Has a doctor every YELLED at you and how did you handle that situation?

I had a doctor yell at me once at an OR because he wanted to close the patient with a STERILE SURGICAL GAUZE COMPRESS inside the patient. I kept telling him there was still one inside while he screamed and billeted me asking if I really knew how to count.
I just kept telling him patiently and on a calm
Voice that we were short on 1 and if he wanted to go ahead and close the patient that’d be on him because I was going to document it accordingly. He finally found the compress inside the patients abdomen. Never changed his tone nor thanked me, in fact he threw the gauze from a distance into the trash as if he was throwing it on me, he was so mad. Then he stormed off saying he didn’t have all day and had a fellow close the patient for him.
My job was to advocate for the patient and that’s what I did. We can’t lose sight of our oath!

I called a doctor because the order said to call at 1400 for Coumadin dose. So I called the doctor for the Coumadin dose. The doctor gave me the Coumadin dose. The patient was bridging from heparin drip to Coumadin. The doctor comes in and starts screaming at me because the “patient was getting a scope tomorrow, why would I give Coumadin?” Asked if I was a new nurse (I have been a nurse for eight years) WAS YELLING AT ME at the nurses station that we were bridging from COUMADIN to HEPARIN not the other way around (what?! You don’t even do that first of all) he then wrote a doctors progress note stating that I “refused to wait for him to round before giving Coumadin dose” to make it look like it was my fault the patient received Coumadin before their so called scope. Told the doctor after he yelled at me and falsely documented against me that GI wanted them to schedule a scope OUTPATIENT, no scope was ordered tomorrow, and that we were indeed bridging the patient from heparin to back to their home COUMADIN as ordered and I simply called him for a Coumadin dose because on the MAR that is exactly what it told me to do! I told him to fix his false documentation and to never yell at me like that ever again. I wrote him up for causing a scene and the false documentation. That doctor could never look at me in the eye again. He is also in prison now. Doctors aren’t your boss. Don’t let them belittle you, a lot of them shouldn’t be doctors.

I simply told the doctor that I wasn't available for uncivil "conversation," and that I'd welcome any conversation he needed to have with me in civil terms - and just walked away. He raised his voice again, and began to follow me. I put my hand up in a "stop" signal, and told him there would be bigger problems if he continued the behavior. He turned and stalked off. About a half hour later, he approached me. His manner was crisp, but not abusive or uncivil - and we talked, completing the necessary conversation. I remained calm and respectful, as I would towards any other co-worker.

Yes. As a new nurse the doctor had been listed incorrectly as being on call for the night I was working. And he was intensely angry for me making the mistake of calling him, no matter why that took place. I apologized profusely. Again. And again. And again. Finally I said "I made a mistake, but I have already apologized six times, for something that I had no idea could have even been wrong when I called. Is there something else you need from me, other than a lot of apologizing? Do you need me to bow down the next time I see you? Because all I am certain is that you need to stop yelling at me. And I'm done apologizing." He actually got a little flustered and said "No no, I don't expect you to bow down...." then he kinda lost steam. I said "If you are all done yelling at me, I'm going to give you report on your patient's change in condition, and you can tell me how we are going to handle it."

Yes, and I wrote the doctor up with an attached Joint Commission’s sentinel alert no. 40. “… Behaviors that undermine a culture of safety continue to be a problem in health care. While the term “unprofessional behavior” is preferred instead of “disruptive behavior,” the suggested actions in this Alert remain relevant.”
“Zero tolerance” for intimidating and/or disruptive behaviors, especially the
most egregious instances of disruptive behavior such as assault and other criminal acts. Incorporate the zero tolerance policy into medical staff bylaws and employment agreements as well as administrative policies.

All nurses should read this because it works both ways.

I always got along with most everyone, but I had been in same hospital system for about 20 years. So I knew almost everyone and had many roles including administrative coordinator ( house supervisor), However one time a cardiologist who I thought I had a good working relationship with, blew up at me regarding a patient that needed to go home to attend to his handicapped child. Anyways I paged him “again” after an hour when he told me he would come to discharge the patient. He told me to come in
an office with his nurse practitioner. He started yelling, and being condescending. I stopped him telling him I do not have to put up with this and opened the door and walked out. He yelled down the hall demanding for me to provide him with my supervisor’s name. I told him he knew who it was and I then proceeded to my manager’s office to inform him what went down. My manager later informed me he confronted the cardiologist and asked him what the issue was about.The cardiologist stated he never wanted this to go up the chain. My manager gave me kudos for standing my ground. I never spoke to the cardiologist again and traded patients with another nurse to avoid having to ever deal with him again.
His nurse practitioner told my boss that I had some balls speaking up and walking out on the cardiologist. LOL. Just because they have MD after their name doesn’t mean they are smart or have common sense. Just remember they s..t just like everyone else.

I had a doctor scream at me for not having a pair of scissors in my pocket AT THAT VERY MOMENT to cut off a fresh dressing I just got done tending to. I kindly told him to come to work prepared because I’m not his flunky and I’m not his wife. Go home and abuse her I’m not the one. I’m my calm voice. He was my pal after that day.

As a male nurse, I don’t run into this situation often. I have had it happen only once to me, usually doctors give me more of a passive aggressive attitude if they’re upset. That being said, doctors are NOT your boss. They are a coworker and, as such, need to conduct themselves appropriately. Be assertive and let them know that it is absolutely unacceptable for them to speak to you that way. Stand your ground. They don’t get a free pass to treat you poorly. In the situation I experienced, the doctor failed to put in the correct order and became irate that I didn’t do something that he didn’t order. He started to yell about how I needed to learn how to read (even when there wasn’t any order to read lol), etc. I told him there was a right way and a wrong way to address someone you have an issue with, and that was the wrong way. I said he needed to calm down and speak to me appropriately or not at all. I then proceeded to point out I didn’t perform what he asked me to because he never ordered it. Once he went back and looked, he came and apologized. You’d be surprised at how far being assertive and standing your ground will get you.

I have been a preceptor for many years. One of the thing I tell new hires is to not back down from physicians. However it's not that easy...you better know what you're talking about. If you do, then provide ANY person / physician, in a civil tone and delivery, that you will simply not be spoken to that way. That if there is an issue you / they can work on it collectively. Better yet, ask them to teach you their way(s) ~ they mostly love having their ego stroked. I established very early on that I am not a child; won't be spoken to that way, ever!!

Once…once. He was the chief CT surgeon and I asked him to repeat the order because i could not hear him clearly through his mask. I told him I don’t need this job and will thump him in his head if he ever raises his voice at me again.

This happened as a nursing student 5 years ago. MD ordered IJ or cordis introducer to be removed by nursing staff. The instructor and floor staff weren’t authorized to do the removal. He kept bringing up how he “couldn’t believe it hadn’t been removed yet” and kept reiterating this bedside and to nursing staff. My instructor responded, “ well you’re a doctor and surely you could remove it, right? Instead of having to wait for a nurse to do it?”. He just walked away.

I have an advantage may nurses do not. I am male, 6'2" and was ht/wt appropriate at the time....usually I was the same gender, and usually larger than those thinking about yelling at me, I'd been in the trenches a long time - usually ER/Trauma, and I was in The US ARMY Reserves as a Nurse Corps officer - so intimidation was not something anyone could do easily.

There was a time I was running the ICU during a severe staffing shortage AND THE beds were full. One of the Nurse Managers on the floor told the doc, falsely, I had refused to accept his patient. He came charging down to the ICU 'drags' me into the nurses lounge and proceeded to scream at me. Mind you I am 5 inches taller than he, I thought he looked silly spitting and sputtering all red faced. I worked hard not to laugh and it was showing. I actually never said a word. He got crazy whipped open the door and slammed himself in the forehead, full force, with the door. Later when a bed became available we brought his patient to the ICU and nothing more was said of it.

In my 50 years of nursing I was yelled at many times. I either said"would you like me to get you another nurse? I'd be more than happy to ", or I simply said "You are not my Father, boss, or anyone important in my life and don't need to tolerate your behavior" and walked away.

Yes, by letting him know that his tone was not appropriate nor appreciated due to the fact that I was doing my job, and if there was a problem with me doing so I’d be happy to call the director for him. I also stated that I was not yelling at him and I was due the same respect. That is how you handle that, they are not gods they are in most cases brats. Once you establish you don’t take crap from anyone you will no longer have those problems.

Simple. I said "Most workplaces do not take workplace violence or workplace harassment very lightly. I suggest you take some time to review policy and procedures to prevent this type of behavior in a professional work environment. We are all stressed, and we all care for our patients equally, with the same amount of passion and drive to ensure the best outcomes. Please take time to cool off, and we can begin where we left off, in a more professional and productive manner. Thank you." They looked even more pissed, but then settled down almost immediately when they realized it wasn't worth it. Then we began taking care of the patient. It was a stressful situation, but if you don't set boundaries it'll happen more often, and you will regret it and hate your job.

Definitely stick up for yourself. They are not your boss. You work TOGETHER. Especially if you know what you did was correct. There is never a reason for someone to yell at you in a professional setting, in private or in front of others.
When I worked med surg, we had a doc who was notoriously rude, condescending to nurses, also yelled. I had to page him one day (as he requested per the chart note) about something and he went off on me. I calmly told him that it was written in the chart by him to be paged for said whatever I called for. Also told him he could call me back and discuss the patient once he could speak to me in a polite manner. Got an in person apology for calling him out and I became one of his favorite nurses. He looked for me any time he was on the unit.
Like I said, there's never a reason to yell. Be polite and calm and call them out on it.

I politely ask him how he put his pants on in the morning and then told him I put my pants on the same way he does every day and until he can speak to me with respect to go talk to my director! My director was informed of the situation and he came back a week later and apologized! I don’t take being disrespected! Been doing this far too long!

I told him that I treat everyone with respect and expect the same in return. He quieted down rather quickly. It does help that I’m 6’5” and weigh 299 and he was a little guy. I also wrote him up for unprofessional conduct. We actually became pretty good friends.

Of course, many times when I was an RN earlier in my career. I learned to be assertive and would reply “please do not speak to me like that. This is your patient I’m caring for and very concerned ie”

First, let’s admit that our jobs are tough. We are around life and death every day. Ultimately, the doctor is the one who is responsible for the outcome of his/her decisions. They are under a lot of pressure. So are we. Yes, I have been yelled at. I am confident that I am a good nurse. When the situation devolves into a doctor losing his/her cool, I do my best to maintain mine. It helps to seek out the doctor when the air has cleared and to speak to them privately in a calm and collected manner. Nine times out of ten, the issue will be resolved. Be sure to own your part of what caused the situation. We are all human and fallible.

If a doctor is yelling at you, then HR needs to be involved.

Over the phone, when I was a baby nurse, and it wasn't my patient- we'd just come in for the night shift, the patient had been circling the drain all day and no one had called the surgeon. So we had the other 4 RNs in the room taking care of the patient and I called the surgeon. He had reason to be irritated- he should have been called while he was still in the building and not on his way home- but that wasn't my fault. So he yelled and I yelled right back. "I don't know why you weren't called. We have done everything nurses can legally do. Your patient is dying. Are you gonna scream at me or are you gonna help me?" He calmed right down, turned around and came back.

We are supposed to be a team. I am the doctor's eyes at the bedside, and I spend 12 hours taking the best possible care of his/her patient. I do not have to take being verbally abused.

I was in the delivery room years ago with the patient, the CRNA and the doctor. The patient was close to delivery and the doctor removed the fetal scalp lead. This doctor liked to put his patients under light general anesthesia during his deliveries. He received a call from the OR stating they needed him upstairs. He proceeded to leave us and go to the OR with the patient under anesthesia and no fetal scalp lead on the baby. The baby was so low in the abdomen I was unable to get the fetal heart rate using the external monitor. I got another scalp lead and inserted it into the baby’s scalp in order to monitor the baby. When the doctor came back he yelled, “Who the hell put another scalp lead on?” I told him I put it on. He yelled, “I’ll make sure they take it out of your check. I told you I’d be back within 10 minutes.” I explained that I needed to monitor the baby’s heart rate and that is why I replaced the lead. Later on he reported me to my supervisor and she called for me to report to her office. She asked for me to explain what happened. I explained everything and told her if I was ever placed in that situation again I would do the same thing. I reported that he had no business speaking to me in that manner either.

A lot of doctors just don’t respect nurses at all. I was in nursing for 33 years and was yelled at many times by doctors. You need TOUGH skin to be a nurse. You cannot be timid and shy. You must be assertive without being disrespectful. Sometimes this is hard to do.

An older dr called me stupid . I replied ,” The only stupid thing I’ve done all day is stand here and listen to you !”.

I quit, because the doctor was known for yelling at nurses, and they was use to the abuse and the organization didn’t do anything to correct it so I left.

I had an MD from a group practice scream at me at 4 AM one morning when I called him (now, mind you, the practice was so large that each doc only had to take 12 hours of call ONCE every 10 weeks). I had a LTC patient who was experiencing a change of condition and I was calling for direction so that the resident might be able to avoid yet another lengthy and uncomfortable hospital stay. That physically mature male person with 'M.D'. behind his name (who I refuse to call a man) called me everything in the book before hanging up on me. So, I called our facilty's Medical Director and calmly explained what had transpired with the on-call and he gave me a TO to send the patient out. The next afternoon I had a hand-written apology and a gift card for Dutch Brothers Coffee from that nasty doctor....you see, the Medical Director actually treated the nurses with respect. I know how extremely rare this all was and I still marvel at it to this day. I feel that way too many doctors seem to think that nurses are simply another healthcare "tool" to be used, abused, and then thrown away. I wish I had a dollar for every time I've saved some M.D.s bacon...I could take a really nice vacation.

I reported him. I didn’t become a nurse to be abused.

It is proven that infection rates in the OR are increased when surgeons create an unfavorable environment by AORN. If a patient ever has surgery, it is the nurse that has to question and assess the patient, review all legal paperwork, provide patient care (catheter, prep, meds, positioning etc), control the traffic the room, troubleshoot the equipment, chart what everyone else is doing, advocate for the patient etc etc. why is this not recognized?

It has happened! Remember that they are no more important than anyone else. I explained to him that we don’t talk to me that way and if he wants to continue that behavior I can report him. Never take crap from no one!!

Had many doctors yell in OR. One was so bad other people took notice, but the hardest part was not being heard or supported. I am in counseling only for workplace stress. To add insult to injury, other RN’s are promoted to help with surgical cases and some of them are even worse. I have grown tired of these unprofessional behaviors and environment.

I’m terrible and standing up for myself so I went to my director to tell her what happened, had two different issues with two docs, those docs had to take mandatory classes on how to talk to people and never had an issue again. They knew it was me and I didn’t care.

Lol, I’ve been a CC RN for over 35 years. They don’t yell at me anymore 🤪
Honestly things were better back in the day when we made rounds with the Doctors and built a trusting relationship with them.
And honestly… I wish some nurses would get yelled at for blatant disrespect and aloofness.
We learned fast back in the day that Doctors didn’t tolerate poor care or stupidity

Some have tried and learned quickly.
" I do not tolerate this behavior form 3rd graders, I will not tolerate it from you."

Yep! I had a surgeon yell at me when I worked in the hospital. The way I walked off and left her standing there talking to herself lol! IDC who you are and what your title is, respect is due to a dog- Period! She left instructions with the charge nurse and when I seen her again, she was like a brand new person.

Fun fact: I was a new grad at the time😎

Yes in same day surgery center, the cardiologist called me into an office with his NP. He started yelling at me and saying condescending things. I thought we had a good relationship, but had feelings that he could be a prick. I kept my composure looking at him directly and stated If you would have done your job as the patient needed to be discharged from same day surgery center to pick up developmentally delayed child, than I would not have had to page you twice within a 3 hour period when patient was stable and requesting to discharge. I than said I am leaving as I do not have to put up with your behavior. I went to my manager to give him heads up about the incident. My manager told me later that he hit the cardiologist up about the issue and the cardiologist said he did not want it to go up the chain.

I never had to take care any of his patients again or speak to him supported by management...was a great feeling.

Disrespect should never be excused. No one deserves that.

I would have asked him not to yell at me. There's always resistance but stand your grounds. I hope you noted your conversation with him especially being belligerent towards you. I would have also filled an occurrence report regarding his behavior towards you and the nursing staff. Also let your manager know about the issues and I believe most hospitals have ethic board for employees too. Report him. Most doctors are contracted and can be written up too.

Yes! I let him know that he can't talk to me like that, then reported him to my supervisor and we wrote up a prism on him! Don't know if anything will ever happen, but he hasn't spoken to me like that again

I kept calm and later reported him via an incident report for verbal abuse, unprofessional behavior in a work environment, and harassment.

Mtiple times in person and in the phone. Same response. "You have no right to speak to me this way. I'm ending this conversation now. Once you regain your composure, find me and we can talk." And I do, walk away or hang up. I do not get paid enough to be anyone's punching bag, physically or verbally. Period.

Working in a busy ED I had 3 cardiac patient that were legitimate, a lady in active withdrawal, an abdominal pain with significant colon cancer history, and a psych patient. The one doctor told me I need to get the urine on the psych patient. I told him I am doing my best. He says "Your best isn't good enough. Work harder!" I smelled at him and told him that if he doesn't like my work ethic or performance, he can talk to the ED director and she can fire me. He started yelling louder about me watching my attitude. I told him I can leave at any time and since I am being sent home, my license will stay intact. The charge nurse says "Go take a quick break and let me handle this." the doctor was told by her not to raise his voice in there at any of us again. Later that week, the ED director brought him in and told him he is a guest in her hospital and he is on thin ice. Then the ED medical director sat wit him and told him if there are any more complaints they can replace him. It felt good to stand up for myself.

I have been in that scenario several times in my almost 27 years of healthcare. I have learned to remain calm, set boundaries and walk away. In one unit, we had an issue with a specific doctor who only knew one way to handle issues and that was to yell and demean others. When this occurred we called a certain code over the units call system and all nurses would come to the nursing station and stand beside the nurse who was interacting with this doctor. It’s hard to engage in negative behavior with 8-10 people staring at you and standing in support of their colleague. It did dissolve many events.

N.

Yelled at one of my nurses at the nurses station, I stepped in, dismissed her to go on break, and faced him directly. I said if you have a complaint you can come to my office and peel the paint off the walls… but don’t you ever yell at one of my staff like that again! The next day I was transferred to another department where they needed a nurse to stand up for their staff…I worked there seven more years!

Write that docs ass up!

I turned around and left the room (ED) without a word. After I did this several times with the same physician he finally got the hint that there was no help coming his way unless he could act civilized.

Yes, only once. I quickly took the wind out of his all-mighty wings.
I quickly interrupted and very politely said.
"Oh my goodness, someone must have misinformed you I was hearing impaired. Well, I have very good hearing and you look upset. Now, if you'd like to have a calm appropriate professional conversation please come find me.
Have a great day, Doctor!

I had been an ICU nurse for several years and I always believed in advocating for my patient. One night, my pt and her family had been discussing end of life care and had several questions regarding mechanical ventilation and bipap. I was happy to take some time to have an informed discussion with them, as the pt had a significant lung history and had previously been told if she were intubated it could be hard to get her off the vent. We had a very frank discussion about how her family could make decisions on her behalf if they know her wishes, etc. They thanked me for my time and the information and would talk things over more with other family. The primary care Dr came in that evening and our conversation was mentioned. Her PCP was furious that I didn't call her immediately to have this conversation when HER PT brought it up. She yelled at me in the break room how it wasn't my place to have such discussions because I was only a nurse. I spoke to my nurse manager and ICU director about the incident in the morning. They agreed that I did nothing wrong and I was clearly within my scope of practice. The PCP was called and spoken to that day about the things she said to me and that I was doing my job. If she didn't want her patients cared for by our staff then she had a right to transfer them elsewhere. That next night, the same Dr came to see her pt, apologies to me for her behavior, and brought in pizza for all the nurses in the ICU.nursewith patients and

It was actually from an on-call NP. I wasn’t a baby nurse but I hadn’t grown into my full nurse self, if that makes sense. Got a new admit and I knew something was wrong beyond admitting dx. The only service on for them just had the on-call. Pt was hypertensive, hyperthermic and had other stuff going on I called at 2130 given a prn and basically told to wait until dayshift bc it wasn’t an urgent situation; charge was made aware of what they said. I even went to our neuro floor to ask a float nurse I knew bc there was a hx of stroke but they were at baseline per the NP.

Second call around 04/0500 I’m getting yelled at for calling again and asked if I had done all the things stated before. Another nurse is right next to me and hears the whole thing; I then follow up with criticals and while annoyed, they stopped yelling and said they’d let dayshift know.

They were upgraded that day for all the reasons I had mentioned🤔. 100% I had documented everything and let the right people know the situation. I’ve found when you say whatever you need to say in a straight forward, brief manner, and only what that service cares about, you get on their good side. It’s also helpful that while small and light hearted, I speak their language of being very straight forward. Which they’re comfortable with bc of med school/residency 🤷🏻‍♀️

I used to work in a hospital, a variety of med surg units. There was a doctor who would regularly "scream and shriek" (no exaggeration) at nurses as well as throwing charts (3" binders) as the contents flew out of the binder all over the floor. It was unreal. It took 2 years of complaints for him to get fired. WTH!

ASKED THE SOB WHO DID HE THINK HE WAS TALKING TO AND WALKED AWAY

Yes. Having had the privilege of serving in various healthcare disciplines for well over 20 years, I've seen my share of physicians and team members with a defiicit of self control by employing an elevated tone, posturing, accusatory and offensive language with the OR staff and hospital leadership. The most important piece is to keep your composure & remain calm. I know it's easier said than done. As human beings we're generally not wired to take this approach as most of us will leap into "flight or flight" with a racing pulse, sweating and ready to ignite defensive/offensive mechanisms. As a nurse leader, I've studied this for years and it's taken a lot of self discipline. It requires practice such as studying emotional intelligence and philosophies which may appeal to your personality and learning style. Here's a great place to start your journey: Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Dr. Travis Bradberry and Dr. Jean Greaves. I can say this has truly elevated my ability to support my teams, engage in meaningful conversations and de-escalate not only enraged physicians, but also patients and their family members that may be experiencing barriers to care.

Yes, twice. Each time I explained to the doctor, both male, as am I. That such behavior was n9t o ly unappreciated , but would not be tolerated. I then informed them to either apologize, or not speak to me at all. I also made it clear that any further outbursts would see terrible consequences. One apologized, the other tried to show his superiority over me. He left the unit crying and shaking. I took a better paying job in an emergency room 2 mos layer, and the day I left asked if he wanted to apologize yet. He snorted, so , me being me, I told him of I ever saw him on the street I was going to beat his ass, even if I had to park my car in traffic and get out. Priceless. Semper fi, he cried again 😢.

I was working in surgery and a surgeon pinned me up against the wall and was punching the wall on both sides of my head. Mine up he was also a bodybuilder. He was screaming at me because he heard a rumor that I had said something bad about him, which I did not do. I screamed back at him and the administrator heard me clear in the front office and came back and made him leave me alone. The company didn't do anything about it. The doctor eventually realized it was not true. He came to me and apologized and asked if I wanted him to write a reference for me. He said you are a great surgical tech and RN and would like to write the reference. I told him I didn't need a reference from such a terrible doctor who would do that to me and walked away. About a month later he was fired for something unrelated to this incident. He should have been fired for what he did to me, but you soon realize if you go against the company you will pay consequences for it.

In the old days doctors threw charts at you and you had to give them
Your seat

The first time I looked them in the eye and asked if he was through. He was surprised and apologized.
Second time, it was a phone call. I simply hung up. Of course my nurse manager asked me if I did that and I said no, his call must have dropped. The third and last time I said “I can’t hear you when you’re yelling “ and walked away. I’ve been a nurse 38 years. I don’t take their shit. I’ve never lost a job over it either.

Yes and I yell right back… I don’t give a flying F who you are you don’t get to treat people with disrespect!

Yes, and I always stand my ground. Just because they have MD behind their name doesn't give them the right to be belligerent. I have even written a surgeon up for lateral violence. If you're a good nurse and know your stuff then don't tolerate that behavior. Yell back if you need to, believe me it won't be the first time it's happened. I yelled at a PA yesterday.😏

If anyone, provider or neighbor, wants to yell at me, that behavior I totally leave on them… in my experience, the reason someone yells at me is to either get me to also look like a fool and yell back or the person just needs to vent and I let them… I’m a nurse, I need to yell sometimes and the ones who love me, let me express my field or frustration, the. We all go back to finding peace. Best advice I got in my early 20’s: DONT EVER ARGUE WITH AN IDIOT, BECAUSE PEOPLE FEOM AFAR CANT TELL WHO THE REAL IDIOT IS!! (That includes any level of a profession) Have a good day

Answered professionally, and gently reminded them that I was/am doing my job as required

Never in my career have I been yelled at by a physician.

In the ICU, ALL the time! When I was the manager of the ICU and a doctor yelled at my staff or myself, I’d ask them to step outside the unit. We then would have a discussion of THEIR attitude and not my nurses. Most were Napoleons trying to prove to be the big man. I would tell them they weren’t allowed back with the attitude and I would go to their boss(everyone has one). Never once went to chief of surgery or anyone’s boss. Once that was done, they never yelled again and came bringing gifts of food.
I have photos of us all paling around, going to parties, etc. They all answer to someone and if you or your staff aren’t doing something wrong. Stand firm and don’t tolerate bad behaviors.

I've only had a few times that a Dr. has yelled at me. Once when I was a young nurse, a Doctor was angry as his patient was in an arrhythmia and he wasn't contacted. I owned it, and apologized for missing it. Ironically he, in turn stated it really wasn't my fault. That was what the telemetry department was for. One other time I had a Dr. yell at me, but I was doing my job. I, respectfully, stood my ground, didn't yell back, but let him know where I stood. I also informed him he could contact my supervisor to discuss further. He declined. So, it kind of depends on the situation. Talking to the Dr. later about it, might keep it from happening again, as well.

I varianced them for unprofessional conduct and continued to report him for every time he did that to any nurse. Eventually, that MD never came back to the facility.

He was a semi-famous neurosurgeon I was a young ER rn he yelled at me during a code (he was way out of line)
After the incident I politely asked him to speak with me & told him I won't tolerate anyone speaking to me as he had done
I recommend young nurses find your voice and use it
The neurosurgeon never disrespected me again
Speak up for yourself imo no one else will

I just said to him “say THAT again with meaning”. Everyone laughed!!!!

Being a nurse for almost 20 years, I have learned that it’s not what you say but how you say it . If it’s a valid complaint or instruction , take the critique and apply it to your practice . It’s not worth arguing or creating an unhealthy work environment over . If it’s something you need to address , do it privately and professionally. You will be respected for it .

I pray that you wrote it up in a event report, they had no right to act unprofessional towards you. Hold people accountable.

Now a days you don’t have to take that crap from anyone ( well except patient and their families) exp from a doctor. Unless u did something really REALLY dumb. But I would pull this doctor into a empty room and talk to him in a low voice but look him right in his eyes while saying “ I’m not sure what ur problem is but yelling at me is only gonna get you one …and that is me doing what you want from me r e a l l y s lowly”. Now if u want to change this outcome I suggest u don’t ever yell at me or any other nurse like that again “. Just a suggestion but if u take one doc yelling at you the rest of them will treat you like a piece of carpet to just wipe their feet on …. Don’t let that happen. This advice is coming from a nurse with 40 yrs experience.

Yes, reported it. Not tolerating those kind of doctors.

I had a cardiovascular surgeon yell at me after his immediately post-op patient was not doing well, dropping blood pressure. The surgeon then squirted my chest with bypass blood and called me a rude misogynistic term. I stayed calm and professional as bedside nurse for this patient during resuscitation until enough other nurses and a second cardiovascular surgeon arrived. I was given clean surgical scrubs and used the physician call room shower to clean up. The rest the my shift was spent filling out Human Resources and Employee Health forms and getting baseline blood drawn. I also met with police officers and was offered the opportunity to press assault and battery charges, which I declined. I still remember how shocked I was by the first surgeon’s actions and words. I had been an RN in the ICU only a year at that point. I was shaken to my core. I cried and cried on my way home. I thank goodness that the incident was witnessed, I was exonerated, the patient did well after returning to surgery with the second surgeon and having a leak fixed. I never saw the first surgeon again. He was escorted from the hospital and summarily dismissed. But it sticks with me 35 years later like it just happened yesterday.

Being “yelled” at by a Dr is unacceptable period.

I’ve stood and taken it and I have walked away. Depends on how much respect I had for him before he lost his cool. If this was just a stressful situation, I’ve taken it. When yelling and demeaning was his character, I walked out and left him to put in a long leg cast right by himself

I’ve had tense situations and passive aggressive experiences with physicians but never has a physician yelled at me . I would probably loose my flipper if they did 🙂‍↕️. We can all respect one another, we are adults at the end of the day . Nobody is better than one another.

I was working night shift 3 am a patient goes into crisis-hemorrhaging from angiogram site. Called on call Dr. he said I was the 17th caller that night ( he’s in call right? I’m up to $&@!)
He tells me to watch her. I called night supervisor who said to call second md on her record. He said to take her to ICU STAT -
ON THE WAY TO THE UNIT WE LOST HER B/P.
Put her in trendelenberg and applied even more pressure to site.
Thank God, staff were waiting on us and saved her life.
I reported him to the primary Dr who had been off the eventful night. He asked me -“what happened to her?” I told all. He reported him to the hospital board and this jerk was put on probation. I told the primary that I was afraid of that MD and he said “ don’t worry, I’ll protect you. And he did. He thanked me for saving his patients life!!

Yes they have. Over 20 plus years, a couple of times. I yell right back. After a while they learn to not do that with me.

I had a Dr yell at me for not getting a FSBS first on a flaccid, newly born baby that was blue-I was getting the O2 first.

Thank God no so far. We are lucky to have all night docs. But I’m also a little under a year of experience so I haven’t seen enough yet🤣

AS A CASE MANAGER a doc followed me across the lobby, up 2 flights of stairs, and across the floor; yelling all the way. I kept telling him the conversation was over and to leave me alone. He was telling me he was going to get me fired. He finally stopped and tried to find someone to look me up but I worked for the insurance company not the hospital.I planned to go the the medical board and when the hospital contacted me that he had complained about me I told the liaison that he and the hospital could deal with the board. It wasn’t 15 minutes later the liaison called be back and said he wanted to meet with me and I said ‘no’ unless this is an apology meeting I would stick with the board complaint. I was called back and he said it would be an apology. The hospital med dir, hospital liaison, my supervisor and my med dir all were there and he apologized. He warned me that he was not leaving the hospital and I told him I am not leaving either and he will have to get used to dealing with insurance.

I had a doctor pitch an absolute fit at me in preop because his patient hadn’t been betadine prepped. I calmly informed him that his patient had a near anaphylactic reaction to betadine and would require an alternative. He continued to carry on but I stood my ground and the patient received the alternative prep.
The doctor actually returned to me the next day and thanked me for standing up for my patient. Not sure he apologized for his tantrum …

This comes with the job where everyone is stressed. Unfortunately many physicians also have giant egos and god complexes. But the good news is they also have goldfish-like, short term memories. Tomorrow they won't even remember. You can chit chat like nothing happened. If you can handle this type of bipolar-like environment with coworkers, peers, physicians, you will last very long in hospital settings.

I have been yelled at by Doctors many times, patients and families too! With Doctors and coworkers, I let them vent a bit,but when communicating got aggressive, I once told a Doctor that I would not have contact with him until he could speak with me in a professional and respectful manner! I then took a time out in the locked supply room. I was the only RN working that shift. After about 2 minutes, he apologized and spoke to me in a civil manner! GUESS What?? He NEVER spoke to me like that again!

Many many times! But I worked at a teaching hospital and over the years they developed a zero tolerance policy for that kind of behavior. I worked nights so I only really dealt with residents. We were told that an Attending would have a chat with them over coffee to discuss things. I could say a lot of negative things about this employer, but that was the smartest policy they ever adopted!!

I asked we him he thought he was talking too! Back the f-/: up

Stand your ground and don’t let it affect your patient care or mental health. Remember they don’t write your check, they can’t fire you (unless you work in their clinic, but then most are run by massive corporations now) and in the end you have the patient’s best interest in mind. It’s ok to tell them they are out of line and that they should educate you on what it is they are yelling about in a calm manner.
For example:
‘there was no order, I am not able to assume what you want done for the patient without communication or an order, that’s your responsibility’
‘Did you communicate that with me?’
‘If I am missing something on the assessment of the situation, can you explain why I am wrong?’

It’s hard to do, but I have learned over the past 12 years of being a nurse, that in almost all situations of doctors yelling at me, they come to respect you more for standing up to them. Communication in this field is life changing to a patient. Don’t let the ego of a doctor dictate your advocacy and knowledge about the patient. Also, always remember that we spend 12 hours with that patient, the doctor spends anywhere from 10 minutes to 45 minutes with them a day.

There were so many grumpy docs back in the day. Nothing but egos. A doctor friend was able to get my daughter ( she was 19 yrs old) hired in medical records. She was quick, organized. Showed doctors where to sign documents ( pre-computer). They fell in love with her. One night, one of the most nastiest doctors returned my call. Of course, he yelled - I waited until he finished and I said “ Dr. W., my daughter just loves working with you !” Of course he asked who she was and I shared. He never, ever yelled at me again. Nothing but egos. And of course I used that tactic for a few others. It’s a shame I had to do that. My daughter worked her way up into physician management and is now Director of physicians. She doesn’t use any sweet talk with them now.

Absolutely, with a smile on my face. And never once, have they not came back and said you were right the next day. Ultimately, it’s how you establish trust with them.

Yes, I have had several doctors yell at me, put me down. I honestly in one occasion I looked at the doctors list and by mistake I called the attending. He chewed me up and down. This was when I was on the floor and I was suppose to call the fellow. I just told him I was so very sorry but i made a mistake and when he went on, I finally said Have you never called the wrong number? I still do not know if that was the correct response .
The other time we were doing surgery at the bedside putting ECMO cannula’s in a neonate and he yelled at me to give the heparin but he was in the way I couldn’t get to it without possibly getting in his sterile field so it was taking me a few seconds to find the spot I could get to the iv to give the meds. I had never done ECMO before. I was not trained there were two trained nurses in the room but it was assigned to me so I was excited to do something new but it was a high stress situation so he yelled at me. But I understood why so it didn’t bother me.
I have a few more but it would take up the whole message. Hope you find it comforting that everyone gets yelled at. Doctors are human they get tired, grumpy, stressed, overwhelmed, and they just have a bad day. Sometimes they accidentally let it out.

Had a doctor yell at me while I was helping him insert a femeral line for dialysis.. he was having a hard time getting it in and kept snaking at me. I said.. hand on a minute I will be right back. He asked where I was going. I told him to call my boss to send another nurse since I obviously couldn't do anything right. He stopped right there and apologized. He eventually got it in.

Wow. Ok. Yelling at you is completely unacceptable and should be reported to your House Sup. and physician management.

In 27 yrs as an RN? Only once have I been spoken to in a derogatory manner, never yelling.

I had a CTS surgeon speak to me like I was a child. I told him clearly and succinctly that I was not, in fact, a child and to not speak to me that way. He apologized.

I was doing chest compressions on a 10yr old boy that we were losing. They brought in the mother and grandmother to explain that we had done all we could and a decision needed to be made. This all happened as I was doing compressions and I was trying to keep it together. The doctor yelled at me during all this that I wasn't going deep enough. Honestly, I was appreciative because it re-focused me. I thanked him after the code.

Ignored him… looked at him like he had at least 2-3 heads

Once, when I was a new nurse in Postpartum ( I had 9 years experience in Psychiatric Nursing first), I didn’t like the way a C/S pt’s bandage looked, it was saturated with fresh blood. I called the resident ( night shift) to evaluate. She told me it could wait. I said, “ in my opinion, it could not wait”. She responded with, “ Your opinion doesn’t matter “. 😯. I wrote her up and she got in trouble. We, as nurses are on the very front lines of pt care. We advocate for them. Our opinions matter very much. In my long run as an RN (since 1988-present)., I’ve had many arguments with doctors, and nurses. I don’t have a problem voicing my opinion, when their’s makes no sense, or is contradictory to protocol. I have yet to be written up for voicing my opinion.

Yes, and I politely told him to f himself and I’d quit on the spot if he ever disrespected me again like that.

Any instance of a doctor yelling at a nurse will be documented as verbal abuse in the workplace. It is important to follow hospital policies and procedures regarding abuse by reporting the incident and writing up the doctor accordingly. If you have witnessed such behavior, it is crucial to report it to appropriate authorities for further action.

Wrote him up, reported him to the medical director, and offered to quit. In truth, I told him I didn't care if he talked to his wife like that, I was a medical professional as well. Some nurses take it, though I've never understood why.

Of course they have...they yell, they throw things, they ignore you. One Dr. Told me I was crazy when I told him my patient had just thrown a PE right in front of me...when the Dr saw the patient he said...this man has thrown an embolism...I said. NO DAH!

Only once.i had serious talk with him
He apologized.we r close now

Onlyon

While I understand the why behind the yell sometimes, I do not tolerate it. Always stand up for yourself and your patient

Yes. I’ve hung up the phone. I don’t care. I’m under stress too. I’m not an animal to be yelled at. 9 times out of 10 they have called back and apologized. We have a rule to not accept verbal abuse from patients and their families, that also extends to staff. The 1/10 who report me end up reprimanded when I and another staff member stated the doctor was verbally abusive. Gone are the days of doctors yelling at staff, even during codes.

Oh yeah it happened multiple times. Don’t respond walk way & approach at a later time to discuss & set clear boundaries

Oh my I started my Nursing in 1985 so lots of funny Doctor stories buts it’s really no big deal. People yell for a variety of reasons and I have seen a lot no one way to handle it except remain calm that is usually the best just like we do in every other situation

Sorry this may and is not acceptable. But I yelled right back. End of story. He literally deserved it that day. We apologized to each other later. Don’t do this please. It went all the way to the administration and he was totally wrong for what he did in front of and to the patient. Then yelled at me for trying to correct him in the nurses station, trying to make it look like I was being rude to him.

There was a lab result that came in at 655, during shift change, out of whack and nurses discussed it and decided to hold med until they heard from the doctor. I went home. Days faxed, but didn't call (mid 90s) and evening did nothing so I ended up calling doctor at 1105 pm. He was justified in being pissed, but he told me "nurses aren't paid to think they're paid to follow orders!" And he wanted us all written up. So, I wrote myself up and slide it under my DONs door with a note explaining the whole situation. (My write up got tossed). That same doctor, for the next month or so, when he asked a nurse what she thought got told "I'm not paid to think".
The doctor and I became good friends before I moved away

I was in the OR for over 20 years. Scrub tech then circulator. You will get very angry and disturbing looks if the surgeon doesn’t know you. They will talk about you, they will sometimes yell and they will definitely question your ability to do the job! Very hard when you’re learning to scrub. You will find-the longer you’re in your position whatever that might be-the easier it is to respectfully inform the doctor what you are gonna do. They eventually will actually respect you more.

First I stay polite and professional, cheerful even. Kill 'em with kindness. Then I get what I want, lol. If it's not directly related to a patient needing something that will be compromised, sometimes I'll ask them if they need a hug. Or ask them, "Are you okay?" That kind of snaps them out of it. Otherwise if not related to patient care I'll tell them they can talk to me when they can do it like an adult and walk away. :)

Yes I did and the only answer I gave him was "When you have calmed down, can speak rationally to me, and apologize for this behavior I will be willing to speak to you" I turned and walked away. He did this in front of many people at the desk. I went about my business. He apologized. I then said to him, " I treat you with respect and I expect the same". Never had the problem again.When you stand your ground, remain calm, and refuse to engage in a shouting match, you take the wind out of their sail. It's hard to remain composed during a verbal assault and our team developed a code for this. If a person starts to abuse anyone, this code is called out overhead and all personal surround the offender. It's a lot harder to be a jerk when the entire staff is staring at you. Diffusion works well.

Had a doc yell at me once while I was scrubbed into a big spine surgery because I was, “moving too quickly and efficiently, and it stressed him out.” It wasn’t an upset yell either, it was a “I need anger management intervention”, JVD exaggerating, red face yell. This was an hour after telling me, during the same procedure, to move more quickly because he was a very busy man and didn’t have all day. Was so fun to work with after that! I loved advocating for patient safety every chance I had, which irritated him to no end every time, and seeing his face just pile into wrinkles.

Yes, doctors yell and nurses yell too! Patients yell and families would yell at you sometimes. What to do? Take a deep breath and focus on your breath. Let your silence be MUCH louder than their yell. People yell because they think they can't or aren't heard or understood. Later, you may approach the person in private and ask them if there is anything you didn't understand that he/she has to yell at you. That won't stop a yeller from yelling but that will keep your peace.

I have never chosen a job where that was acceptable or commonplace. It happened in early morning hours, when I, as Level two NICU RN rushed w patient to the OR for an emergency C section. Other staff were coming soon. The OBGYN yelled for items known to an OR circulating nurse but not me. Some item was thrown. We saved the baby and mom. I chose compassion.

Another was cardiologist frantically ordering to give IV push meds not allowed outside of ICU or ER. I retrieved those meds and handed them to him. “I can’t but you do whatever you need to”

Don’t ever stand for it. Any doctor, let alone any other adult, does not have the right to yell at you. We are professionals and should be treated as such. My parents don’t even yell at me, so why should anyone else be allowed to treat me that way. You don’t work for the doctors, you don’t answer to them. You work for the patient as their advocate when you see mistakes are being made, your patient is declining. and to ensure they are getting the best care.

I hope you feel empowered to stick up for yourself and that your leadership team will support you when this type of shenanigans happens.

A doctor yelled at me when I was a new nurse asking me to do something that I was about to do. I simply told her that I am in the process of getting it done and I would appreciate it if she didn’t raise her voice to me because I’m not her child. She looked at me with disbelief and said nothing. We became best friends after that.

I was a fairly new nurse and I cried

Hello! Time OUT!

I have a few times. I have written citizenship reports on several. One apologized before I could. many years ago a resident scolded me for something, don't remember what, and I turned around and said "I've been doing this while you were in middle school". Shouldn't have said that but the words came out before I could stop them

Yes. It happens all the time. It’s abuse. I used to let it slide, but later learned that stress can become toxic if you internalize it. I suggest documenting and reporting any kind of workplace bullying so that patterns of abuse can be properly addressed.

I had a doctor yell at me once for being paged and I wasn’t even the nurse who paged him. The charge nurse paged him to my number over orders for a direct admit. I was a bit confused and he was SO rude! I yelled back and said ,”Listen, I am just as confused as to why you were paged as YOU are so how about we STOP yelling and figure this out.”

I hate it when people are rude and condescending no matter what they do for a living. Another time, an admitting overnight hospitalist became irritated with me, raised his voice and hung up on me when I had the AUDACITY to question an order… I am not the one to hang up on, sir. The following night we were both on again and he was again admitting patients to my floor. I picked apart his orders for that patient. Paged him, and while picking apart everything he ordered while we were on the phone I told him I was running a tight ship. 😳 He has never hung up on me again.

Yes this has happened multiple times to me. It is never acceptable for someone to yell at you. I use tactics that I would use any other place; such as: please do not raise your voice to me I am not heard of hearing, yelling is not the preferred form of communication here, if you would like to talk about this situation in private I am willing but will not allow you to talk to me in that manner and your choice of words and tone of voice are your attempts of intimidation and feel threatening to me please stop your abusive behavior immediately before I need to get the nursing/medical director involved. ( the last one usually works) just keep calm don’t yell back.

There is NEVER a situation for which yelling is an appropriate response. Drs and nurses make mistakes. Even in a sentinel event. The nurse is already hurting. In my situation or defending a nurse who is on the receiving end of the yelling, I calmly interrupted the Dr and asked him to educate me or the nurse I feel needs support. Yelling back is not appropriate either. Often times the yelling is due to a cascade of errors in which the Dr might feel some ownership. We are all professionals and need to act as such.

Of course! Heathcare is hard and tons of pressure for all of us but I keep my boundaries firm with my coworkers and I don’t tolerate yelling. I will pull a doctor aside if it happens to me or if they yell at a team member. A message about patient care and medical concerns will get a far better response if communicated appropriately.

I called he yelled when he got to the hospital I told him never hang up on me again. We were friends from that point on.

when I was first yelled at by a dr I had been a nurse for a month. The Dr that yelled at me was the Dr that I turned down on sexual advances (so inappropriate and I was married at the time and very vocal about it). I learned that the best way for me to deal with this was to professionally stand up for myself. yelling back doesn't help (at least for me). I learned drawing a strong boundary and not allowing the disrespect to slide. everyone has a different approach though, this is simply what works for me.

Yes most definitely in my 40+ year career...Depending on the situation, I have done any of the following...Ignored them...yelled back.. reported the doctor to the Compliance Department....stayed calm/deep breathing and focused on the patient.You give a rude..disrespectful doctor enough rope...they usually hang themselves pretty good...especially the young ones with no experience who throw around their weight like they know what they are talking about when most likely they do not.

Explained to them that I understand we have a difficult job and I understand exactly what the doctor is wanting to accomplish here and that maybe our nursing staff may have dropped the ball by not understanding the doctors order but as long as there was no harm or injury to the patient this would be the perfect learning experience and I would offer to speak with the educator to help promote understanding so this doesn't occur again.

Yes. I accidentally addressed the resident in front of a patient with a question that was too detailed instead of specifically addressing the attending. (I was new and didn’t know which doctor from which.) As it turned out, my question - if taken seriously - would have prevented near sepsis in a 96-year-old patient with a budding UTI. However, the attendant was insulted because I had unknowingly breached rank. The resident quickly pointed to the attending as if the resident didn’t know the answer (he did), and saved my skin from being fired. The lesson was learned: Learn who the ranking provider is in a teaching hospital, learn how to address a physician as “sir,” and let the ranking provider be the one to figure out the right answer. Present all the pieces of evidence, but never quite be the one to “solve” the puzzle out loud.