Help me out with this one: The other day I had to call my patient's son to help translate to his father that the OR was taking his father in for surgery 45 minutes earlier than expected. The elderly patient spoke a rare Indian dialect not available through the language line. I was pressed for time to reach the son before he left home and before the transport came to pick up the patient....like 5 minutes at most.
While I was dialing the phone in the patient's room, the doctor for the patient in the next bed was present speaking with his patient. My back was turned making the phone call when this doctor yelled out "are you his nurse?" I'm not sure which side of the room the Dr was in when he asked this. Continuing to dial the phone I replied "yes but I don't have time right now I need to..."
That's when this doctor erupted. he came up to me, stood at the bedside of this other patient and screamed.
"WELL YOU BETTER FIND TIME! I'M HIS DOCTOR AND HOW DARE YOU TALK LIKE THAT IN FRONT OF MY PATIENT!"
I remained professional and calmly stated "you're right. I never should have said that. Poor choice of words. I'm sorry." But he continued to scream, demanded to know my name so he could report me. Again, I remained almost Zen-like calm and said "I'm sorry."
The dr left the room to talk to me at the nurse's station and not yelling but with anger asking what's wrong me. Again, with Zen, I said I was wrong. He then said he would let it slide this time. He calmed down to discuss his patient and asked me to change his pain medication order. The entire floor heard and witnessed this.
I explained to the other nurses what happened. They said the Dr was completely inappropriate to come to another patient's bedside and scream at me. It was a violation of the patient's rights as well as my rights. I agreed but the Dr said he wasn't going to report me, so I'd rather let it drop. But I'm still in fear.
And one vital side note: This was my grandfather's doctor and I told him a few weeks ago who I was and who my grandfather was. He remembered him even though grandpa died almost 20 years ago. My grandfather liked him a lot (an Italian kinship thing.)
So I'm not only in fear but hurt that my grandfather had such high regard for this man who just verbally abused me. I can only pray he treated my grandfather well.
Any advice or suggestions as to what I should do are greatly welcomed. I'm a 44 year old woman but I've been a nurse only 2 1/2 years.
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
If you're worried he'll write you up, you must feel insubordinate to him. You aren't. You need to write him up. You are not at his beck and call. There are other people besides him in the world and they have needs, too.
If anyone talks to you about this, do not be on the defensive. Make it clear his behaviour was inappropriate and disruptive, and you're still deciding if YOU want to "let it slide this time". In a nice Zen fashion, he needed to be told to knock it off.
Our HR attorney has lectured us all over, and over, and over, about having a zero tolerance for abuse, harassment, yelling, temper tantrums, etc. This behavior would never, never fly where I work.
Physicians are not allowed to round on patients and write orders, LET ALONE operate on them, without having admitting privileges at that hospital. Patient's come to the hospital for the NURSING CARE, not the Doctor. If they just needed a Dr, they could just be treated and released to home, or go to an outpatient clinic for surgery. You can potentially affect the admitting privileges of that doctor at that hospital. You never know.
I've been in your shoes - I'm not judging you - I just feel bad for the way that I know you're going to feel about yourself once you've got a lot of years of nursing under your belt for not sticking up for your self this time around. You still have recourse. Go to your manager, the director, and/or/also HR. Let them document what happened. It is your choice to remain silent - but just know that no matter what you decide to do, there are repercussions either way. Only you get to choose how you feel about your actions in the years to come.
Actually at my hospital, anyone can have anyone else written up. Our nurse aides are encouraged to write up a nurse who complains about them. No I do not feel insubordinate, but I do know the politics at my hospital. Sometimes you have to adapt to survive, and no I do not have intensions on staying at this hospital.
At any hospital you or anyone else can write someone up. But by you not standing up to this doc, you are not only doing yourself and injustice, but anyone else who is there and will come there. It is your choice, but if you are like this at this place, you will most likely continue down this road. JHC has a stand on workplace abuse, use it.
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
JHC has a stand on workplace abuse, use it.
Remember that not all hospitals and healthcare facilities in the US are accredited by the Joint Commission, and therefore, JHC workplace abuse standards might not be applicable in these places.
Pretty funny! 
DizzyLizzyNurse
1,024 Posts
Surely you mean incompetent?
Pretty funny!
Next time, don't apologize for yourself when you've done nothing wrong. The dr was completely out of line and made himself look like a complete ass.