would you take a job with a mean doctor?

[mmccool719]

I am in the process of interviewing for a RN position in an ambulatory setting, two days a week. As I weigh out the pros and cons of the position, the biggest CON is the physician I would be working along side of. She is excellent at what she does but she is......mean. I know it because I've seen it first hand when she rounded on my patient on a nursing division. She didn't like something she saw so she really laid in to me about it in a nasty way. The nurses who currently work with her in this clinic confirmed my suspicions.

So my question is.....would you work for a mean doctor?

[Amy Arnett]

Absolutely not!! Some things are just not worth it at all. Work with someone who you can respect and, who in turn will respect you!!

[nursekathysb]

No, no, no. Life is too short. I'd rather get a non-nursing job if I had to.

[martymoose, BSN, RN]

no.

[Dec2016grad]

If the doctor gets upset because I drop the ball i can take that. But if she's just an evil witch torturing employees for s#!+$ and giggles forget it.

[Allgood2016, LPN, LVN]

Absolutely, positively, he-double toothpicks NO!

[sherri64]

A mean doctor is as bad as a mean charge nurse. It quickly turns into a toxic work environment that you don't want to go to every day. The stress and tension created is not worth your emotional or professional health. Life is too short and no one should have to put up with someone who is constantly ******** and criticizing you for no reason other than their own ego or shortcomings. How people who are mean keep their jobs is beyond me. I've seen it more times than I care to think about and it just amazes me. But I also never put up with it if it was directed towards me. Took me a few years to learn how to do that but I was so much better off when I did. And once you give it right back, they leave you alone. Nothing better than letting someone out of line know they are acting unprofessional, disrespectful, and rude and until they learn how to communicate, don't talk to me. It works every time.

[Aloe_sky]

It's not worth it, I've been there. I've had a Dr hang up the phone while I was talking to a patient because he needed something, I've had him throw papers out of anger and tell me to pick it up. He was so mean, I dreaded going to work every single day.

I worked with a Manager that was an old school nurse, trained in the 50s, she thought we should treat Dr's as if they were God. All the nurses complained but nothing was done. I cried many times, my sweet coworker had to have a good hour cry in the bathroom and a supervisor threatened to walk off the job also.

If your facility doesn't have a policy on bad behavior or if your manager won't stick up for staff, it will be a very hard environment to work in.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

I work for a doctor owned OR PRN. After a few years there, I finally told the scheduler that I would be happy to work for Drs. A, B, and C, but if Dr. D needed a nurse, I was not available-ever. One day, during a surgery with Dr. B, a nurse asked me if it was true that I won't work with Dr. D. I said yes, but was a little uncomfortable with the conversation. Dr. B said "don't feel awkward, you're not the only one who won't work with him."

When Dr. D's assistant asked me why I wouldn't work for him, I simply answered "Because I don't need the money that bad."

[Jules A, MSN]

I agree that it makes a difference as to what "mean" means. One of the most brilliant physicians I have worked with for years can be a total ass but is consistent and everyone knows what will cause irritation. The plus is the expectations are not unreasonable. The things I learned both because this physician is so skilled but also because I didn't want to feel like an idiot made a drastic positive difference in my performance as both a RN and now NP. I probably made some allowances and hung in there although there have been times when I had to flat out say "don't roll your eyes at me like I'm a moron, that is a legitimate question" which diffused what I felt was bordering on rudeness. Since becoming a NP we work as colleagues and the relationship is the same except that I now consider this person one of my close personal friends. The kindness and generosity both on a personal and professional level has been a total bonus. So yeah I might but only if they were exceptionally intelligent and not erratic.