I recently became the victim of harassment in the workplace, only to watch my nurse manager cater to the physician as he belittled me and used profanity towards me in her presence.
Backstory: Two weeks ago, a surgeon asked me how his patient was doing. I reported to him that she was very weepy during the day and had mentioned being upset with him because she came out of surgery with 3 JP drains and she had not been expecting that. He marched into her room and began yelling at her. He told her she had better change her attitude because he saved her life and he would stop making rounds on her completely if she didn't start thanking him every time she saw him. I was present during this interaction and said This needs to stop. NOW†and walked out of the room. He told me Don't you ever walk out while I am speaking†and walked off. I did report him to my supervisor, but did not make an occurrence report to human resources, which I am now deeply regretting.
Yesterday, this same surgeon told me he was writing up a discharge order for one of the patients. I told him her blood pressure had been running high and rattled off her morning vital signs from my report sheet. I was waiting in line to pull medications from the Pyxis and he asked me when the patient had received PRN medications last. I replied I'm not sure because I'm not in front of the computer, but I've been here since 7am and I haven't given her anything and it's now 8:15am.†He was sitting at the computer and replied me Well log on and tell meâ€. I knew he was trying to throw his weight around, so I replied I am about to pull medications so I can't do that right nowâ€. He became angry and demanded to speak to my supervisor.
While we were speaking to her, he insulted me, called me names, and used profanity towards me. To my absolute surprise, my nursing supervisor kept making comments like Yes, sir. I agree with you sir.†and She will be spoken toâ€. She not once interjected or disagreed with him. I feel that her very attitude serves to only inflate the ego of this physician and makes his behavior acceptable. He literally made me go to my supervisors office and his argument was she didn't do what I told her to do when I told her to do it!â€. After noting that she was just agreeing with everything he said, I said I'm done with this conversation, I have to go take care of my patients†and began to walk out. The physician replied You're a nurse, you don't get to decide when we're doneâ€.
I may be a nurse, but I am also a very real person with very real feelings. His commentary serves to explain his treatment of me. To him, I am beneath him and am even unable to decide when I no longer want to participate in a hostile exchange. I was upset at how he was treating me, but even more upset that my nurse manager did not intervene. The message she sent across is that I may be important, but he is MORE IMPORTANT to the facility because he is a surgeon. My nurse manager was practically agreeing with him that I needed to wait until he ended the conversation.
This lack of support for nurses should be highly frowned upon and should not be tolerated. I may not have gone to school for 8 years, but I do have an education, a mouth, and a brain and I can make my own decisions! I am more than JUST A NURSE. As nurses, we get caught up in patient care to the point that small interactions such as my original encounter with him go unreported. We must stand up for ourselves and our profession and report incidences such as this one to protect ourselves. We can no longer tolerate doctors making us feel inferior or demanding that we stop performing our responsibilities to cater to their needs.
I am now left with only a few witnesses of our original encounter as my ‘proof' and have been ‘fired' from taking care of any of this surgeons patients in the future. I did nothing wrong, but all of his request were fulfilled and I am left waiting the response of human resources, from which I hear, will do nothing. We need to change this and demand to work in environments in which we are valued and supported instead of freely belittled and harassed. Report all of these incidences to protect yourself!
Specializes in Pharmaceutical Research, Operating Room.
Hugs...it sounds like you did a great job standing up for yourself. Don't get to decide when you're done...um, you just DID. I would absolutely go to HR now with all of this and report this creation of a hostile work environment. I would be looking for a new job too, if nothing else because your manager has demonstrated that she doesn't have your back. Shame on her.
This, absolutely this!!!! I would absolutely report that jerk for treating the PATIENT in such a manner, and then I'd follow up with his clear abuse of the nursing staff. Hostile work environment and a hostile environment for the patient's recuperation. I agree to be looking for another job too - there's no way I'd stay somewhere that so clearly did not value me as an employee or even a human being. Which is why I quit my last job!
This, absolutely this!!!! I would absolutely report that jerk for treating the PATIENT in such a manner, and then I'd follow up with his clear abuse of the nursing staff. Hostile work environment and a hostile environment for the patient's recuperation. I agree to be looking for another job too - there's no way I'd stay somewhere that so clearly did not value me as an employee or even a human being. Which is why I quit my last job!
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
I can see that this elephant is going to have to be eaten a bite at a time. I apologize, I work midnights, but this situation regarding behaviors is so interesting to me, and I'm going to bed soon, but in summary:
We are taught as Nurses to report objectively; the facts. This is objective:
I was waiting in line to pull medications from the Pyxis and he asked me when the patient had received PRN medications last. I replied I'm not sure because I'm not in front of the computer, but I've been here since 7am and I haven't given her anything and it's now 8:15am.†He was sitting at the computer and replied me Well log on and tell meâ€.I replied I am about to pull medications so I can't do that right nowâ€.
And this is subjective- not based on facts, but on a perception:
he was trying to throw his weight around
He became angry
Funkymiss, I can be your best friend right now. You may not agree with me or my approach, but after nearly 40 years in the medical field, and being an emotional hothead, I have not only survived, but excelled in the field. You can now learn from my mistakes; my experiences. It's up to you. Believe that you are totally right and the Doctor is totally wrong and be fighting battles to prove yourself for the remainder of your career. Listen to me and I will show you the way through this nonsense.
I think that 99% of nurses would have stopped what they were doing to log in for this doctor, even though his speech and actions were condescending from the forming of his request.
The patient's needs come before your personal vendetta with the doctor. You are not the most important person here; the patient is. Yes, it would have been appropriate for you to help the doctor in caring for his patient, as you were the patient's nurse.
That's understandable , but I have 6 patients . Not just his and I was answering his questions. I didn't have be exact time the medication was given and I explained that to him and gave him the information that I did have. With only one machine to pull meds from, you move and you lose your spot. There was no dramatic pressing information that only I could access that warranted abandoning my mission over his demand.
I am all about the patient but he also needs to learn how to access information in the computer himself.
you should report it. but most people working in this field end up dating one another or cheating. once they get caught they want to cry bloody murder. check yourself. I see it happen in this dump I work in ALL the time.
you should report it. but most people working in this field end up dating one another or cheating. once they get caught they want to cry bloody murder. check yourself. I see it happen in this dump I work in ALL the time.
The doctor doesn't want to date OP. He cursed her out.
you should report it. but most people working in this field end up dating one another or cheating. once they get caught they want to cry bloody murder. check yourself. I see it happen in this dump I work in ALL the time.
Our issue is not personal as in stemming from a relationship. I am married and have only interacted with this surgeon in a professional manner at our hospital.
As as far as most people in this field ending up dating, I have not seen that to be true from my 5 years of working.
I did report this incident to HR. I just wish I had reported the first incident, so it clearly showed his issue with he was personal. My manager is now laughing it off saying she was just agreeing with him because he was yelling and not listening to anything she would have said. Keep in mind, she is 'just a nurse' to him also.
Unfortunately this is true. Also, the surgeon is seen as a moneymaker, and we nurses are seen as a cost. So TPTB will side with him, regardless. Just stay away from him, he sounds like a real piece of work!
Most surgeons are *****, it's like it's a prerequisite for the job. It takes a mix of sociopathy and philanthropy to cut into people, in my opinion. Most surgeons lean more toward the arrogant side. The ones who are good guys are generally all around awesome people.
You need to develop a different strategy when dealing with difficult people. Although the surgeon should NEVER have said what he did to the patient, you dealt with it in a terrible way. You should have told the doctor to step outside and THEN told him he was being inappropriate. If he wouldn't step outside, then you should have gotten a witness to come in. That would probably have cooled him off a lot. The way you handled it guaranteed further repercussions for you.
Also, you should know the general time a patient got a PRN. If you are monitoring BP or pain, for example, you should know around what time the patient got PRNs last in case of a reoccurrence.
And, if you are standing in line waiting for the Pyxis, you are obviously not in urgent need of medication to be administered RIGHT THAT MINUTE. You could have easily looked a med up and gotten back in line.
You were being passive aggressive with the surgeon and exacerbating the situation. Yes, it feels good to rebel against the *** of the world, but it is not a smart strategy for long-term career-keeping. There are a lot of ** in healthcare and you need to figure out how to deal with them without getting yourself in trouble.
I am NOT saying what the surgeon did was right. He is obviously a **** and should rot somewhere hot. However, your handling of the situation leaves much to be desired.
I'm not even going to talk about your NM. Utter disgust, is all I'm saying.
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
I do believe candigraduate has hit upon the quest of this thread:
You need to develop a different strategy when dealing with difficult people.
There is a trend that runs through threads like this one where, basically, Members say the Nurse is good, the Doctor/Administrator/Etc, is bad.
Daniel Gilbert, in his book, Stumbling on Happiness, says that we feel better about a situation if we have someone to blame.
That feeling better is merely a fix; a short term diversion from taking action and dealing with the problem. As long as we have someone else to blame, we don't have to take the responsibility for a situation. We don't have to consider that we may be part of the problem, self-examine, or work at a problem-solving process. We can merely rest on our laurels and be complacent.
However, if we take this tact of blaming, we shall ever be doomed to be the victim.
flying_ace2
193 Posts
This, absolutely this!!!! I would absolutely report that jerk for treating the PATIENT in such a manner, and then I'd follow up with his clear abuse of the nursing staff. Hostile work environment and a hostile environment for the patient's recuperation. I agree to be looking for another job too - there's no way I'd stay somewhere that so clearly did not value me as an employee or even a human being. Which is why I quit my last job!