Ok, I am a nursing student in an RN program and we are currently on rounds at a local hospital. I am also the daughter of a physician and RN, who was taught from a very young age to speak up about things, in a professional manner.
Scenario in point, I was on rounds at the hospital and we were at the nurses station setting up meds and a conversation is starting between 2 doctors who involve us in the conversation. My senior nurse instructor is standing with us doing the meds and hears the whole thing transpire.
Doc 1 says, "Nurses around here have it easy." (my ears burning, mouth is shut)
Doc 2 says, "Yeah, I don't know why they don't prioritize better. If they did they would not have so many complaints about so many things and tasks would be completed." (mouth still shut, face red, glaring at my instructor who is giving me the "PLEASE don't say anything or I will kill you look.")
Doc 1 says, "I should come down here and do my own rounds." (I laughed out loud thus involving myself into a now volatile situation)
Doc 2 turns and says, "Young lady are you alright" (now I could take the moral low road and just lie and say I was talking to my friend) Not me, LOL.
Nursing student (me) says, "I heard your conversation and was little surprised is all." (Nursing instructor is now bright red and praying I am not going to say what she already knows I am)
Doc 1 says, "Oh, what about our private conversation was surprising"
Nursing student says, "My dad went to med school and is a physician and he didn't tell me they had nurse training while they were there" (Nursing instructor slaps her forehead, blinks 400 times, and runs off to find a body bag for me)
Doc 2 chokes then says, "Well I went to medical school and I can surely do any nurses job. Besides you're a student you can't possible know things as of yet.
Doc 1 is standing with his mouth gaping open, speechless.
Nursing student says, "I am sure these nurses would appreciate some assistance. BTW I have to give meds out, would you like to help"
Thus resulting in both of them shaking their heads and walking away.
Now, I realize this conversation could have, and probably should have went a different direction, but it gives me sunburn on my ass when I hear doctors say things like that. Of all places, in FRONT OF the nurses station. That is adding insult to injury. Most of those nurses standing around weren't going to say anything, for obvious reasons, but the idea that they have to put up with that nonsense is enraging to me. I am a foolish nursing student, but I don't believe what those docs did was right, professional, or even tolerable. The fact they BELIEVE the things they were saying was a laugh.
Anyways, do you all have to listen to Docs speak that way on a regular basis?
I read your doctor/nurse dialogue and loved it! You go girl!
Having said that, I'll now put on my well worn professional nurses cap and address the core issue here, which is the lack of "basic respect." The nursing profession is in the state that it is in because we have allowed it. In many cases the behavior of some nurses has acutally reinforced and encouraged the disrespect. Until nurses understand that we must, at all times, conduct ourselves in a respectable and professional manner and treat each other with respect, our profession will continuted to be regarded as nothing more than hired help. There is a saying in nursing, "nurses eat their young," and I have seen it first hand. Self-righteousness and mean-spirted nurses only hurt our profession. The bullying by some doctors and management has a trickle down effect and creates an environment where some nurses, who have a need for power but feel powerless, bully laterally. I believe that as newer nurses come on board the nursing culture will become healthier.
You are right on. The argument should not be about "picking your battles." Nurses should require that they be treated with basic respect; by doctors, by managment, and by each other.
My very best regards to you; and welcome to nursing!
Ok, I am a nursing student in an RN program and we are currently on rounds at a local hospital. I am also the daughter of a physician and RN, who was taught from a very young age to speak up about things, in a professional manner.
Scenario in point, I was on rounds at the hospital and we were at the nurses station setting up meds and a conversation is starting between 2 doctors who involve us in the conversation. My senior nurse instructor is standing with us doing the meds and hears the whole thing transpire.
Doc 1 says, "Nurses around here have it easy." (my ears burning, mouth is shut)
Doc 2 says, "Yeah, I don't know why they don't prioritize better. If they did they would not have so many complaints about so many things and tasks would be completed." (mouth still shut, face red, glaring at my instructor who is giving me the "PLEASE don't say anything or I will kill you look.")
Doc 1 says, "I should come down here and do my own rounds." (I laughed out loud thus involving myself into a now volatile situation)
Doc 2 turns and says, "Young lady are you alright" (now I could take the moral low road and just lie and say I was talking to my friend) Not me, LOL.
Nursing student (me) says, "I heard your conversation and was little surprised is all." (Nursing instructor is now bright red and praying I am not going to say what she already knows I am)
Doc 1 says, "Oh, what about our private conversation was surprising"
Nursing student says, "My dad went to med school and is a physician and he didn't tell me they had nurse training while they were there" (Nursing instructor slaps her forehead, blinks 400 times, and runs off to find a body bag for me)
Doc 2 chokes then says, "Well I went to medical school and I can surely do any nurses job. Besides you're a student you can't possible know things as of yet.
Doc 1 is standing with his mouth gaping open, speechless.
Nursing student says, "I am sure these nurses would appreciate some assistance. BTW I have to give meds out, would you like to help"
Thus resulting in both of them shaking their heads and walking away.
Now, I realize this conversation could have, and probably should have went a different direction, but it gives me sunburn on my ass when I hear doctors say things like that. Of all places, in FRONT OF the nurses station. That is adding insult to injury. Most of those nurses standing around weren't going to say anything, for obvious reasons, but the idea that they have to put up with that nonsense is enraging to me. I am a foolish nursing student, but I don't believe what those docs did was right, professional, or even tolerable. The fact they BELIEVE the things they were saying was a laugh.
Anyways, do you all have to listen to Docs speak that way on a regular basis?
While I do believe some doctors have no clue what all we do as nurses, I think that for your own good you will need pick and choose your battles and also watch what you say and to whom. I do not believe that I am any less intelligent than many of the MDs that I work with, but I do understand the nurses role. If a doctor thinks that nurses are useless, show him with your intelligence and actions as well as your care for the patient. Personally I could care less what MDs think nurses do all day. It is so easy for one side to say that if they were in the other's shoes how different their job would be. The truth is, its hard being a great/competent/caring RN, and it is also challenging to have the same qualities as an MD. Fortunately, most of the doctors on my unit respect the RNs and recognize our critical thinking and what we do, now there are still some doctors that think nurses have it easy, but once again I say, "so what". I do not base my personal value/ worth on someone else's opinion of me. In the future I would watch what I say, those doctors can ruin your career, and heaven knows we need as many nurses as we can get. :innerconf Though I do think it's strange your instructor didn't let you have it once you made it back to school or in post conference.
"I do think it is strange that your instructor didn't let you have it once you made it back to school or in post conference."
ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? That is about the strangest comment that I have read here yet!! Your mindset is very backward. If this callous mindset is widespread, no wonder the nursing profession is in the state it is in. I am soooooo glade that there are new nurses coming onboard!!
"I do think it is strange that your instructor didn't let you have it once you made it back to school or in post conference."
ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? That is about the strangest comment that I have read here yet!! Your mindset is very backward. If this callous mindset is widespread, no wonder the nursing profession is in the state it is in. I am soooooo glade that there are new nurses coming onboard!!
To Mammaoop:
I really don't know what to say if you think that my comments about the instructor was strange. She pretty much described her instructor as having a stroke and giving her every nonverbal signal in the book to "not take it there", even before she said a word to the 2 doctors that she confronted, so I just thought it was strange that the teacher never followed up with her after clinicals.
I will have to step back and think about this one for a while.......Most places I worked, I had to prove myself to the Dr.s before they would trust my assesments. Every time I carried over an order with thier name on it, I did it as an act of faith. That they knew better than me. There came a time when I called a Md and gave him my assessment, and he trusted my assesment. I have often redone the v/s of an aide, because I felt they were not valid. So does the Dr. It is not because they feel you are not right, they just need to make sure.
while you are a nurse you have to hust keep your mouth shut and hust realize the source i am personally griends with several Docs male and female and they dont act like that but most do its like a loser calling you a loser who cares the docs werent speaking to you you shouldnt have opned your mouth now on the other hand when a family member is in a docs care all bets are off when my dad went to see his PE in CHF they sent him saying they needed to set up O2 for him I called him later at work left work took him straight to the ER where he ended up in surgery Well that doc heard it from me he called my dad daily and stopped off at the hospital daily and my dad will never see the PE again I'm just saying use your knowledge for good who cares what others think or say unless they are directly attacking you an ass is an ass you wont change their opinions dont waste your energy trying
Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.
I have two comments. I went to nursing school 25 years ago. Back then my instructor told us that if we ever stood up when a doctor came into the room or acted subservient in any manner whatsoever, she would flunk us.
Later on I worked with a doc in a skilled facility. He was a family medicine doc and always had a med student or intern with him for rounds. They were standing in the hallway one day discussing something and I overheard the doc say to the student:"The first thing you have to learn in this business is to listen to the nurse on the floor." I walked out of the room I was in --he pointed at me and continued, "A good nurse knows her patients and if she calls you and tells you something is wrong, you damn well better listen." I always loved that doc!
Specializes in Military, Public Health, Surg, Oncology.
First let me say I am sorry that you, as a student, had to hear this from a couple of physicians. It is obvious these two have problems.
What most physicians don't understand is that we become nurses because we LIKE caring for patients, teaching them, providing support for them and having the satisfaction of knowing that we were an integral part of the patient's recovery. Its hard to develop any relationship with a patient when you limit your visit to 15 minutes. I could have gone to medical school but I decided on nursing.
With that said I don't tolerate any of that kind of rude behavior to me or any of my staff. I may not always get support from my employer but you'll not see this kind of behavior on my unit. The docs know better.
When I was first in nursing, soon after my orientation, I had a patient on hyperal. I needed to run to the pharmacy to get his next IV so I asked one of the other nurses on the floor to watch over my patients while I was off the unit.
I got on the elevator with one of the surgeons who worked on the other surgical unit in the hospital I am generally in a good mood so as I was waiting for the elevator I was humming to myself and thinking about how well one of my patients had become. I pressed the basement button on the elevator and he pressed 5 to get to his unit. I was lost in my thoughts. The elevator when down before it went up and as I got off the elevator I told this doctor to have a great day and off I went to the pharmacy.
When I got back to the unit I had a message from this doctor to come up to the unit where he was. I went up to see what he wanted and he pulled me aside and said "you looked pretty pleased that the elevator went down before it went up."
At first I was shocked that I had been pulled off the unit because of this stupid ego on two legs. Well, if flew all over me and I let him have it. I told him that I was busy, that I needed to attend to my patients and I said don't you ever call me to complain about something like this.
I turned around and left. Of course I got called into the DON's office but when she heard what this ass said she told him that if he very wasted nursing time for his personal ego there would be trouble.
It got around the hospital what this ego-maniac said and for about two weeks he was left to finding his own damn charts and if he wanted someone to call for labs, the nurses just walked off.
He finally came down to my unit to apologize for his behavior.
Now this is NOT the way most hospitals would handle this situation but you should never allow someone to be obviously rude. And, if your management won't deal with the situation then look for a new job.
We have a doctor in my facility who things anyone off the street could be "trained" to do what nurses do. Thankfully they aren't all like that.
Those 2 doctors were unprofessional and that conversation was not private and probably not meant to be private.
You are going to see all types of doctors out there and you are going to find that the ones who respect you the most as a nurse are the ones you like the most and will do your best to help when they on your floor.
My nursing instructor would have had me out the door!! You are not an employee of that hospital and you made things worse for the ones who work there all of the time. Very unproffessional on your part. You have to bite your tounge in this world. If you plan to speak up every time you hear someone put a nurse down, you are going to be doing more talking than nursing. You can't change people, you can only change how you react to people. All doctors do not feel that way toward nurses. You will see good and bad. You have to remember that when you graduate, the nurses that are helping you in school are going to remember you and that could reflect down the road on your getting a job. Everybody knows everybody in the medical field and when you do things like that, it sticks in the minds of people that see you do these things. It's all about attitude. Learn from this mistake.
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you are HILARIOUS. while i agree with some of the more gentle, "pleasant" subscribers out there, i DO admire your wit and guts!