Why is it okay for Doctors to yell at Nurses?

willegan · Oct 14, 2015

It's definitely not ok for a doctor to yell at a nurse. Obviously we all lose our cool at some stage, but collaboration is key in healthcare. This article might help? https://www.ausmed.com/articles/collaboration-in-healthcare/

PMFB-RN, RN · Oct 18, 2015

Obviously we all lose our cool at some stage,

Speak for yourself.

beckster_01, BSN, RN · Oct 18, 2015

I have a question.
I see a lot of post in many topics on AN about Nurses being mistreated. Is it really so bad that it can't be brushed off (I mean mistreatment by pt's and families btw. I wouldn't put up with a coworker looking down their nose at me either)? When I was a Marine, I took a side job as a bouncer, and I had a temper back then too lol. But I immediately realized that any yelling or threatening towards me was them threatening a "Bouncer," not me personally, you know? Keep in mind I'm not saying anyone is doing anything wrong, just curious-Is the yelling from Pt's and their families really that bad?

I think the difference is that as a nurse, you want to help your patient and you want to be invested in their recovery. When they yell, throw feces, or demean you it is easy to take it personally. As a bouncer I don't see you really caring whether the person gets to the bar for a drink, you are just doing your job.

shantel1621 · Oct 18, 2015

It is NOT acceptable! I have been yelled at once and I guarantee that he won't make that mistake again...whenever we run into each other he can't even look me in the faceðŸ˜ŽYou of to learn the art of "respectful embarrassment"

toomuchbaloney · Oct 21, 2015

I'm currently in Nursing School to get my RN license and I noticed something that is bothering me. Maybe I'm still naive, I just find it baffling to hear how it's almost seen as a given that doctors at times will be disrespectful to nurses. My professors, who are all experienced RN's, frequently comment on the fact that as a nurse you can expect to be yelled at by the doctors. In almost every lecture they will say something along the lines of "if you, as the nurse, don't do exactly what the doctor wants he will probably yell at you." What bothers me most about these comments is that nobody seems to find them shocking or is even a bit upset about it. In what other profession do you hear people talk about being yelled at in such a matter of fact way?
My other question is: why do nurses accept this kind of behavior? I've never been yelled at by a doctor but my natural reaction to somebody yelling at me would be:" I'm not sure who you think you are talking to, but you don't speak to me like this." Even if you made a mistake you could say: "I know I made a mistake but that doesn't give you the right to speak to me in this tone. We are all just human."
Maybe I'm missing something here and I hope some of you will enlighten me. What is the worst that could happen if you said something like that to a yelling doctor? He would probably think twice about yelling at you again. Please help me to understand, what are nurses afraid of?
I'd love to hear some thoughts on this from you guys. Thank you!

I haven't read all of the responses yet.

I believe that your nursing instructors are out of touch with the modern world of nursing, or you live in a backword portion of the country.

By and large it is no longer acceptable for physicians to act in such a fashion in any health care delivery setting. By and large, employers will suffer very little of that sort of behavior as it is often a symptom of a person who represents liability and risk in other areas of their judgment and conduct.

I wonder what other ways those instructors are misrepresenting nursing to you?

littlepeopleRNICU · Oct 22, 2015

It's not okay! One of the things that bothers me about nurses is that they will accept treatment like that. Not at my facility...it is both, accepted and encouraged, to write physicians up when that happens. And it makes a difference once it's been done, let me tell you.

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Oct 22, 2015

I haven't read all of the responses yet.
I believe that your nursing instructors are out of touch with the modern world of nursing, or you live in a backword portion of the country.
By and large it is no longer acceptable for physicians to act in such a fashion in any health care delivery setting. By and large, employers will suffer very little of that sort of behavior as it is often a symptom of a person who represents liability and risk in other areas of their judgment and conduct.
I wonder what other ways those instructors are misrepresenting nursing to you?

This.

They would certainly "clutch their pearls" the way I stand up for myself and my patients to doctors...they would've keeled over the way I put a senior admit resident in their place when they were missing a key piece of assessment-psychosocial- and not honoring my pts privacy and almost prevented a diagnostic work up and almost deteriorated a rapport to allow the work to be done in order for the plan of care to be appropriate and the best for that pt. :yes:

applesxoranges, BSN, RN · Oct 22, 2015

I'm currently in Nursing School to get my RN license and I noticed something that is bothering me. Maybe I'm still naive, I just find it baffling to hear how it's almost seen as a given that doctors at times will be disrespectful to nurses. My professors, who are all experienced RN's, frequently comment on the fact that as a nurse you can expect to be yelled at by the doctors. In almost every lecture they will say something along the lines of "if you, as the nurse, don't do exactly what the doctor wants he will probably yell at you." What bothers me most about these comments is that nobody seems to find them shocking or is even a bit upset about it. In what other profession do you hear people talk about being yelled at in such a matter of fact way?
My other question is: why do nurses accept this kind of behavior? I've never been yelled at by a doctor but my natural reaction to somebody yelling at me would be:" I'm not sure who you think you are talking to, but you don't speak to me like this." Even if you made a mistake you could say: "I know I made a mistake but that doesn't give you the right to speak to me in this tone. We are all just human."
Maybe I'm missing something here and I hope some of you will enlighten me. What is the worst that could happen if you said something like that to a yelling doctor? He would probably think twice about yelling at you again. Please help me to understand, what are nurses afraid of?
I'd love to hear some thoughts on this from you guys. Thank you!

I experienced physicians that were entitled and I left that facility. In the ER, most physicians are understanding because we work so closely together. Abusive yelling? That shouldn't be tolerated anymore and you should look for another facility or unit.

In all honesty, you are more likely to experience bullying from nurses than physicians.

Nonyvole, BSN, RN · Oct 22, 2015

They yell at me, I yell back. I'm employed by the hospital, not the physicians, and we both know that if it's hit the yelling phase, we all need to take a step back and approach things from a different angle.