I am SO TIRED of NURSES

[Arista.MD]

I know I am going to get "zinged" for this, but you know what I don't care. I AM SO ***** TIRED of everyone treating me on the floor like I am some piece of ****. My senior tells me "go put this orders on the chart, then go tell the nurse!". So I go in and put the orders on the chart, then go tell the nurse. The nurse obviously does not want to take orders from the "stupid" medical student, so she does not do what she is supposed to; obviously I get burned for that. The next set of orders I have from my senior I put them in and, I go check a couple of times on the nurse until she finally does what she is supposed to do; and then she gets pissed off and goes tell my senior that "I don't take orders from med students; I have been a nurse for 20 years, and I only take orders from doctors. Your medical student is stepping off boundaries!". I am so tired of this s***. If you are a nurse, do your ***** job, patients don't have to suffer because you don't feel like taking orders from the med student.

And the other thing is, seriously, respect me for who I am, I was a scientist before I decided to go back to medical school. In the company I worked before, it did not matter who you were, if you were the genitor, or the CEO, you were treated with respect. Here if you are a medical student, they don't even treat you like a person, they treat you like a bug to be crushed. I've had it with nurses, I am so tired of them, I would fire the whole lot and hire new ones, maybe they will show us a little respect.

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[SLUser11]

Besides learning medicine, a big part of third year is developing a thick skin. It's hard for med students because we are successful Type A's, and we have such big egos, and who is SHE to talk to ME like this? I didn't even DO anything wrong!!!

There is a fostered antagonism in the hospital workplace that obstructs the learning process, but it's been there a LONG time and it's not going away....try your best to power through it.....just be super-nice to nurses and ignore their bullcrap.


Also, if you really want to make a difference, the best thing to do is to break the cycle. If you go by the "sh#t rolls downhill" mentality, when you DO have power, you'll be a jerk to nurses as repayment for all the things you endured.....you poor guy.......and then they'll in turn be mean to a whole new batch of med students.


Also, as a side note, nurses at private hospitals are much nicer to med students and traditionally much hotter as well......something to think about.

 

[velo]

sorry they're giving you such ****. I've actually been pretty surprised by how nice and helpful the nursing staff is here at least. I always try to be very nice and very respectful when I interact with the nursing staff, but the sense I get is that you wouldn't have a problem with most of the nurses here unless you were overtly disrespectful to them.

So I've been very lucky, but you always hear these horror stories about nurses elsewhere. The only thing you can do is be kind, use your please and thank yous when you ask the nurses questions or to do things, and explain that your orders come directly from the intern or resident.

good luck

 

[Medical123]

Sorry to hear that you are having such a hard time with the nursing staff. Unfortunately, there are people in every profession who tend to be rude and inconsiderate of others. Perhaps it will get better when you go to another rotation.

I have a lot of respect for the nursing staff. I am currently on a NICU rotation as a newly minted 4th year medical student and I must say that I have true admiration for what they do and their knowledge of the babies! They have given me a lot of advice and pointers and even have helped me with determining a plan of care for these little infants that I certainly don't know anything about. I appreciate nurses!

 

[chintu]

Sorry to hear this...I know what you mean by being treated like that by the staff though. I just finished my 1st rotation and I can definitely relate to what you have to put up with. The nurses can tell a 3rd year student from a resident by the size of our coats and they are probably so tired of taking orders from many rude residents, chiefs, attendings that they take it out on us poor students before we get to that stage. I am already starting to hate the inpatient hospital envt just because of BS like this. With harsh attendings the chief resident takes it out on other residents under him and the intern and they sometimes displace their frustrations on medstudents under them and we have no where to go but to tolerate it. It sure feels like crap being at the bottom of the hierarchy and totally clueless about hospital business early in 3rd year but I am becoming desensitized to this stuff and take it with a grain of salt when someone ignores me or gets angry at me for making some stupid mistake or whatever. Remeber all doctors had to go through this at one point and they werer once like us. Life will only get better...or at least i hope.

 

[LovelyRita]

Rx: 1 HUG prn

Eventually, when you wear the long coat, they won't be such as$holes. I had my share of runins during 3rd/4th years. Basic fact at my hospital is that unless you are a doctor or NP or someone who can actually do *something*, you are nothing. It sucks. And it takes everything you have not to tell them where they can stick their 'tudes.

Hang in there. It'll get better, I promise. I hate 'em too sometimes.

 

[fab4fan]

I know I am going to get "zinged" for this, but you know what I don't care. I AM SO ***** TIRED of everyone treating me on the floor like I am some piece of ****. My senior tells me "go put this orders on the chart, then go tell the nurse!". So I go in and put the orders on the chart, then go tell the nurse. The nurse obviously does not want to take orders from the "stupid" medical student, so she does not do what she is supposed to; obviously I get burned for that. The next set of orders I have from my senior I put them in and, I go check a couple of times on the nurse until she finally does what she is supposed to do; and then she gets pissed off and goes tell my senior that "I don't take orders from med students; I have been a nurse for 20 years, and I only take orders from doctors. Your medical student is stepping off boundaries!". I am so tired of this s***. If you are a nurse, do your ***** job, patients don't have to suffer because you don't feel like taking orders from the med student.

And the other thing is, seriously, respect me for who I am, I was a scientist before I decided to go back to medical school. In the company I worked before, it did not matter who you were, if you were the genitor, or the CEO, you were treated with respect. Here if you are a medical student, they don't even treat you like a person, they treat you like a bug to be crushed. I've had it with nurses, I am so tired of them, I would fire the whole lot and hire new ones, maybe they will show us a little respect.

Physicians orders must be signed by a physician. You are not a physician yet, so you cannot write orders. Well, yeah you can write "orders," but until they're signed by a licensed physician, no nurse worth his/her salt is going to take those orders off. Do you have any idea what the fallout would be if a medical student wrote orders that resulted in an error? The nurse who took off those orders wouldn't have a leg to stand on, and I doubt that any attending/student would back the nurse up.

Sorry, this is not about nurses hating med students. This is about pt. safety and professional liability. I'm not hanging my license and career on a student--sorry. I like med students, I will help med students however I can, but I do not take orders from them. Period.

 

[fab4fan]

I know I am going to get "zinged" for this, but you know what I don't care. I AM SO ***** TIRED of everyone treating me on the floor like I am some piece of ****. My senior tells me "go put this orders on the chart, then go tell the nurse!". So I go in and put the orders on the chart, then go tell the nurse. The nurse obviously does not want to take orders from the "stupid" medical student, so she does not do what she is supposed to; obviously I get burned for that. The next set of orders I have from my senior I put them in and, I go check a couple of times on the nurse until she finally does what she is supposed to do; and then she gets pissed off and goes tell my senior that "I don't take orders from med students; I have been a nurse for 20 years, and I only take orders from doctors. Your medical student is stepping off boundaries!". I am so tired of this s***. If you are a nurse, do your ***** job, patients don't have to suffer because you don't feel like taking orders from the med student.

And the other thing is, seriously, respect me for who I am, I was a scientist before I decided to go back to medical school. In the company I worked before, it did not matter who you were, if you were the genitor, or the CEO, you were treated with respect. Here if you are a medical student, they don't even treat you like a person, they treat you like a bug to be crushed. I've had it with nurses, I am so tired of them, I would fire the whole lot and hire new ones, maybe they will show us a little respect.

You know, one other thing, your attitude probably has a lot to do with how you're received. BTW, it is my job to take orders, but I only take them from people who have the legal authority to give them.

So knock off the potty-mouth. Respect goes both ways.

 

[LovelyRita]

My senior tells me "go put this orders on the chart, then go tell the nurse!". So I go in and put the orders on the chart, then go tell the nurse. The nurse obviously does not want to take orders from the "stupid" medical student, so she does not do what she is supposed to; obviously I get burned for that.

Your senior is ******ed if he thinks anyone but a doctor can write orders on a chart and expect them to be followed. Again, I'm sorry this happened to you. You got hung out to dry. It's frustrating when you pay so much $$$ to be in med school and you get this crap.

 

[Dr. Will]

You know, one other thing, your attitude probably has a lot to do with how you're received. BTW, it is my job to take orders, but I only take them from people who have the legal authority to give them.

So knock off the potty-mouth. Respect goes both ways.

Sorry...I got to disagree with you. There are many nurses out there who just happen to have an attitude for no apparent reason, especially at SOME county hospitals. Case in point...I've always thought it was proper etiquette to let a nurse know if I've altered the orders in any way or added anything. It's just the polite thing to do. I added an order (that was co-signed) and let the nurse know that I did. Instead of just saying "thanks for letting me know," or any other response, I got an "I can read, put the chart over there," in a very rude and condescending manner. That was truly uncalled for.

The place I'm rotating through right now has some great nurses. They are all very polite, all very willing to help me with questions (because I do know the value of their experiences). One nurse was so helpful to me on my first shift that when I was done, I personally thanked her for all her help that day. She showed me nothing but respect, and that made me feel much better. And just so you know...I give everyone the respect they deserve...I'm owed the same whether I'm wearing a short coat or not.

 

[burlypie]

In my experience with elecronic ordering/computerized records etc., nurses don't always know about orders right away and so you just need to let them know that an order was put in (by an MD). In fact, they got mad (justifiably!) when we didn't verbally let them know about an important order! Not sure if your situation was similar, OP, but my technique was more of a friendly FYI. ME: "Hi Patty, I just wanted to let you know that we're making Timmy NPO for his upper GI tomorrow am, the order's in the computer"
Usual response: "Thanks for letting me know"

...aside from all that? Sounds like your nurse was a bad apple. There's always one in the bin. Sorry to hear you got it.

 

[velo]

Your senior is ******ed if he thinks anyone but a doctor can write orders on a chart and expect them to be followed. Again, I'm sorry this happened to you. You got hung out to dry. It's frustrating when you pay so much $$$ to be in med school and you get this crap.

yeah I thought this went without saying, but I guess we should mention that as a student you have no authority to write any orders in the chart. If your orders are co-signed then this is BS, but if its not co-signed the order shouldn't be carried out.

 

[leorl]

maybe it's the tone in which it is said that gets them defensive? ie. instead of saying "I added the note there," maybe say something like "oh, just thought you'd like to know, we changed blah to blah because of blah..." or go in with a smile and say "hi, would you mind checking these orders for me? thanks very much! " etc. Sometimes it does take a lot of effort to be super nice but it works in your favor later.

 

[fab4fan]

Sorry...I got to disagree with you. There are many nurses out there who just happen to have an attitude for no apparent reason, especially at SOME county hospitals. Case in point...I've always thought it was proper etiquette to let a nurse know if I've altered the orders in any way or added anything. It's just the polite thing to do. I added an order (that was co-signed) and let the nurse know that I did. Instead of just saying "thanks for letting me know," or any other response, I got an "I can read, put the chart over there," in a very rude and condescending manner. That was truly uncalled for.

The place I'm rotating through right now has some great nurses. They are all very polite, all very willing to help me with questions (because I do know the value of their experiences). One nurse was so helpful to me on my first shift that when I was done, I personally thanked her for all her help that day. She showed me nothing but respect, and that made me feel much better. And just so you know...I give everyone the respect they deserve...I'm owed the same whether I'm wearing a short coat or not.

Nowhere did I say that nurses were immune from having bad attitudes. What happened to you was inappropriate. I hope she was just having a really horrible day and that wasn't her usual behavior.

However, the OP is whining about orders he's writing being ignored. Unless those orders are co-signed by a licensed physician, it would not be legal to take those orders off. Perhaps he's a new third-year and doesn't understand how writing orders works; I'd be willing to give him that much. But it's a little over the top to say that means there's some sort of great disrespect consipracy at work.

 

[AmoryBlaine]

You know, one other thing, your attitude probably has a lot to do with how you're received. BTW, it is my job to take orders, but I only take them from people who have the legal authority to give them.

So knock off the potty-mouth. Respect goes both ways.

You know, there might be some truth to this, but I don't think much. Nurses with attitudes are nurses with attitudes, ditto med students, residents, attendings, etc.

Whenever a med student has a problem w/ a nurse and talks about it on these boards someone always says something to the effect of "it was probably your fault." I would argue that some people just suck no matter who they interact with.

Disclaimer: I have yet to have a problem w/ a nurse, a ward secretary made a snide comment at my expense the other day but I just laughed in her face. Then I went and had some coffee. With half-and-half. Boo-yah.

 

[Dr. Will]

Nowhere did I say that nurses were immune from having bad attitudes. What happened to you was inappropriate. I hope she was just having a really horrible day and that wasn't her usual behavior.

However, the OP is whining about orders he's writing being ignored. Unless those orders are co-signed by a licensed physician, it would not be legal to take those orders off. Perhaps he's a new third-year and doesn't understand how writing orders works; I'd be willing to give him that much. But it's a little over the top to say that means there's some sort of great disrespect consipracy at work.

I wish I could say that she was just having a bad day. That tends to be the normal behavior of the ancillary staff at the hospital in question. The unfortunate thing is that patient care is what truly suffers. At this same hospital...too many times did I see the nurses taking care of patients (in the ED no less) taking their time to draw the blood on an MI Screen, or something else for that matter, because they were on a personal phone call for an hour or so. That just isn't right. Now I'm just describing this county hospital I rotated through, and not saying this is universal. For every bad experience, I've had an equally good experience. Just don't let me get started on the CT tech who yelled at me because being a medical student means I can't read the census and tell if a patient is still in the ED or not. I think my reading skills are up to par at this level in my training.

But yet, orders need to be cosigned in order to be carried out...I agree with you on that.

 

[Arista.MD]

Just to clarify, I go take the chart, put the order in, have the senior cosign the thing, then take the chart back, then tell the nurse. The younger nurses are all right, but there is still this one lady that just drives me up the wall. I simply want to quit, and just go back to my old job.

 

[automaton]

it's wrong to think that any lip from a clerk, nurse, or whoever else is always provoked. i am without fail always polite and thankful in my interaction with staff. i make every effort to thank them for their efforts, to never sound condescending, and never speak as if i am saying commands. however there are instances, though rare, that i get crapped on by a cranky clerk, nurse, or whoever else happens to be in the hospital. this is an unavoidable part of medical student life. the key is to brush it off and not get all angry over some idiot with a bad attitude. and also don't let that bad interaction spoil your interaction with others, who are for the most part very helpful and pleasant to deal with. sure it sucks to have to take that garbage from someone whose IQ barely hits 3 digits but that's life.

 

[fab4fan]

Just to clarify, I go take the chart, put the order in, have the senior cosign the thing, then take the chart back, then tell the nurse. The younger nurses are all right, but there is still this one lady that just drives me up the wall. I simply want to quit, and just go back to my old job.

So this really isn't about all nurses...it's about one nurse you don't get along with.

If the orders are co-signed, the they should be taken off. Of course, just because an order is written doesn't mean it's immediately transcribed. Orders get transcribed according to priority. If orders are late in being taken off and resulting in delays in treatment, then that should be addressed.

 

[chameleonknight]

I think the OP should change the thread title to: "I'm SO TIRED of THIS WITCH at COUNTY"

And as a med student I must say that I've had far, far more bad experiences with snotty MDs than nurses. So yeah, jerks are all over the place.

 

[velo]

Just to clarify, I go take the chart, put the order in, have the senior cosign the thing, then take the chart back, then tell the nurse. The younger nurses are all right, but there is still this one lady that just drives me up the wall. I simply want to quit, and just go back to my old job.

Yeah that's complete BS, that's the same as a resident giving her the order. Just try to be as sweet diabetic piss when you ask that nurse for anything and if she gives you lip tell her its the resident's order.

 

[nofear]

I learned one thing in life, actually the only thing but that is FAT and UGLY people are always angry and upset...i bet you she is one of them...isnt she

Yeah that's complete BS, that's the same as a resident giving her the order. Just try to be as sweet diabetic piss when you ask that nurse for anything and if she gives you lip tell her its the resident's order.

 

[tupac_don]

Physicians orders must be signed by a physician. You are not a physician yet, so you cannot write orders. Well, yeah you can write "orders," but until they're signed by a licensed physician, no nurse worth his/her salt is going to take those orders off. Do you have any idea what the fallout would be if a medical student wrote orders that resulted in an error? The nurse who took off those orders wouldn't have a leg to stand on, and I doubt that any attending/student would back the nurse up.

Sorry, this is not about nurses hating med students. This is about pt. safety and professional liability. I'm not hanging my license and career on a student--sorry. I like med students, I will help med students however I can, but I do not take orders from them. Period.

Yea well, that's fine, but there is no need to be rude. You can say once as a nurse, hey these orders are not signed, could you get your resident to sign them and I'll go ahead. But from what I can tell from the OP's story, that he talked to the resident, had his orders signed, but RN just refused to follow them since a "student" was telling her what to do.

 

[Arista.MD]

I am so glad I have these forums to spill out stuff... and yeah, the nurse is old, really ugly, and 300 lbs... so yeah, you are right, maybe she is just pissed off all the time... hope she retires soon.

 

[undecided2008]

'genitor'

ROFL!!

 

[Arista.MD]

I think I am going to try to delete this thread. Sometimes I just want to vent stuff out, but this always turns somehow into a fight over who's right and who's wrong, can't we all get along? We are all in the same profession!...

 

[automaton]

I think I am going to try to delete this thread. Sometimes I just want to vent stuff out, but this always turns somehow into a fight over who's right and who's wrong, can't we all get along? We are all in the same profession!...

www.livejournal.com

 

[Mr. McDuck]

Also, as a side note, nurses at private hospitals are much nicer to med students and traditionally much hotter as well......something to think about.

What hospitals have you been to, and how can I get there? The private hospitals I've been to had maybe 4 or 5 good looking nurses total. But, I'll agree about the attitude difference. They are much nicer.

 

[adamdowannabe]

I learned one thing in life, actually the only thing but that is FAT and UGLY people are always angry and upset...i bet you she is one of them...isnt she

I am fat and ugly......... and one of the nicest people ever...and nurses love me (maybe cause I make them look less fat and ugly by comparison, or maybe because I draw up injections for them instead of waiting for them to "do their job".......... I think it's the less ugly by comparison part though)

I had bad experience with a head nurse in an OR, and by the END of the rotation, she finally cracked a smile and I saw she had personality, I agree that the incoming personality often has a lot to do with it. If you have the right personality there isn't a nurse around you can't befriend.

 

[Mr. McDuck]

I'm not sure I agree with that. I try and make friends, or at least be friendly with everyone, from the janitor to the PD. Sometimes, they don't want to be your friend, or even be civil. You can be nice as can be, and that just pisses them off more. Incoming personality has a lot to do with it, but they have to be receptive to it as well.

 

[loveumms]

I agree that some nurses are just unhappy and want to take it out on people who can't make their lives miserable (and students are the lowest form of life on the planet).

I do feel like it has changed a little since third year, for me at least - maybe b/c I'm more confident when I ask them to do something (very politely of course).

I have also noticed a HUGE difference in nurse attitude on the unit compared to the floor. I'm finishing a MICU sub-I and have to say the nurses I work with are absolutely amazing. They come to me for questions regarding my patients (of course I run everything by my resident before making decisions and get all my orders cosigned) and they respect me more then the floor nurses. I always look it as most of the floor nurses are b***hy/rude/mean/aggressive b/c they often b/c they are are spread thin and often are overworked (not to say thats an excuse).

My advice - keep your head up and if someone is rude, call them out on it. Say something to the effect of "are you having a bad day - is there something I could help you with?".

 

[pillowhead]

I agree with the fact that ICU nurses are generally more competent (they seem like they can pretty much run the show on their own) and nicer. I'd be happier, too, if I had a couple of really sick, inutbated patients rather than a bunch of patients who aren't sick enough that they can still complain about the hospital food, their roomate, threaten to throw bedpans, etc.

 

[Llenroc]

Who gives a **** if they don't listen to you. It's their hospital and they can run it the way they want. You're not being paid for any of this. Your job is to keep everyone happy so you pass your clerkship, and there's a limit to how useful your skills are anyway.

 

[Sinnman]

As a former nurse, I think a lot of the problems with the nursing staff goes back to their training. There was a shift in the nursing "theory" in the 1960-1980s to make nurses equal but separate from physicians. Historically (not that long ago), nurses were treated like crap (had to stand up when the doctor walked into the room, etc.) and they finally revolted and became sort of militant in the other direction. There is a strong "I am nurse, hear me roar" attitude amongst the nursing leadership.

This is what I remember from school:

Doctors practice medicine, nurses practice nursing. The two are equal but different. Nurses are not subordinate to physicians by following physician orders but they are practicing nursing and when indicated they carry medical therapy as written by a doctor. In fact, if you read there textbooks and journals a lot of them believe they should be in charge of basically everyone in the hospital like the x-ray techs, resp. techs, dietary, PT/OT, and the rest of the "unlicensed assistive personnel." I also think this attitude it why were seeing the rise of the "I'm just as good and competent as a doctor" NPs.

There is a HUGE adversarial attitude fostered at many nursing schools. They preach it to their young. I was very turned off by their holier than thou attitude way before I thought about going to medical school. In fact, my buddies and I used to joke about it. I think it actually helped push me toward medical school.

All that said, nursing can be a tough job and some nurses do have a good bit of knowledge. Everyone should try to get along with others. I do admit that after walking in their shoes for many years I get a little more irritated when some nurse tries to "put me in my place."

By the way, to the nurses that post here: if you're not in or planning on going to medical school why do you post on studentdoctor.net? There's no agenda there?

 

[loveumms]

Who gives a **** if they don't listen to you. It's their hospital and they can run it the way they want. You're not being paid for any of this. Your job is to keep everyone happy so you pass your clerkship, and there's a limit to how useful your skills are anyway.

Do you happen to be a nurse - testy are we not?

It is definitely not their hospital - it is actually the the state or patients hospital ... those are the parties that are paying for it.

I agree that nurses are not there to take our orders but, they are there to take care of patients and the system works like this. Doctors make decisions about patient care ... then they write orders ... the nurses carry out a majority of the orders ... the END. So, essentially they are there to carry out orders.

I come from a family of nurses and have utmost respect for the nurses at our hospital who are actually there to do a job. I don't have any respect for the nurses who are lazy and have the attitude that they shouldn't have to listen to someone telling them what to do. They should have become doctors if they want to be the one calling the shots - it should never be a surprise that they don't get to make the decisions. That said, I do feel that nurses should have some input on a few of the decisions made about pt care. They are the ones that see the pts every day and know them (sometimes better then the physcian team).

Sinnman I agree - why would nurses be on this site?

 

[Chronic Student]

In response to the last post:

Was it Sun-tzu or Clausewitz who sad: Know your enemy!

-Mike

 

[fab4fan]

Sometimes to try to show another POV, for starters. To maybe dispell some of the myths out there. And because I can.

Why do members of this site post over at allnurses? It doesn't bother me unless the individual is a troll. I don't think I have exhibited any trollish behavior here, so what does it matter. If you don't want to read a post from a mere nurse, then scroll past it. It's not difficult.

 

[AmoryBlaine]

Doctors practice medicine, nurses practice nursing.

I really like that, I'll use it in the future.

I think the problem comes for medical students when, after spending 2 years killing themselves learning the human body in and out, they hit the hospital and all of a sudden are treated like *****s or children. It is bad enough when it comes from attendings and residents and admittedly much harder to take when it comes from people who are not physicians or physicians in training.

I went and did a training session to volunteer at some event and part of it was to go over basics of intubation and other emergent procedures (not to certify me or anything, just in case the **** really hit the fan). All of the nurses, EMTs, paramedics etc had a really good time laughing at me when I couldn't tube the dummy on the first try. I rolled w/ it, but part of me was thinking, "ummm, I'm going to be a doctor here pretty soon, that takes some brains."

I have alot of respect for the practical knowledge that nurses, PTs, NPs, PCTs, etc all have and I really hope that they also respect the vast amount of information that has been crammed into my aching melon in the last 2 years.

P.S. I actually love nurses.

 

[TheFlash]

nurses have been my best friends so far on the wards. i think it really depends on the draw, dude. i've had scrub nurses in the OR that are completely bananas, while those in clinic are MUCH nicer and have taken the time out to teach me various procedures and shortcuts that the residents/attendings didn't have time for.

why didn't you just tell the attending that the nurse didn't want to put the order in for you? being that you're the messenger, you're pretty much blameless.

 

[razorback831]

I am fat and ugly......... and one of the nicest people ever...and nurses love me (maybe cause I make them look less fat and ugly by comparison, or maybe because I draw up injections for them instead of waiting for them to "do their job".......... I think it's the less ugly by comparison part though)

I had bad experience with a head nurse in an OR, and by the END of the rotation, she finally cracked a smile and I saw she had personality, I agree that the incoming personality often has a lot to do with it. If you have the right personality there isn't a nurse around you can't befriend.

I use this strategy too.....if you are doing nothing but helping the nurses, they can't fault you and be mean to you.....if they do, you know they are just mean and nothing you do will help you come to terms with them (those are the nurses to completely avoid). For example, after a patient is admitted and before doing my H & P I would help the nurses and MAs get the patient hooked up to monitors, grab them a bed pan or extra blanket, etc. When the staff sees that you are willing to do the same scut they do, they'll respect you more and help you out when you are in need (which IMO, you need them much more than they need you). Just my $.02 (actually probably $.10 )

 

[lexrageorge]

Well, please note that there is another thread started by someone who got offended because a nurse asked him a simple question. This MS3 responded by lecturing the nurse how much he knew about anatomy or some such nonsense.

Needless to say, the next MS3 that encountered this same nurse was probably not exactly warmly greeted.

To the OP: get over yourself and get on with your education.

 

[raidermedic]

Well, please note that there is another thread started by someone who got offended because a nurse asked him a simple question. This MS3 responded by lecturing the nurse how much he knew about anatomy or some such nonsense.

Needless to say, the next MS3 that encountered this same nurse was probably not exactly warmly greeted.

To the OP: get over yourself and get on with your education.

Actually if you are referring to Macs thread he clearly states that this nurse was not asking a simple question but rather trying to screw with him. In such a case it doesn't matter who you are. If you are trying to belittle someone then be ready to have it thrown back in your face. Doesn't matter if it's a Doc/Med student doing it to a nurse or vice versa. Noone should get a free pass to mess with staff in the hospital.

 

[46&2]

Who gives a **** if they don't listen to you. It's their hospital and they can run it the way they want. You're not being paid for any of this. Your job is to keep everyone happy so you pass your clerkship, and there's a limit to how useful your skills are anyway.

No, med students aren't paid, they are PAYING (sometimes $30,000 per year) for the experience. In some ways, they pay nurses' and everyone elses salary ( direct tuition + government support for educational instutitions). Our job isn't really to pass the clerkship, our job is to learn to be better physicians so we don't make asinine decisions that make nurses' and patients' lives worse.

And yes, we are mostly useless. Mea culpa. In a few years, we'll be more helpful.

 

[Dr JPH]

In 2+ years of being in the hospital as a lowly medical student I have never had an issue with any nursing or support staff.

I think the way you are treated by the people around you is directly related to how you act and how you treat them. Treat them with respect and courtesy and you can rest assured it will come back to you 10-fold.

Dont underestimate nurses. Many of them are excellent and work very hard at their jobs. I can think of a few occassions where a nurse jumped in a "bit the bullet" for me when it looked like I was about to have it from a resident or attending. "Why is the foley still in??? I wanted that out 4 hours ago?!" I forgot to do it and the nurse stepped in "Sorry doctor ____, I told him I would do it and I completely forgot."

If you cant make friends with the nurses now you are going to have very, very long nights on call.

If you want to be treated like a doctor, act like a doctor.

 

[fab4fan]

In 2+ years of being in the hospital as a lowly medical student I have never had an issue with any nursing or support staff.

I think the way you are treated by the people around you is directly related to how you act and how you treat them. Treat them with respect and courtesy and you can rest assured it will come back to you 10-fold.

Dont underestimate nurses. Many of them are excellent and work very hard at their jobs. I can think of a few occassions where a nurse jumped in a "bit the bullet" for me when it looked like I was about to have it from a resident or attending. "Why is the foley still in??? I wanted that out 4 hours ago?!" I forgot to do it and the nurse stepped in "Sorry doctor ____, I told him I would do it and I completely forgot."

If you cant make friends with the nurses now you are going to have very, very long nights on call.

If you want to be treated like a doctor, act like a doctor.

What a great thing to say! We get quite a few students from PCOM where I work...I'll have to keep my eyes open for a student named "Hazelton."

 

[YouDontKnowJack]

tired of nurses?

how many of your nurses are hot?
get the hot nurses drinks from the lounge and tell them that they can spank/squeeze your butt when they are stressed out.
That will ease up the tension.

 

[Ema]

I might not be in situation to say anything 'cause I am not even in med school yet. However, I work in hospital and I gotta tell you: some nurses are "mean" and they give s...t to doctors. I cant imagine how is when you are just med student. And then there are sweet ones too.

If you are nice and don't have the attitude then you are gonna be fine. You always have bitchy people no matter where you work and you gotta learn how to deal with them.
You should be nice and that helps a lot, if nothing else at least you are gonna feel better, make them less bitchy, or maybe piss them off even more by being nice. Being nice helps always, thick skin, and just ignore people like that. What is really nice is that once you are a doctor, mean people can bitch around as much as they want, but they can kiss your .... too.
Just hang in there.

Oh... just to use the opportunity to gossip a bit. I had a nurse tell me that DO is not a real doctor. Talk about need to argue there, but I just said yeah poor those patients that are admitted to DO doc tonight.

 

[Barry Otter]

Some of the nicest, warmest people I've come across have been nurses. Nurses have been some of the most ill-mannered and rude people too (hello VA scrub nurses!). Not too different from the doctors I've met, really.

One of the nurses from my third year was so nice I even let her take me out to dinner!

 

[deleted87716]

I think the way you are treated by the people around you is directly related to how you act and how you treat them. Treat them with respect and courtesy and you can rest assured it will come back to you 10-fold.

True, that.

Also, if somebody treats you badly, don't give it back to 'em. Killing them with kindness works much better. They'll either ease up, or it drives them absolutely nuts. Either way, you win.

 

[ForbiddenComma]

I think that from the viewpoint of a med student, nurses tend to fall in one of a few set categories. Note: These are all actual quotes directed at me at one point or another.

1: Selective Vision Nurse. She has a peculiar condition where she cannot see nor hear med students. My best guess is, her thalamus automatically sorts incoming sensory input and filters out anything emenating from a person in a short white coat.
Favorite Quote: (right after the med student rattles off low HCT, etc numbers to her face) "Does anyone know if the patient is anemic? Hello?"

2: Pissed-Off-At-The-World Nurse. She hates her job or she hates her life (or both) so she finds the easiest target to project her rage onto. That would be you, the hapless med student.
Favorite Quote: (totally random and out of the blue) "I thought you should know that dealing with med students is the least important part of my job."

3: The Uses-Med-Students-As-Scut-Monkeys Nurse. This one does not need much explanation.
Favorite Quote: "Thank God you're here. You can assist on this lap chole while I go get caught up on paperwork."

4: The Comrade. This nurse sees the med student as a fellow enlisted soldier in the trenches, doing the "real work" while the aloof doctors get all the credit. (note: she probably has a point.)
Favorite Quote: "Don't mind him when he goes off on a tantrum like that. We're the ones keeping him out of trouble."

5: She Who Eats the Young. Unlike Pissed-Off-At-The-World Nurse, she has no real motivation for her evil ways... she just enjoys picking on med students and nurse trainees.
Favorite Quote: "Just, just get out of the way, ok? You don't know what you're doing. Just go."

6: The Good Nurse. Yes, she exists, despite rumors to the contrary. She is just as benevolant to us newbies as she is to the patients. You have to catch yourself from not calling her "mom."
Favorite Quote: "Why don't you lie down for an hour or so? You are exhausted. I got this."

... anyway, RNs are often the most-valuable and least-appreciated members of the healthcare team. Do what you can to make her life easier and she will usually try to make your life easier. Unless, of course, she is nurse #5 from above.