Why do doctors ask the nurse?

Nurses Relations

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I'm busy trying to be in 3 places at once so that the patients will stay happy. It is the middle of the night, not one of the patients are asleep because they might actually sleep through the next dose of Dilaudid. People are falling out of the bed because we are too short-staffed for a sitter, families are refusing to stay with the patients and are threatening lawsuits if their loved ones are physically restrained, etc. Now the hospital cell phone rings with Dr. X on the other end. This is the conversation: "Hi, this is Dr. X and I was calling to see what the surgical consultation report says that was written at 0910am because I can't read Dr. Y's handwriting." My thoughts: REALLY???? ARE YOU SERIOUS??? This is so annoying! Ummmm, have you tried calling HIM instead of ME? After all, you're the one who consulted him. Maybe in your conversation with HIM instead of me, you might want to mention the computerized system that allows for such consultations to be entered.

Another one is when the consulted physician writes a med order, we give it, then the primary comes along and d/c the order, only to have the consulting physician to come and REORDER it. And you ask me why Dr. B ordered this for your patient. Why not just discuss the pros and cons of a plan to medicate, physician to physician, and come to a conclusion BEFORE making it an order?

At my job, the change of shift chaos can last for hours because of 'stuff'. It could be a long time before I even get to open up a 'paper chart' to see who said what, that the off-going nurse forgot to mention or didn't even have time to check herself, given the right set of patients.

I really miss working at a facility where physicians had to call their own consults and come to a conclusion before fighting it out on the charts or misinterpreting what was written due to poor handwriting. I honestly don't have the time to run interference between the doctors.

OP, I hear ya and feel the same way. One time a doctor asked me what a patient was trying to say who was non-verbal with a trach. I replied" I don't know, who am I the ghost whisperer". Ofcourse I didn't say it front of the patient.

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Specializes in CCRN, ED, Unit Manager.
Most of the doctors in where I work call their own consults. However, I still follow-up with it. When the patient is admitted on night shift, even if the night nurse told me she paged/left/called the doctor, I still follow it up just to make sure and chart it.

I don't mind getting yelled at for doing my job. My job is to ensure the care of my patient. What I hate is getting yelled at for being blindsided and being accused of not doing my job because I forget to follow up and assumed someone did it.

Also, if I see a doctor, I make sure to inform him of what had happen that day and who've seen the patient. Call me irritating, but I'd rather the message gets across than falling into the spaces. That's what we are, nurses are the bridge for these disciplines.

I don't get this. I don't mind getting yelled at for screwing up because I deserve it, but if I'm doing my job I'd be irritated if I was yelled at. They need an octagon shaped cage in the basement of hospitals!

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Most of the doctors in where I work call their own consults. However, I still follow-up with it. When the patient is admitted on night shift, even if the night nurse told me she paged/left/called the doctor, I still follow it up just to make sure and chart it.I don't mind getting yelled at for doing my job. My job is to ensure the care of my patient. What I hate is getting yelled at for being blindsided and being accused of not doing my job because I forget to follow up and assumed someone did it. Also, if I see a doctor, I make sure to inform him of what had happen that day and who've seen the patient. Call me irritating, but I'd rather the message gets across than falling into the spaces. That's what we are, nurses are the bridge for these disciplines.
And this ladies and gentleman, is why the nursing profession is abused...
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Specializes in Intermediate care.

Had a cardiology patient who was to go to the Cath lab. Per the cardiology team i get an order: Hold patients morning heparin.

Ok...i held it. So Primary team comes around "Why did you hold the mornig heparin? i didn't give orders for this."

"Cardiology told me to hold it for his heart cath."

"You don't need to hold heparin for a heart catheterization. Give the heparin."

So i call cardiology "Just an FYI, primary is telling me to give heparin. If you want this held can you talk to Dr____"

"Well call primary and tell them i want it held, i don't have time for this."

i call primary and say "Cardiology wants heparin held. If you want me to give it, you need to talk to Dr____"

"Well call him back and tell him that i want the heparin give it."

i ended up holding the heparin and i say to primary "If you want the heparin given then YOU give the heparin. Im following cardiology's orders because this is their procedure"

then they come back with "Well this is my patient and i am primary, they are consulting. i want the heparin given now."

STUPID HEPARIN. im not getting caught in the middle of that crap...no way! They need to communicate better and stop using the nurse as the messanger beause that saying "Don't kill the messanger" does NOT apply to doctors apparently, beause they do kill me everytime i get caught in the middle like that.

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Specializes in ER, progressive care.

I had a patient who kept having runs of v-tach...called the hospitalist to let him know, he told me to consult cardiology. I asked who, and he said "anyone, whoever is on call." This was at around 0000. I was still very new and didn't know how the consults worked, really...I asked the monitor tech and the charge nurse about it and they told me to call. So I called the cardiologist and told him what was going on....and he just tells me to stop and says, "this is highly inappropriate." I apologized, I told him I was new, the hospitalist told me to call him...the cardiologist says it's okay (I think he meant it was inappropriate of the hospitalist to have me call him) and says to me, "tell him (the hospitalist) to call me." He hangs up, but then calls me back and says, "actually nevermind, I will just call him myself." :sarcastic:

I don't understand why doctors cannot just COMMUNICATE with each other.

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Specializes in Med-Surg. Critical Care. Education..

Oh my!! LYNDAA, I thought I was having flashbacks reading your post!! Very annoying, I agree!!

I get irritated when one doctor decides he doesn't want to use Dr. X as his consultant on the case, BUT he wants you to call and cancel the consult and provide an explanation to Dr. X........

OR:

When you have a patient that is crashing and burning.......the hospitalist didn't consult the intensivist or cardiologist when the patient was transferred........but then at when the patient is going into cardiac distress and needs to be emergently intubated @ 0100, no one wants to accept the patient...........ummm the last time I checked, if the patient dies, SOMEONE will be held responsible........and IT WON'T BE ME!!!!

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