Yelled at by a doctor for the first time....

veetoy · May 16, 2007

when i worked in a hospital, i didnt feel like a servant sometimes.. i felt like a servant always! some doctors treat nurses well, but some just have the god complex. its very, very frustrating... sometimes i even go, "i didnt study and pay for years of college just to have a job where other people will have the liberty of yelling at me (here, it is accepted.. expected, even)..where i try to help save lives and get snapped at in return..where what i paid for in tuition will never be compensated by wat i earn (in our country, anyway)"...i could go on and on actually, but its depressing..

and sometimes, i also go.... i have to try to understand that doctors are under an enormous amount of stress, so perhaps this is just displacement..and i shouldn't complain about my job, bcoz how it is now is how its supposed to be..

but i couldn't reconcile those two opposing thoughts. after a short stint in the hospital, i stopped. to take a breather, recharge my spirits..and be a better nurse when i work as one again.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · May 16, 2007

As a nurse, you are frequently treated as the dumping ground for the frustrations of other persons. Doctors, patients, family members, ancillary staff, managers, and coworkers will yell at you if they believe they can get away with it. If a doctor yells at you again, don't be afraid to tell him/her, "Please don't speak to me in that manner."

I have noticed that many nurses will subserviently give up their chairs when the doctor arrives to look at the charts. Some nurses will dance circles around the doctor to avoid getting into his/her way.

crb613, BSN, RN · May 17, 2007

No don't get used to it! Expect & demand to be treated as a professional. You will be treated the way you allow yourself to be. Good luck

JessicRN · May 17, 2007

No don't get used to it! Expect & demand to be treated as a professional. You will be treated the way you allow yourself to be. Good luck

I totally agree, no this is not acceptable behavior by anyone and no you do not take it. When you are yelled at you say very loud and clear "please do not yell at me your behavior is totally inappropriate and unprofessional. If you do it again I will report you."we are both professionals and I deserve to be treated like one. You can take them aside if it is the first time you have seen it or you say it for many to hear if the doctor makes a habit of it. If he does it again, document and report it. :angryfire :angryfire

malire · May 17, 2007

So today I was yelled at for the first time by a doctor today. I wont get into the whole situation simply because I just got off shift and I don't feel like reliving the day. But, I just want to say....regardless of the situation, why is it accepted/expected for physicans to "yell", correct (in a very arrogant manor), look down on, or be just plan RUDE and unprofessional to nurses???

I was in the same situation about 2 weeks ago. As a new nurse (and a shy person) I had no idea what to react and the MD made me feel like crap even though I was RIGHT. He had placed an order that was incorrect, I paged him "Why was that ordered?" and he responded "Orders are written for a reason and I don't need my orders questioned!" I was so shocked I could not even respond. I have never been talked to like that in a professional setting before and I can't believe it is tolerated. Isn't our job as nurses to know why each order we carry out is written? Otherwise why did we even need a college degree?

It's hard to imagine that nursing has come so far in terms of getting respect from MDs but I just can't believe we are still being yelled at. There are some great MDs out there that treat us with respect but the bad apples make it hard to remember the good ones. After going through so many classes during nursing orientation, why aren't all the residents and interns required to attend the same inservices on professionalism and sensitivity?

jill48, ASN, RN · May 17, 2007

No, honey. You do not need to get used to it. I had to force myself to read the entire post because I was chomping at the bit to comment after just reading the title of the thread. "Yelled at by a doctor for the first time" p##### me off because not only should there be no first time, but there should also be no instances after that to qualify it as the "first". NO ONE has the right to yell at you, regardless of his/her credentials and you have to stand up for yourself. Would it be right for you to yell at YOUR subordinates? No, so why is it okay for him to yell at you. Doctors should not be put up on this unreachable pedestle (SP?) where we accept their abuse. B/C that is what it is, verbal abuse. You deserve respect. Stop this now before you let it become old habit that you allow people to do this to you. Take this sonuva, I mean physician, aside and tell them, "I can hear you just fine when you speak, you have not right to yell at me. Do not do it again. " Don't include any apologies beacause you think you have to. You don't. You only need to apologize if you have done something wrong. Please stand up for yourself.

Mommy TeleRN, RN · May 18, 2007

Would love all of your imput on what happened to me my first day of orientation last week.

We are temporarily off our regular floor for remodeling. This was the first day shift after the move and it was INSANE ... no one could find anything, everything that could go wrong was. I told the Asst NM if this was my first real day I would QUIT..but I have worked on the floor already for a year and I know this was NOT the normal day.

Anyway - pt with lung ca, mets to liver, failed biliary stints was admitted shortly after morning shift change. She was NPO with NS 200cc/hr ordered and morphine for pain. She stated she had headache and nurse was gonna check on another pain med because she said morphine would cx headache (ha was from nitro given in ER..she was admitted for CP)

Ok so I was in on the admission and put a pump in the room, looked for fluids but they hadn't come up from pharmacy, so I informed the RN and that was all I had to do with pt as I basically interned that day due to craziness and was all over the floor.

Pt was taken close to lunch time for some nuclear scan or something. Around 1500 I'm walking down that hall and a female doctor approaches me .. I think she thought I was the nurse..and said "I want rm ## fluids hung NOW" I felt like my mom was telling me to do something NOW. Was very weird feeling. I calmly said "I'm not the nurse, but let me go phone her" so I walked to the front desk, called the nurse on her little phone we carry, and the doctor was hot on my heels. I said "Dr. XX wants Ms. xx fluids hung IMMEDIATELY" The nurse said "well they are on the med cart, I'll be right down. Pt was off floor and just got back" The doc is FUMING mad. So I told the doc what she said and we walked back down the hall to the med cart. She notcied the fluids sitting there and picked them up and said "I need tubing!" and I got the tubing out of the cart for her. As I was doing this I said "The nurse said the pt was off the floor before the fluids came up from pharmacy" and the doc said "well she should have never left the floor without fluids going! and I want her morphine given immediately" So I said "I can't give meds, but I'll gladly inform the patients nurse to bring it right down"

Anyway - I was pretty intimidated as my FIRST day as a new grad. But on the other hand, the pt had been there ALL day with no fluids AND she was NPO to boot. This woman is very frail and weak anyway. I can kind of see why the doctor was so mad. If I "had' been the nurse would she have had a right to be so pissed at me? Did she have a right to be so mad at the patient's nurse?

It was weird today I wanted my daughter to do something and she kept giving me excuses and finally I said "I want you to do it NOW" and all I could think of was "dang I sound just like mean woman doctor" lol. I probably won't ever be able to use that phrase on my kids again now that I know what it's like to be on the receiving end lmbo!

VivaRN · May 18, 2007

You feel the way you do for a reason. Can you imagine what your life would be like if you "got used to" verbal abuse? I don't care how much "stress" physicians are under. We are under stress as well but if we started yelling it would be a problem. There is no excuse or justification for it. Even if an error was made it can be dealt with professionally. You are right to demand appropriate communication in your work environment - pt. safety depends on it! Sounds like this physician needs to get with the program.

If you think this individual can change (and you feel uncomfortable confronting him directly), you are totally within your rights to go to your nurse manager and report his behavior. Maybe the three of you can have a meeting. If she refuses to do anything go up the chain of command. Write a letter documenting the incident and any witnesses. State that you want an apology or action to be taken. Take it to the medical director also.

If you don't think this will change, or this has been going on for a long time... it might be time to find a new area. It is not like this everywhere. You don't have to take it. The fact that you choose to leave r/t being treated unprofessionally will bring attention to the issue.

Standing up for yourself is hard. Some of your co-workers may be used to "taking it" and not understand. Do what's best for you, your self esteem, and your professional identity. This is the 21st century. We did not go to school to be doormats.

Alright, off my soapbox :lol2:

gentlegiver, ASN, LPN, RN · May 19, 2007

So today I was yelled at for the first time by a doctor today. I wont get into the whole situation simply because I just got off shift and I don't feel like reliving the day. But, I just want to say....regardless of the situation, why is it accepted/expected for physicans to "yell", correct (in a very arrogant manor), look down on, or be just plan RUDE and unprofessional to nurses???
I guess I just don't quite understand the dynamics of the hospital setting yet. I am starting to see the place where I am expected to stand and I am not comfortable with it. I know nursing has come a long way, but I feel like a servant sometimes, carrying out the "DOCTOR'S ORDERS." I find the physican/nurse relationship to be a very strange one...he/she is not not "boss", the nurse manager is...he/she does not sign my check...yet, whatever he/she wants done...I must do, and if it is not done when/how/where he/she wants I can expect to be YELLED AT??? Like a child/servant being repremanded???
I don't know. Maybe I'm off base. I just think that there are more profession/tasteful ways to handle situations other then yelling like a jerk :angryfire
I guess I should get use to it???

My first time having to call a Dr (after I got my licence) and he went balistic on me! I made my voice sound like I was crying and told him I was a brand new nurse and would never call another Dr again for the rest of my life. He felt so bad for making me cry that he stopped yelling at all the nurses in the LTC I worked at. The seasoned nurses loved that move. Men can't stand to see or hear women cry. I figured if it worked it was worth it.

pagandeva2000, LPN · May 20, 2007

My first time having to call a Dr (after I got my licence) and he went balistic on me! I made my voice sound like I was crying and told him I was a brand new nurse and would never call another Dr again for the rest of my life. He felt so bad for making me cry that he stopped yelling at all the nurses in the LTC I worked at. The seasoned nurses loved that move. Men can't stand to see or hear women cry. I figured if it worked it was worth it.

I'll try that one...that was quick, critical thinking and a great move!

a21chdchic · May 21, 2007

I would not pull that card (crying) if my life depended on it! Stand up for yourself! If we all roll over and let people walk on us, they will keep doing it!

We are all coworkers, we are their eyes and ears, we do their dirty work, we carry out their orders. We deserve the same respect that they expect. I do not hesitate to let people know, regardless of who they are, that if they want respect, it is earned! And do not treat me in a manner that they would not want me to treat them!

a21chdchic in AZ