Nurses are constant and equal partners with doctors. Both parties work together to ensure patients’ safety, recovery, and general well-being. However, doctors are a creature of wide-ranged species. Sadly, some doctors are not up for a smooth-sailing working relationship. Others are going to make your shift a miserable one. In actuality, doctors can be as complicated as the patients the hospital is treating. On the other side are doctors born with a magic wand on one hand and a placard saying ‘I do understand.’ on the other.
Nurses have a daily experience working with doctors. While they are all smart, sure, and accurate in their white coats, nurses always bring with them a story or two about their encounters with doctors. Subjects to a lot of medical humor in the virtual space, doctors are undeniably one of the most popular and well-loved groups of people in the world.
Before readers launch a nonstop chatter about doctors, here are the 7 kinds of doctors that nurses are going to work with:
1. Team Player. They are the pieces that hold the puzzle together. For a well-coordinated and patient-centered plan of care, trust team player doctors to make every member of the health care team feel involved and given importance. Team players will listen to what each has to say, consider what is best for each patient, and see to it that the flow of open communication is not obstructed. Simply put, he is the kind of doctor who believes he can’t do the job alone. Their motto: we’re all in this together.
2. Question Machine. At the sight of question machine doctors, novice nurses and medical interns flee. They are the constant source of stress the entire duration of shift. While it is good that beginners are being asked so learning will occur, question machine doctors just don’t stop asking. “Why do…? Oh yes, stop there. Explain why. Oh, really? Why? Yes, yes I get your point but why… and how? Please don’t tell me you don’t know these things!” They can’t conduct rounds without asking 5-10 questions about each medical case. They will smile at you wickedly as beads of sweats liberally roll on your face and they love the feeling of superiority at the very moment. Bad question machines will ask questions just because they want to test intellect. Good question machines want you to learn as much as possible all things that aren’t taught in school (but they have a challenging and uncomfortable way of doing it). Pick your poison.
3. Ghost Doctor. “Have you seen Dr. Casper?” “No, was he here?” “Yep, apparently his orders are in.” Ever encountered a doctor who gives orders without seeing patients in actual? Yes, it sounds horrible but doctors like Dr. Casper do exist. Predominant tendency: when they do rounds, their eyes automatically become stethoscopes, x-ray scans, and basic laboratory tests.
4. Passion Cushion. Nurses let out a sigh of relief upon knowing that Dr. Passion Cushion is on duty. This type of doctor has a way of turning toxic shifts into exciting, tiring yet rewarding one. This doctor volunteers teaching medical stuff he or she deems important. “Come, I’ll show you how it’s being done. It’s vital you know this thing.” He shares quick assessment skills, educates the team about updates in treatment modalities, and inspires nurses to always render their best nursing care. This doctor lives up to the title because when he is around, his passion envelopes the nurses on duty in a pillow of protection. Common traits: eyes so bright when on duty, eyebrows that meet when he is deeply concerned, and nonstop walking around the ward to check on patients.
5. Grumpy Folk From the 70s. Some says being a doctor is being on the job for a lifetime. However, to some, with a growing number of years comes impatience and frustrations. They hate being asked about their orders. They have little trust to novice nurses. The sound they always produce: Grrr.
6. The 3 Es. When doctors are in medical school, 3 Es are probably the model students. They are the best for 3 E conditions: entertainment, emergency, and education. They have 3 Es imaginarily tailor-made on their white coats that stand for being known as the educator, the energy-booster, and the doctor that is not easily unruffled by medical chaos. They sing, dance, and throw good jokes to remind everyone around them that they are as human as them. They share lessons base on their years of experience. They move quickly despite the mess and their calmness always puzzle people around them. What they are known for: a big and contagious laugh on breaks and rounds as well as the little smile when they successfully revive patients.
7. The Nazi. And who would not know the Nazi doctors in the hospital? Dr. Miranda Bailey in the famous Grey’s Anatomy is the best example. They are brutally honest, so much cruel for patients’ and nurses’ sensitivity, and tough to be with. However, they are incredibly excellent at what they are doing. They are the ones who have legends about them whispered from expert nurses down to novice ones. They are the doctors dubbed as ‘someone you should be careful working with’. But oftentimes Nazis are misunderstood. They might be strict and frank but in the end, they are just strong believers in doing the right thing and doing things right.
Nursing is a profession of passion for service. Caring is interrelated with other health care professions. Therefore, communication is important. However, this might pose challenges too because of individual differences but what should be put as priority is the welfare of the recipients of care. For successful coordination of health care responsibilities, health care workers should get past these differences and should work in unison for the best interest of the public.