Disrespect from doctors

[p3medic]

We have one notorious loud mouth surgeon, been a surgeon since the Ice Age, who likes to yell and throw shit, usually at the surgical residents, but occasionally at the ER doc's, nurses and emt's....Its pretty funny to watch sometimes. My biggest gripe is he won't let you plead your case. I'm all for having a discussion or pissing match if need be, but it needs to have two sides.....

[emtannie]

We have one notorious loud mouth surgeon, been a surgeon since the Ice Age, who likes to yell and throw shit

Evolution is a wonderful thing...... I have seen the monkeys at the zoo do that......

Unfortunately, there is always someone who has to belittle someone else to feel important, or to make themselves feel like they are the top of the medical food chain.... I like Dust's idea of the one finger head scratch.... Some docs/nurses/medics/emt's/office staff (you get my drift) just like to be a$$es.... or maybe it is genetic.

I am lucky - my new medical director was a medic, and an ER doc before becoming director, and he is approachable and will back the EMS team... a nice change.

[fiznat]

Attending or resident does not matter, disrespect is disrespect. I will not tolerate it. If you have a problem with my care take it up with me in private.

This is true, however it was in fact a full-fledged EM doc.

[buckeyedoc]

I used to work in the ER as a medic and know many of the doctors rather well. I've been belittled in front of family and staff for various reasons. I had a doctor when I gave Etomidate to intubate even with it well within our scope of practice and standing orders. I was told that I had no idea what I was doing and that he was going to call our medical director Oh, our medical director works in that very ER. I carry a pocket reference guide of our protocols. I showed him that the patients condition and s/s warranted the Etomidate. He apologized to me, in private of course. I told him that I would accept his apology, but only in front of the same people that he embarrassed me in front of. Believe it or not, he agreed. What it boils down to is a lack of education. Not every ER doc knows YOUR standing orders. Oh, the nurses' jaws hit the floor when I said I had given Etomidate. Nurses and doctors alike are not familiar with pre-hospital standing orders and there will ALWAYS be the mentality of "I'm a doctor, you ONLY a paramedic. What do you know?"

[Kiwiology]

Most of the ER/surgical docs I know think highly of medics. If they get on your case, offer them a seat in the truck on a Friday night, I bet you they decline real fast. I know some who wouldn't touch the street unless it came through the ER doors - oh they say its too dangerous.

Our medical students do ONE 12hr shift with EMS for the entire 4 years they are in medical school! Our Paramedic degree guys do placements for the entire 3 years of thier degree.

Not sure where this high and mighty mentality comes from, after all, doctors like Eugene Nagel and William Grace, not to mention all those pre-1980 ACEP members invented EMS.

If they get too uppity remind em that it was physicians who came up with the idea of prehospital ALS, so they are jumping up and down about a program THEY invented, that should shut up em up

Oh, and if it makes any difference, our protocol says:

SEIZURES

1.5mg midaz IV q 3-5 max 15mg

5-10mg midaz IM max x2 q20

15mg midaz IN q20 max x 2

[Canadian Caesar]

That really is a big problem, though...ER knowing what medics/EMTs can do and medics/EMTs knowing how nursing homes or ERs work. Some cross-education on scopes of each others' fields would be nice...

I'll keep that in mind when I do my Hospital Practicum this spring.

After reading this thread, it sounds like I might be better served educating myself on the ER Staff rather than the ER patients.

At least now I'll know to try and do both...

[FormerEMSLT297]

I dont see anything wrong with your treatment in this case. If the patient was hot to touch, maybe, febrile seziures, ... or some other cause.

Talk about Doc's giving you a hard time.... I rolled into a major burn unit in NYC about 15 years ago, with a patient that was burned in a bulding fire.

Walk up to the bed with the patient on a stretcher and the conversation goes like this:

ER Doc: Heah what do you got ?

Me: Thermal burns to the feet, and lower legs, no airway involvement.

ER Doc: (in front of numerous nurses, residents, interns, etc.) "Thermal burns, what other type of burns are there.???"(in very sarcastic tone.

Me: (equally sarcastic tone and very loud) " Well lets see, there a thermal burns, electrical burns, chemical burns, and ohh yeah, radiation burns, so I would say 3 other types!!!"

He just looked down at his feet and had no reply.

As I was getting my paperwork signed the ER Doc, whom I'd known for years came over and said, "you really gave it to him good, and he deserved it."

Cocky new resident put in place by a lowly paramedic, in my 23+ years, that is one of the few problems i have had with Docs, most of the time everything goes well, and i find that if you ask them, they will explain what if anything they felt you could have done differently or better.

But just like in every professsion there are A%$Holes in very group. (present company excluded of course, Doczilla, and others, here.)

[RGalyon0911]

I took a pt into a hospital in our area. It was rural and we ran BLS trucks on emergency calls. When we took the pt into the hospital and had turned care over to a nurse the Dr. walked in. He req that someone get that ambulance driver(which made me see red) that just brought this pt in. I happened to be with a driver that day so I went outside and calmly told him that the Dr wanted to talk to him, but that I didn't know why. The Dr then proceeded to yell and scream at my partner. All the while my partner stood idly by and took it. When he was done ranting and raving and started to ask questions the driver stated "I have no idea I'm just an ambulance driver." He then yelled some more. When he finally asked to talk to the EMT I walked into the room and he said that I should have known what he meant. I then told him that I could adopt that philosophy and call nurses ass wipers and doctors paper pushers. I mean after all they would know what I meant. This infuriated him more, but I did get my point across and he has never called anyone an ambulance driver again.

[VentMedic]

I took a pt into a hospital in our area. It was rural and we ran BLS trucks on emergency calls. When we took the pt into the hospital and had turned care over to a nurse the Dr. walked in. He req that someone get that ambulance driver(which made me see red) that just brought this pt in. I happened to be with a driver that day so I went outside and calmly told him that the Dr wanted to talk to him, but that I didn't know why. The Dr then proceeded to yell and scream at my partner. All the while my partner stood idly by and took it. When he was done ranting and raving and started to ask questions the driver stated "I have no idea I'm just an ambulance driver." He then yelled some more. When he finally asked to talk to the EMT I walked into the room and he said that I should have known what he meant. I then told him that I could adopt that philosophy and call nurses ass wipers and doctors paper pushers. I mean after all they would know what I meant. This infuriated him more, but I did get my point across and he has never called anyone an ambulance driver again.

Do you think that if you had introduced yourself in the beginning with your title instead of wasting everyone's time, while watching your partner get set up for embarrassment things, might have gone differently? The patients and people across the room did not know it was mistaken identity. They just know some guy, your partner, must have screwed up royally to get blasted by a doctor while you looked on.

I doubt seriously if you got anybody's respect that day. Your opinion of nurses as ass wipers and doctors as paper pushers is not going to get you much respect in the future either.

If somebody does not know your correct title out of the 40 something to choose from, try to educate and not agitate or inferiorate.

Get over your insecurity with what you are called be it right or wrong. You may have to remain professional while being called a lot worst than ambulance driver someday.

I see this is only your 5th post. Welcome to the forum.

I work both in and out of the hospital. Playing well with all professions gets you more respect than pissing matches.

[ccmedoc]

I then told him that I could adopt that philosophy and call nurses ass wipers and doctors paper pushers.

HMMMMM :-k :scratch: ..I've been called worse...

Got to go with Vent on this one....take your lumps and move on, I don't know who looked worse on this day of which you speak.. :wink: But it could have gone better..