Would you seriously consider quitting nursing

[UM Review RN]

if you were treated badly--yelled at, disrespected, verbally abused--by the doctors you work with?

How does this treatment affect you? Does it affect patient care?

[rnmi2004]

I agree, mattsmom, keep it about the patient. I'm new at this & I've only had to deal with a few grumpy docs as a student, but what helped is focusing on being assertive for the sake of the patient. The reason I communicate with the doctor is for the sake of our patient, and if he's ticked off about being disturbed, it isn't my fault. I didn't take it personally.

It is very important for nurses to stick together on this issue of mistreatment. I commend all the nurses who have agreed to help with a write-up of a doc who was out of line with a fellow nurse.

[UM Review RN, ASN, RN]

When the docs get nasty I've always directed their attention BACK to the patient. Now I work critical care, so when your patient is critical and the doc is wasting time ranting, it is especially frustrating. Several groups of specialists routinely browbeat night nurses everytime they call...no matter what. Over time, listening to these tirades wears a person out. Trying to problemsolve and getting nowhere wears one out. So many docs are frustrated and expect nurses to be their whipping boy. If management has allowed it to take place for decades, and nurses will not support each other, we will have difficulty changing the culture.

What I see out there? Nurses who instead of backing up another nurse when she is verbally abused by a doctor, say "Well I don't have any problems with him...". If we go to our nurse manager the same will result, or we are told to 'just get along'. The focus becomes the NURSE vs the abusive physician. I see this sometimes with patient and family situations as well. Which is why I sometimes refer to my workplace as 'dysfunctional' and nurses as their own worst enemies.

Thanks, Mattsmom, well said.

[BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN]

what i see out there? nurses who instead of backing up another nurse when she is verbally abused by a doctor, say "well i don't have any problems with him...". if we go to our nurse manager the same will result, or we are told to 'just get along'. the focus becomes the nurse vs the abusive physician. i see this sometimes with patient and family situations as well. which is why i sometimes refer to my workplace as 'dysfunctional' and nurses as their own worst enemies.

i definitely see your point. i, for one, am guilty of this as well (well, i never had a problem with this person). i've also been known to say that about my fellow nurses, until recently where i was sort of back-stabbed by a co-worker. of course, most nms don't want to get involved in that. but unfortunately they will lose their nurses if relations don't improve.

btw, when we speak of docs, what level are most of us referring to? any of my experiences have usually been with cocky residents who know nothing, and can't accept that the nurse knows what do do better than they do.

[UM Review RN, ASN, RN]

Different specialties in my case. Who's teaching those residents how to treat nurses, after all?

[BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN]

different specialties in my case. who's teaching those residents how to treat nurses, after all?

is there some kind of nure degradation class in med school, or do they get that at the hospital orientation? or do the female docs just want to make sure no one mistakes them for a nurse (oh, that must really piss them off) :chuckle

[mrf_bucks]

I am seriously quitting bedside nursing for many reasons but it boils down to one simple point:

I can't be the nurse I entered the profession to be.

Too many many constraints on my time at the bedside due to increasing paperwork (despite computerization of charting and med administration)----and too much verbal and passive-aggressive abuse from some physicians and certain coworkers----well, ya know what, it adds up to quite a bit of frustration and a block to my being the nurse I intended to. I am seriously considering my options nowadays. And very sad about this, as I truly love nursing..................

the way it should be, anyhow.

I work in the UK and at the present time I am Manager of a care home. With all the red tape, restrictions and constraints that are levied by CSCI and this government it is becoming increasingly more difficult to actually operate.

We have CRB and POVA checks that are taking upto 2 - 3 months to come, without which I am unable to employ staff.

There is a real risk we will have to close due to high levels of agency staff use, upto approximately $US 7 - 10,000 per week.

I will finish nursing if this home closes as I am sick of the B...S... involved with it now. I became a nurse to help and tend to others not satisfy the whims of CSCI inspectors and social workers who remove residents from the home because they do not want to be disturbed on christmas day if anything should happen. :imbar

[cannoli]

I think it is more the other staff that suck the life out of one, but those docs don't help.

I know a nurse whose father is a doctor, and she said she asked him why doctors would yell at the nurses like that when called and he said it was so they wouldn't get called and if something bad happened with a patient it would be the nurses fault for not calling and not the doctors. Interesting.

[BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN]

I know a nurse whose father is a doctor, and she said she asked him why doctors would yell at the nurses like that when called and he said it was so they wouldn't get called and if something bad happened with a patient it would be the nurses fault for not calling and not the doctors. Interesting.

And this was his serious answer That's downright disgusting

[Malt123]

some times it is too late to quit nursing, if you are going to do it you need to do it before the black balling starts. Even though I wasn't abused by the doctors management covered that well. they did their job so well that they totally ruined me and for what? nothing that would be seen as a good reason to terminate some one. I don't think any one can stop the abuse until we can make managment and doctors responsible and accountable for it. In this state some place was only hiring people that had their lisence here for 2 years. I guess they figure if you can keep it for 2 years here you're ok to hire. sad isn't it. doesn't matter that I had my lisence for 10 years in another state and my LPN lisence for 14 years prior to that.

[mattsmom81]

I think it is more the other staff that suck the life out of one, but those docs don't help.

I know a nurse whose father is a doctor, and she said she asked him why doctors would yell at the nurses like that when called and he said it was so they wouldn't get called and if something bad happened with a patient it would be the nurses fault for not calling and not the doctors. Interesting.

Exactly right. I love this...finally an honest doctor who admits what is behind a lot of the bad behavior. Some are just bullies and azzholes, others use their intimidation to attempt to pass the blame elsewhere. I've worked with both types, unfortunately it is difficult to prove what is really going on.

I wrote a letter to this effect once to my manager. She forwarded it to the director of medical staff credentialing. My letter contained an example of how docs' bad behavior on the phone discourages nurses in calling and can end up a disaster for patients (and hospital liability). She was horrified and sent out a letter to the docs. We were proud of her, but she was let go next week.

Hospitals keep the doctors happy because they bring $$$ into the facility. :stone

[LydiaNN]

I'd quit my job under the circumstances you describe, but I wouldn't leave nursing. I also have had a wonderful experience in community nursing, as well as staffing a warm line. Better to move on than to let your passion for nursing die at the hands of some jerk.

[BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN]

We were proud of her, but she was let go next week.

Now, why does that not surprise me????