Yelling Doctors, How do you handle them?????

netglow, ASN, RN · Mar 13, 2009

With respect to all posters replying similarly...

I don't know why you all are so concerned that the poor darlings might be sleeping, or be busy, maybe at dinner and a movie? I just don't get it. Oh golly gee.

They knew the job requirements when they first started med school, and also said to themselves, the "on call" thing sucks, but hey, I'll be making so much money :smokin: (yea!), and you lurking MD's, don't you tell me otherwise! You must know that a clarification call often is an attempt to prevent an error, maybe one that you have a part in creating... might even save your butt one day... how about a little "great catch" now and then.

dotherightthing · Mar 13, 2009

i know how hard it was to work in el paso. i had a really diffult time understanding what some doctors were saying on the phone due to spanish accent. especially when i was coming from canada. i had one doctor ask if i was stupid cause i just asked him to repeat his order. that was challenging. nice eh?

ditto for me in-person, as well as on the phone with indian and asian doctors, filipino nurses and others with a pronounced accent. as health care providers, it's always best for the patient to get clear, accurate orders. everyone should be on the same page but....not.

mykrosphere · Mar 13, 2009

havent been yelled at since i worked in dialysis when i first became a nurse, but that dr yelled at everyone and has a nice rep as an ******** anyway.

as far as the accent thing and getting correct orders go, if the doc gets ****** having to repeat himeself 4 or 5 times thats his problem.

ive learned to blow insignificant things like that off now, its most likely not even personal anyway.

i like to think about the "oh thats what they get paid for, that was their choice" thing too, but i guess sometimes a nurse really has to think about if calling a doc at 3am for a temp of 99 warrants a call to them.

then again, there are docs you cant please and get mad if you dont do as stated above.

sometimes we cant win.

que sera sera

i dont think it has anything to do with having to deal with a dr from a different country though.

not all drs who are indian or asian are jerks

GooeyRN, ADN, BSN, CNA, LPN, RN · Mar 14, 2009

ditto for me in-person, as well as on the phone with indian and asian doctors, filipino nurses and others with a pronounced accent. as health care providers, it's always best for the patient to get clear, accurate orders. everyone should be on the same page but....not.

the last place i worked had mostly indian doctors. thankfully, they have all been very nice to work with. i had/have problems understanding their speech sometimes, but they are pretty good about repeating themselves, and even joke about their handwriting.

miko014 · Mar 14, 2009

I'm confused.....why are nurses doing the med recs? In my facility, it's the MD's job. It sounds like they're pawning the work off to the nurses. Oh, and BTW, docs go into their profession for the $$, not for the love of people or medicine...and last I checked, they make ALOT more of it than nurses do. Sorry they have to take a few unwanted calls a night....that's why they get paid the big bucks....suck it up!

It's their job where I work too, but they rarely do it, so it falls to us. It can be infuriating at times, because the doc will direct admit at pt and write "continue home meds". They haven't been allowed to do that for years, but they do it anyway. And then we have to call them with a home med list to make sure they agree with everything and then they get mad that we called them when they already wrote "continue home meds". It's a vicious cycle.

I would love to know how you got your docs to cooperate!!!!!

sweetlass · Mar 14, 2009

I have quite a few experiences with yelling doctors.Tell tell him that it is important to know the previous medicine prescribed so the that next treating doctor will know what to do with the patient's treatment.If despite the explanation he still yells, yell back at him.We nurses have our right to be treated nicely.We are all just human helping to serve Humanity.

P.S..

Specially Egyptian Docs,they really yell despite calming effort to explain.

SharonH, RN · Mar 14, 2009

I like LilyBlues response. While I have no nursing experience (I graduate in December), my life's experiences have taught me that when someone begins yelling - decrease your tone and remain calm, and most of all respectful! Call the physician sir/mam, While not apologizing, explain that hospital policy mandates the call be made to reconcile your meds. And with that, a call at 0200 would be appropriate.

Um, no.

prinny · Mar 14, 2009

Hi there,

Couple of things. Learning when and when not to call is something you get with experience. If you are unsure, ask someone. Ask a couple of someone's if you don't like the first answer. :) Second, if they had a home med that was abx and it wasn't continued by the admitting MD, regardless of who that admitting MD was, dont' sweat it. Often admitting MD's take people off their home meds upon admission for a variety of reasons, like they are going to do IV abx, or a culture and change the abx, or something. Third, while it is usually the duty of night shift to do all that admission paperwork because they have fewer admissions than day shift and often people are employed on days specifically to complete the extensive paperwork, I'm pretty sure your institution has a policy that allows for admission pprwrk to be completed within a given time, not just your 12 hr shift. You do what you can and you move on. Lessee, I got lost...oh, right, I was talking to a doc tonight about just this sort of thing, except she was called at night about Occuvite. She was ****** that a nurse called her about a vitamin. I think she was justified in being upset. On the other had, I had a surgeon admit a pt and did not write prns for pain and nausea. So I called him at 0330 when I found out he'd neglected to do that. He might've been crabby about it, but I didn't really care. :) Bet that doesn't happen again, soon. Anyway, good luck. Don't let the yelling get you down. Laughing at them doesn't help the situation, but I find it feels better for me.

Magsulfate, BSN, RN · Mar 14, 2009

I had a favorite middle eastern doctor... it took TWO years to get him to smile and say hello to me in the ICU. Well, I never gave up with the smile and "goodmorning" It finally worked.

His favorite thing to yell when I called him was "WHYYY ARE YOU CALLING MEEE!!! ".. and I would say, very very nicely "Because you are the doctor" :) wink wink. haha.. and it slowed him down a bit every time.

platon20 · Mar 14, 2009

The other night at work (I work 7PM shift), I admitted a new patient. She was seen at her doctors office a couple days before and was started on PO antibiotics TID. She did not take her antibiotic all day. At my hospital we are to clarify meds upon admission and she could not remember the dose perscribed. So I had to page her doctor, which has a reputation of being mean at 11PM (not that late). He interrupted my question by yelling/screaming at me, asking me how he would know the dose (he prescribed it), demanding I answer why it couldn't wait till morning while huffing and puffing on the phone!!! I know if I didn't address it, the charge nurse or someone would of had my neck due to policy...Can't win!!
I've only been a nurse for 8 months and I haven't had much experience with this.
My question is... How do you respond to a doctor who talks to you this way- I mean screams at you this way?

1. The doctor was obviously in the wrong to yell/scream....thats never acceptable.

2. That being said, I can see where he's coming from. He has thousands of patients, there's no way in hell he can remember the antibiotic script he wrote out for somebody 2 days ago. Thats not a realistic expectation to call hiim up and expect him to know the dose off the top of his head. Its very doubtful that he has access to that kind of info either at home or in the hospital. He would have to drive to his clinic to find that info out.

3. If that doctor was the admitting physician to the hospital then he should have specified doses on all inpatient meds anyways, so he's in the wrong if he was the admit doctor on record. If he was NOT the admission physician, then you need to find the person who is and page them instead. Its their responsibility to set the doses on those drugs if they are unknown.

RN Randy · Mar 14, 2009

I like LilyBlues response. While I have no nursing experience (I graduate in December), my life's experiences have taught me that when someone begins yelling - decrease your tone and remain calm, and most of all respectful! Call the physician sir/mam, While not apologizing, explain that hospital policy mandates the call be made to reconcile your meds. And with that, a call at 0200 would be appropriate.

Um, no.

LOL, Sharon...

robi-d... wow. Two words come to mind... "eaten alive."

My life's experiences have taught me that when someone begins yelling - decrease your tone and remain calm, and most of all, know which common items make the best weapons! :)

rb

PS: I always call physicians 'sir' or 'ma'am'. Doctors reap what they sow.

[Having a doctorate in medicine doth not a physician make.]

Respect is *earned* not owed.

RNpandoraRN · Mar 14, 2009

Bingo. If this wasn't the admitting physician, there was no reason to call that late. It's just completely inappropriate. This isn't a case of a "rude doctor", it's a rude nurse. Would the OP have called a family member that late to ask the same question? And I wonder, if a telemarketer had called the OP that late, if maybe they wouldn't have done a little yelling too?

The OP stated that calling is her facility's policy, so I don't think it was very kind of you to call her rude and inappropriate. If that is the policy, then she is wise in following it. They don't make them so nurses can pick and choose which ones to follow. There's a big difference between a nurse and a telemarketer.

That being said, if it were my facility's policy (thank goodness it's not!), is it acceptable to wait until a "decent" hour to call for med recs, like 0600?