the doctor's attention is split and is at least partially not on his work. Very wrong to expose kids to illnesses, too. Maybe some patients don't mind but I bet that, if asked, they would mostly reply that they would prefer that he not bring his children in while his attention is supposed to be focused on the patients. If baby is in a backpack, what if doctor has to bend over and is limited by the backpack? Patient gets shortchanged. A stroller might help that issue but I still think it is wrong to bring a baby to work.

In the case you mention, what if the infant awoke and started screaming for milk, diaper change, cuddling? He should get a sitter like everyone else does. The hospital would likely be thrilled to provide one free, right there on the premises, if he is a valued staff member.

To the OP: I think a totally anonymous note, typed, no fingerprints on it, no identifying marks at all, to the Chief of Staff, the Risk Manager, the Board President, and other dignitaries would maybe put a stop to this unprofessional behavior.

Also, the remarks the doctor made - include them in your anonymous note that you send to the doctor himself, advising him of how immature, rude, disrespectful, and wrong he is to say such things and to teach them to his children. Let him know, especially, that you are losing respect for him because of these cruel remarks. Let him know that words hurt and ask if he really wants to teach his kids to be hurtful? I hope this doctor gets fat, LOL. :devil: Remember: You must do this anonymously. And you do have a perfect right to speak up, maybe even a responsibility.

Weeping Willow · Dec 18, 2007

I knew a doctor that brought her adorable toddlers to the ICU with her to do rounds. One of the most inappropriate things I have seen ever. I was horrified when she abandoned them at the nurses station--presumably to be cared for by the nursing staff. When one of the kids started crawling out of her stroller the charge nurse picked her up and all I could see was the microscopic bacteria all over the nurse's scrub top being transfered to that little tyke. :angryfire I was just so steamed at that doc. By the way, she was reported to the hospital board for that stunt and others like it.

What was the result?

If a doctor did that to me (expected me to watch the child), I'd have walked away and let the toddler crawl wherever. Harsh but that child is not my problem or responsibility. I am work for the patients and my employer is not the doctor. She needs to find a sitter.

Weeping Willow · Dec 18, 2007

One of our docs used to do that--- and expected the nurses to watch his little ones while he rounded.

Did they watch the kids?

I hope not. What if an emergency had come up?

Also, as one poster has said, HIPAA definitely applies. And how many patients are going to have the courage to speak up and tell their doctor to leave the kids outside and focus on them, the patients? Patients should not have to deal with this. I bet some of them might enjoy seeing the kids but that a lot resent the living daylights out of their being there.

TiredMD · Dec 18, 2007

No but it is totally inappropriate because the child's presence tells me that the doctor's attention is split and is at least partially not on his work. Very wrong to expose kids to illnesses, too. Maybe some patients don't mind but I bet that, if asked, they would mostly reply that they would prefer that he not bring his children in while his attention is supposed to be focused on the patients. If baby is in a backpack, what if doctor has to bend over and is limited by the backpack? Patient gets shortchanged. A stroller might help that issue but I still think it is wrong to bring a baby to work.
In the case you mention, what if the infant awoke and started screaming for milk, diaper change, cuddling? He should get a sitter like everyone else does. The hospital would likely be thrilled to provide one free, right there on the premises, if he is a valued staff member.

I think this situation has been made out to to be more important than it is (at least the part about rounding with kids). He can't bend over? The child might cry? These are pretty minor inconveniences that you're kind of magnifying into serious errors in judgement. One would assume that any college educated individual would be able to work out how to do an exam while wearing a baby backpack (eg - raise the bed).

If you think bringing a child to a hospital puts their health at risk, or is inappropriate, or whatever else, that's certainly your right to feel that way. But really, physicians have this right in many facilities, and some choose to exercise it. As long as they're not using hospital staff as free babysitting, and the patient doesn't object to a small child coming to visit them, I don't see why anyone would be so concerned about it.

I once knew a Pediatric Plastic Surgeon who would bring his 10 year old daughter to the ER when he got called to suture. She was as good at calming our scared little patients as Ketamine.

ebear, BSN, RN · Dec 18, 2007

TiredMD,

Sorry... as my old Southern dad used to say: "I can't dance in those drawers!" :lol2:

ebear

EmmaG, RN · Dec 19, 2007

Did they watch the kids?
I hope not. What if an emergency had come up?

There were a few who did.

I have a real problem with anyone bringing young kids onto our unit.

Trauma Columnist · Dec 19, 2007

Sorry, but this MD is unprofessional on mulitiple levels and needs to be taken to task. The wording of his discussion with his kids as he got into the elevator could have been overheard by a pt, family member, etc.. Just low-rent in my book and unnecessary.

As to the kids rounding with the MDs - where in the world does this happen and is allowed? Like I said, I'm a mid-level provider who works in a large nephrology practice and in the five hospitals where I am credentialed, I have never ever seen ANY MD bring kids in to round. With VRE and MRSA running rampant in our hospitals, who would want to chance exposing your precious children to these bugs?

And...(I'm on a roll now - lol), I know of no physician who can't afford child care.

(Exasperated mid-level steps off her soapbox!)