What if I really said that???

[Sleepyeyes]

Hadda call the Doc at 3 am for a patient who was tachy with A-flutter but was previously at a normal HR.

Guess what the Doc said?

"First off, I want to ask you why you waited until 3 am to call me about this?"

What I said (through clenched teeth): "Frankly, Dr., I didn't wait. His HR was normal a couple hours ago and has just gone from the 80's to 120-140's within the past half hour while he is at rest. I thought you might like to do something about that."

What I WANTED to say?

"Because I love to wake Docs up in the middle of the night. It gives me a feeling of power."

Or, "YOU ARE ON CALL, which means you are AT WORK. Can I sleep on my job? No? Neither should you." :stone

So here's the question: What are some of the things you have WANTED to say to Docs, pts, relatives, coworkers--whether or not you actually said it?

[zudy]

to one dr who was berating me over the phone for calling him about his pt who wanted something stronger for pain ( "You tell that stupid old b*tch to shut the f#$% up, if I wanted her to have something stronger, I would have written an order for the %* cow!!!!!") I asked sweetly, " Shall I write that as a verbal order?" He gasped, calmed down, and gave me an order. He never did that to me again.

[fedupnurse]

Lest we not forget the speakerphone idea on antoher thread. The more witnesses you have the better. Not that a doc like that would LIE or anything....

[NurseDennie, BSN, RN]

I've very seldom had an occasion when I felt that it was best NOT to say what I was thinking because I guess I thought that it needed to be said.

Very, Very famous neurologist told the nurse taking care of one of the patients he was called to consult "Well, if you move him to the unit, I won't take care of him" because his attending wrote an order for him to go to the unit. I was charge at the time, and I went and asked him to show me any possible way that it was fair to put the nurse in the middle like that.

I guess I've worked with just cooler doctors than the national norm? I remember once after spending quite a few moments with the heel of my hand staunching arterial bleeding in a post arteriogram patient, the radiologist came in and checked what I'd done, asked what I planned and then just nodded his head and told the patient: "Well, I guess your nurse saved you."

There have been exceptions, of course.

Love

Dennie

[hapeewendy]

I am told by some of the senior nurses I work with that I am mouthy and that younger nurses today seem to not respect the drs as much as they did "back in the good old days"

I always reply that I am a sweetheart by nature but I have been raised to not have to take any kind of bullsh*t from anyone and I will hold myself to that, especially if the bullsh%t comes in the form of a dr yelling and pissing and moaning because I've called for something for one of his/her patients!

I never swear, I never sound angry, I just put things simply and to the point....

if a Dr calls me back and wants to know "what do YOU want?" I always reply "thanks I dont need anything but your pt so and so needs ............"

usually they are happy to give me a verbal order.

I dont believe in getting dumped on by some bitter doctor who has been working entirely too many hours, and has become unsafe to practice while I'm equally as tired of trying to get hold of him/her because someone whose life I am in charge of saving/maintaining/making better needs something.

I used to be a blundering cowering nervous student nurse and then I ran into some doctors who genuinely appreciated my opnion and that gave me the backbone I needed to confront the rest of them.

I still get *****ed out, and sometimes I clench my teeth and let it go at that, But if a patient has a need, I am there to at least try to get it fufilled.

[J_W, DNP, APRN, CNS]

I have only smarted off to a Doctor once maybe twice...When I was new nurse on very busy ortho/neuro floor, I worked day shift for somebody that needed to be off, they worked my evening shift that day, so I was not really supposed to be there anyhow...Anyhow, surgery patient arrives at right before 0800 about 0750 so admitting sends her to the floor to be gotten ready no nothing done...The patient comes with no orders, only xrays and a 12 lead EKG...Surgery is scheduled for 1000 it is TKR (total knee replacement), well I have half the floor to team lead over (22 patients), so we get her in her room, get her settled, start the admission history and do the assessment. Page the ortho surgeon to get orders, does not call back, after trying to page him rougly 5 times, I decided it was useless, by now it is right after 0900, well surgery is calling for her, I tell them she is not ready, she has no orders for anything....I call the anesthesiologist, he was very nice gave me some orders, by now it is 0930, and surgery is calling again..I tell them to quit calling so I can get her ready...So the patient has to pee, help get tot he BR, she can't go, so I'm like Foley she will get one anyhow in surgery, so the LVN does this, while I try to get IV. She has no veins , even though she was only in her 40's, she had really crappy veins...SO while I am trying to get the IV, I get a call from surgery, this time they say Dr. ______is wanting nto speak to you..So I ger on the phone and he start yelling at me why his patient is not in surgery....So I tell him in fairly calm manner that she just got to the floor about 0800, and she had no orders, no consent, yada yada yada, told him all she brought with her were the xrays and 12 lead, well he didn't believe me, told me I was lying, well I was not offended, I'm like whatever, I told him I would finish getting her ready, and call surgery when I was done...He hung up on me...Went back to her room to finish getting her ready, was not in there 5 minutes, got a call, guess who from surgery, Dr. _____is on the phone wanting to talk to you again...SO this time he really starts sreaming, aksing me what time should his patients get to the hospital in order to be ready in time, well I had had it, I said "How bout last night you idiot, she has only been here about 2 hours, and I do have 21 other patients that have needs" and I hung up on him.....Well he called the manager, yada yada yada called me a smart a-- to her, said I should be fired for being one.....I was mad the rest of the day...Anyhow the patient was taken to surgery right after 1000 I didn't even get written up, my manager was pretty supportive, she said just try to be calm and polite, well the policy regarding same day surgery admits was changed..Was that if the patient got to hospital more than 2 hours, they were send to the floor, if it was less than 2 hours then they were sent to holding, well she was on that line right at 2 hours.......It was a mess that day, but I survived, and ever talked to that Dr again...Did not take care of his patients either.........

[bettybobbs]

Hey everyone, My favorite quote that I heard from an Rn I used to work with, when adoc was screaming out orders at her was this :" do you want me to stick a broom up my ass and sweep the floor also". That shut them up.

[zudy]

Was totally short staffed last week, a dr pulled me aside, told me we were 6 pts behind, and he was having to WAIT, I told him no problem, I would just step in the next room and sh*t a couple more nurses for him so he wouldn't have to WAIT on the pts . He left me alone, sat down and shut up.