UHGGGG!!!! DOCTORS!!!

3 I just have to vent!!! I'm at work today and I hear Dr. A complain to Dr. B that he received a written reprimand for using an unapproved abreviation for a drug he wrote for a patient. Then he proceeds to blame the nurse who took the order off because she didn't call him to clarify the order. Now...this order was for morphine IV but he wrote MS 2mg IV. We have notices plastering the nurses station and in the charts showing the doctors unapproved abbreviations, but this particular doctor blames the nurses!!!! This is no new doctor, he's been at this hospital for years. UHGGGGG Of course I, being unable to keep my mouth shut, said, "good, maybe next time you won't make the same mistake"

Thanks for listening...I feel better.
So the nurse didn't save his a$$ by calling him to correct his error. Oh yeah, I get it now. It's the nurse! But why did she take off an incorrect order? Isn't that her fault? Yeah, blame the nurse. Must be so hard to write out M-o-r-p-h-i-n-e.

Quote from livinthedreamRNI just have to vent!!! I'm at work today and I hear Dr. A complain to Dr. B that he received a written reprimand for using an unapproved abreviation for a drug he wrote for a patient. Then he proceeds to blame the nurse who took the order off because she didn't call him to clarify the order. Now...this order was for morphine IV but he wrote MS 2mg IV. We have notices plastering the nurses station and in the charts showing the doctors unapproved abbreviations, but this particular doctor blames the nurses!!!! This is no new doctor, he's been at this hospital for years. UHGGGGG Of course I, being unable to keep my mouth shut, said, "good, maybe next time you won't make the same mistake"Thanks for listening...I feel better.

Quote from mamamerleeSo the nurse didn't save his a$$ by calling him to correct his error. Oh yeah, I get it now. It's the nurse! But why did she take off an incorrect order? Isn't that her fault? Yeah, blame the nurse. Must be so hard to write out M-o-r-p-h-i-n-e.

That's what scares me about nursing. In nursing school we are learning that even if the doc writes an incorrect order---the person who gets in trouble is the one who carries that order. We also learned that if the doc uses unapproved abbreviation, don't guess what it is, just give him a call to clarify it.I don't like abbreviations at all---that opens room for errors.

can we not use abbreviations at all at work ? or is it requirement? lol.....I guess there is just no room for error, and you just have to call to verify the order. But still puzzle as to why he had to blame the nurse....he came up with the abbreviation himself. duh!

Let him blame the nurses. His way of coping with mistakes is obviously infantile and you caught that.He's been "spanked" and he doesn't like it because he isn't used to it.

I personally think all MD's need to take a writing course. Their writing is horrible. If they can't write legibly, then they need to print it out or type it or verbal transcription to the Nurse with the MD's signature. While in Hospice, we had an MD who notoriously wrote on notes left in Patients homes so bad we could not read his writing...more of a scribble with a few highs and lows...after several calls at 2 am for clarification, that fixed his butt but good!

I'm going to play Devil' Advocate here and side with the doc. As RN's it is our responsibility to catch mistakes and notify the doc. A doctor is only as good as his nurse.That's all.

Agree with Tyvin to a point...but remember culture is at play here...the culture of using abbreviations and the culture of nurses being like secretaries...also if nurses try to correct docs about this type of thing some fo them get mad...the culture I am fighting in the ICUS, the ED, and progressive care units is not taking verbal orders from docs.....they would rather slit their wrists than just write the order....I just hand the chart to them and tell them to write all orderes...and they are starting to get better at doing that....changing culture takes time.

Quote from annacnatornI personally think all MD's need to take a writing course. Their writing is horrible. If they can't write legibly, then they need to print it out or type it or verbal transcription to the Nurse with the MD's signature. While in Hospice, we had an MD who notoriously wrote on notes left in Patients homes so bad we could not read his writing...more of a scribble with a few highs and lows...after several calls at 2 am for clarification, that fixed his butt but good!

Quote from tyvinI'm going to play Devil' Advocate here and side with the doc. As RN's it is our responsibility to catch mistakes and notify the doc. A doctor is only as good as his nurse.That's all.

Nurses will continue to be the fall guy/gal. Fair or not, that's just the way it is. There is a doc at my hospital who is well known for his bad behavior including verbally abusing the nurses and throwing/slamming charts, dictaphone, etc. His behavior continues because it's tolerated by hospital administration. Why?? Because docs generate income, nurses don't. Twas ever thus...