I ended up at the hospital a lot as a cop. Dropping off drunks, junkies and persons in crisis, responding to calls from hospital staff about crime victims wanting to make a police report and, on one very memorable occasion, spending the first half of a shift standing guard over a police officer grievously wounded by gunfire. You have to develop some sort of bedside manner when dealing with patients (the non-criminal ones, anyway). Some people are better at this than others.
One shift, close to the end of field training, my FTO and I were driving around looking for suspicious activity when a call popped up on the computer. I clicked on the call and self-assigned to it. "Squad XXX, copy you've self-assigned to the report of a possible sexual assault at [hospital name]. Staff report a male was dropped off at the ER by an unknown person wearing only underwear." At that agency officers in field training were encouraged to take as many calls as possible, both to gain a wide breadth of experience and also to demonstrate their work ethic (by doing the older cops' work for them).
We arrived at the hospital and entered the ER. I spoke to the charge nurse who directed us to a room with the curtain pulled. I knocked on the wall outside and we entered the room. In the bed was a man about my age (29 at the time) wearing a gown with a woman, also about my age, sitting in a chair next to the bed. They both looked like deer caught in the headlights of a semi. I made the first move. "Hi, I'm officer jollygreenspartan with the [city name] police, this is officer [FTO's name]. How are y'all doing?"
They answer in unison, "OK...?"
"Soooo...what's going on?"
The woman, "Um, I got a call from the hospital that my husband was here and I flew out to take care of him."
"...OK? What happened?"
"I don't really know, he flew from [large east coast city] to [less large midwest city] for a business trip seven days ago, then all of a sudden I got a call from the hospital that he was here. We've only been married for two weeks and we're supposed to move to [another large east coast city] next week. Officer, I'm sorry, but I'm a lawyer and I really would like to know why you're here.
"Ma'am, a hospital staff member saw someone drop your husband off wearing only his boxers and thought he may have been victimized somehow." I turn to the husband, "Sir, have you been the victim of a crime recently?" He stares back at me.
"The last thing I remember is getting on the plane to come ou
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Hi all. I’m a nurse that works for a well know hospital in the US. I’ve been a nurse now for a pretty good while and have had a good share of relationships with some great...and not so great physicians.
Unfortunately my husband and I have been having some bad luck in keeping our pregnancies going. RPL and all that jazz. I had a D+C performed today and the pain is still raw, but I had the most amazing bedside care from a 2nd year resident, who was on rotation with OB. I think he was IM or FM. He asked to sit down next to me, held my hand, and had mentioned some struggles he and his wife have had in the past too. I even saw the OB give him a pat on the back as they were leaving my room and said, “I think today we all needed that compassion you gave.”
So moral of the story, bedside manner is so important and makes such a difference. I know all of our days can be crummy, but that resident really made my sucky day just a tiny bit better. I’m sure this wasn’t a fluke and I bet most of you guys have great bedside manner. So pats on the backs for you guys. Keep up the good work even when it’s shitty for you, your nurses, or your patients.
Thanks for listening 🙂
Update: Wow! Thank you all (well most) for responding and understanding the meaning of my post. It’s nice to see there is still humanity out there.
Having spent time in the US, I've noticed that our local doctors and dentists tend to not have the best bedside manner? In my experience, they seldom look patients in the eye, explain things clearly, or really make any attempt to connect with the patient. There seems to be this 'I know better than you' attitude. What are your experiences?
In general he avoids patients and when he interacts with them he's usually a jerk and pisses them off or makes them cry.
But I've noticed he's usually really good with kids and people in adverse situations. Like the weirder the person the better his bedside manner; he also got along really well with psych patients.
The guy should've been a psychiatrist or a paediatric doctor. Even Cuddy's daughter liked him a lot and he really liked her.
What do you think?
Okay to monetize as long as I get credit, you don't edit and you link back to this post. After my last bedside script, I couldn't resist writing another. Interested in my work? Check out my master list.
Summary: You're sick fighting some sort of stupid cold that won't go away. When you pass out in front of your boyfriend, you awaken in the hospital. You're not a good patient, but luckily, your boyfriend knows how to deal with your stubbornness.
[thermometer beeps] [sigh]
101.3 . . . the fever isn't going down. Hey! Don't move. I'm serious, baby. You're sick. You need to rest. What do you want? Water? Food? I can go get it. I know you're bored, but you need to give your body a chance to rest. I'm treating you like a kid because you're acting like one. Now, don't move. I'm gonna go grab some Advil.
[footsteps away] [comforter rustling]
[from far away] I can hear you moving! Lay back down!
[thud]
[from far away] Baby? What was that?
[footsteps rushing back in]
Baby! Shit, she's fainted. Babe, hey, hey, can you hear me? [tapping cheek] C'mon, wake up, you're scaring me, babe, please, hey! There you are. No, no, don't move. It's okay, babe, you just fainted. Don't move. I'm serious. Look, I'm making an executive decision here. We're going to the hospital. I know, I know, you didn't want to go, but you need to. It's okay, don't cry. No, I'm not gonna leave you. I'll be right there by your side. I promise. Shhhhh, okay, it's okay. I've got you. No, I'm not going anywhere. I'm just gonna call for some help.
[phone rings] Hi, it's my girlfriend. She's had a fever and it spiked. She fainted. Yeah, she's awake now, but I think we need some help. Yeah, I'll stay on the line.
[to listener] It's okay. They're sending help. Hey, hey, keep those eyes open. You can't go to sleep yet. No, baby, please, focus on me. There you are. Talk to me. What do you wanna do when you're better? Anything. Hawaii? Yeah, that would be fun.
[ambulance sirens] Okay, they're here. It's okay, babe. It's gonna be okay.
[to paramedics] Yeah, I'm [your name]. I'm her boyfriend.
[to listener] It's okay, baby. They're not gonna hurt you. I'm going with you. I'll hold your hand. I'm not going anywhere. Baby? Don't close your eyes. Keep them open. [to paramedics; fading out] what's wrong with her? Is she gonna be okay?
[fade out sirens] [fade in hospital no
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I'm a PTA who just started his first job in the field about a month ago, and so far it's not going well. My boss says there have been a lot of complaints about me from my patients: they're saying that their pain got worse after I treated them, and they don't want me to treat them anymore. No-shows are already a big problem in our clinic (we serve a low-income population) and my patients keep not showing up (and I can't say that I blame them; I wouldn't want to be seen by a therapist who made my pain worse either). I've always been a bit anxious and high-strung, but it's getting worse now that I'm falling short of my clinical responsibilities. It seems like everything I try either doesn't help or makes their pain worse, and I don't know what to do. I'm afraid to prescribe new exercises because nothing I suggest helps their pain (or it makes their pain worse), I'm afraid to touch them because I don't know when I'm about to hurt them, and I'm afraid to just use modalities because those won't help their pain long-term. I really want to be good at this job, but I just don't know how to do it well! It's not like I'm (completely) stupid; I graduated cum laude from a really tough school with a good reputation just last year. But my lack of self-confidence is obvious to my patients, and it's making them run for the hills! How can I start making their pain go away if I don't know what to do?!
What I need is to develop confidence in my own abilities, but how am I supposed to do that if I'm hurting the people I'm supposed to be helping? How can I develop good bedside manner and earn my patients' trust if I don't know how to make them feel better? Please help, I can't afford to lose this job!
Let me cut to the chase. I’m a FTM, 37+1 w. I go to a practice with 5 drs. All are lovely except one with terrible bedside manner. Last week was especially not great. I’ve been going in frequently due to high blood pressure and during the non stress test, my son wasn’t moving. But i told the nurse that he doesn’t move during the day and that if i could change position, i can get him to move—she said no. Ok.
Dr comes in and does a painful and aggressive cervix check ( which I’m assuming he did bc he was trying to get the baby to move ) and baby moved so ok. Would’ve been nice to get a heads up that he was gonna ram his fuckin hand up there causing me to scream in the office. He then tells me to immediately go to the hospital to run extensive testing for pre eclampsia. He was out of the room before i could even ask questions. It was extremely alarming, and a total whirlwind and i was petrified, esp since my husband isn’t allowed to come to drs visits so I’m alone.
Luckily I’m not pre-E but I’m still getting scheduled to be induced next weekend bc of my BP. Cool. I made a drs appt for Monday and I’m seeing this same dr again. I really want to have an honest talk with him about his behavior and how uncomfortable he made me, and ultimately my fear is that he’ll be the one to deliver my baby and i don’t want a dr that doesn’t consider how i feel— whether it’s to help calm my anxiety or what. I’ve heard from other ppl that he’s a great doctor clinically, it’s just that his bedside manner sucks. I’m glad to know I’m medically in good hands but i also don’t need a dr that’s anxiety inducing either.
What should i tell him? How should i tell him? Have you had a similar experience where you had to be honest w your dr about how you felt about them? I’m literally losing sleep over this.
I thought I would post here in case any of you guys have recommendations or are in the area and really love your dermatologist. My gyn recommended I look for a derm to manage things and I'm really nervous about finding a doctor I can trust with this disorder and feel comfortable with.
Thanks so much in advance for any recommendations!
Nelson’s offensive GC talk about lazy learners etc, got me to thinking about the fact that he was a surgeon. In my experience with surgeons (at least 5), they aren’t that good at people skills and empathy. They are matter of fact, get the job done and let the attending staff and patient deal with the recovery and long term effects. They can be very egotistical and competitive and don’t like it if you question what they did. Some of them literally “cut and run” without a bedside visit to explain how the procedure went. So it is no surprise to me that Nelson has no empathy for those who doubt the church of which he is prophet. Once he has performed a “spiritual operation,” he’s done his job and it’s up to the members to deal with the aftermath.
I've seen two psychiatrists in the past two weeks.
The first guy I saw actually seemed like a decent doctor but he told me that he wouldn't allow me to keep taking another psychiatrist drug that another specialist prescribed for a non-psychiatric disorder because it was a "stupid diagnosis." That was a deal-breaker for me because the issues that was prescribed for are very hard to deal with and I need both meds. He also seemed really judgmental when I told him how much alcohol I was drinking (part of my idea in getting treatment is to stop self medicating). I was drinking a couple of shots of vodka few times a week. Which I don't think was flabbergasting. But he looked astonished when I told him that as if drinking liquor automatically made me "extreme."
The second guy was much more reasonable and is at least open to the idea of adding the other doc's drug. However both psychiatrists were kind of let-downs on an interpersonal basis. The first guy fixed me with this intense and hostile stare for the duration of our appointment and wouldn't engage in small talk which I tried to engage in just to warm up the conversation and get comfortable. The second guy was super awkward and (for some unknown reason) wouldn't make eye contact and looked at the wall next to me when I was speaking. I felt kind of uncomfortable with both from the moment I walked into the room and it was uncomfortable to have to share details about my anxiety / depression with them for that reason.
I don't mean to be judgy, but it would seem like an obvious prerequisite for me that those working with patients with mental health problems could have a friendly disposition that would encourage their patients to open up and share some of their most private struggles. Most docs I have seen, including my family doc, seem reasonably approachable and friendly. But both psychs I have seen stand out as unusually cold and unfriendly.
Is there any rhyme or reason for this or have I just had bad luck so far?
As I said, it seems a little strange to me that those specializing in providing mental health care would be unfriendly and hard to relate to.
What phrases do you wish they said instead?
So something more specific than "they don't listen" like what are some common examples specifically?
No matter what people say, he berates them for not doing well enough. After “how y’all doin’” it’s all a trap. I’m not saying they haven’t failed, I’m saying his methods are detrimental and his manner is cold. Maybe he’s lost his way over the years, and forgotten why he got into the field, I don’t know. Keep in mind these fat people are still people. For god sake, when a human being cries in front of you, stop, listen, offer them a tissue. When someone’s in emotional distress, you have choices: shame them for feeling, or take their reaction as a lesson and change course. End rant.
After 2 semesters of nursing school, I am still so unconfident with talking to patients and just being on the floor. Honestly, not doing so hot in nursing school in general. When I did terrible during skills and care plans, I talked to my clinical instructor wondering if I should even stay in the program. She said that I should give myself a rest this summer (as in no classes) and get a PCA job and see how we feel going into the fall.
I was wondering when would be a good time to start applying for jobs if I want to start working in June and what would be the best floor that would help me improve on my bedside skills?
I'm an MS4 & Patient.
I've seen a lot of discussion regarding the inadequacy of mid-levels replacing MDs/DOs. While I agree in theory, from a patient perspective, there is often little difference and I would argue that most mid-levels are better "care providers" than docs.
My anecdotal experience:
Last Thursday I got up feeling pretty crappy. Low-level elevated temp (99.5) and was just super fatigued. Stayed home from clerkship. I have chronic sinusitis and frequent sinus infections. I know the drill.... 10 days before bacterial.... yada yada yada. So I was hesitant to even contact a physician or reach out for medical care.
PAs / NPs will always give me antibiotics, steroids, nasal sprays or whatever I ask for.
Docs will give me nothing.
I know the antibiotics won't do anything for a viral infection. I'm not an idiot. But....many patients don't know the difference. And if the midlevel does "something" then it feels like they care more.
Now, as for general attitude:
Maybe it's because mid-levels are more grateful to be there. Maybe it's because their short duration of training leaves them with less burnout. Whatever the case, they are often more pleasant and understanding.
When I finally contacted a telehealth doc on Monday, she droned on about shit I already know (I explained that I'm an MS4. Yet she still talked down to me.) And told me to get a COVID test. Overall, she seemed annoyed and disinterested. I felt bad for even asking someone to assess me.
Covid test returns negative. I'm still feeling pretty crappy. Yet pretty sure I'm just dealing with some mild viral bug that will pass. My temp is still elevated. I had been told to call back to the telehealth line.
I call back and get the most irritated DO I've ever known. I explain my situation and he says, "I don't know what you want me to say." I responded that I just wanted to make sure that I was okay returning to the clinic to check on patients and that the low-grade temp elevation was not an issue.
He says to me: "Well, even though your covid test was negative, those tests have a 20-30% false-negative rate."
That's it. No recommendation. No drink some orange juice, fart, and feel better. He says "Thanks for calling." And ends the session after this 5-minute consult.
This is part of the issue with modern medicine. Docs feel irritated if they aren't managing a white whale or spearing a rare zebra. All patients matter. And this gap in care and the perception o
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I think that Callie’s surgical skills had a lot of development, she really grew as an ortho surgeon and was always innovating and trying new skills. She comes to mind when I think about this and also I think that Jackson has had a lot of growth too, he’s worked so hard to get that precision and steadiness that he shows in the OR and it wasn’t easy but he worked at it and look where he is now. Thoughts? :)
Can we just talk about how absolutely incredible Jackson’s bedside manner is and how amazing he is with patients? He explains things in a practical, easily understood way, while also being gentle and assuring when giving news, whether it’s good or bad. He never lets his own emotions affect patient care and he makes sure the patients know their options, their rights and that they know they’re safe in his care.
I love his development in this area- he went from being the resident to be first eliminated in sensitivity training (6x21) to befriending a patient and walking her down the aisle (12x11). He learned to be more empathetic and open, and it has changed the lives of so many. Take Rosalind Warren for example. Jackson did an incredible job with her- he introduced himself by first name to make her feel less like she was in a hospital and more like she was talking to a friend. He explained that she would from now on be getting the healthiest care to ensure she would be able to safely transition and live her best life. Seeing Rosalind on Station 19 now makes me emotional because I think of how scared she was in the start and how seen and valued Jackson made her feel.
When it comes to patient’s struggles and their problems, Jackson is never judgmental and always listens to their issues. When Clervie Martin’s family accepted Tom’s bribe because they needed money for their daughter’s surgery and they were scared, Jackson explains that he has a little girl at home too and he would be scared if he was in their shoes. He always tries to empathize and validate patient’s feelings. When the patient in 12x24 was having confusion and thought he was her husband, he didn’t correct her or make her feel more confused, he let her think what she wanted to so that she wasn’t scared.
I just love how Jackson’s bedside manner and his connections with patients have deepened and developed as he changes as a character and I wanted to share some of my thoughts :)
Short Story critique please!!!
They chose him to work the night shift, but that was okay; all he had at home was a single room, with a door that didn’t fully close, and a dog that wasn’t his own. At the hospital, he could roam for hours and everything was his. He knew how many steps it would take to get down any particular hall. He even knew on which step he would have to turn to enter the next corridor. On the fifth floor, where the Intensive Care Unit was, it was 12 steps from the nurse’s station to the end of the hall whichever way you went. On that twelfth step, you made a left turn or a right one (depending on which way you were headed) and you’d land yourself in the patient’s wings.
The fifth floor was his favorite. The nurses always respected him more there, as if being experts in the progression of chronic illness gave them a sort of insight to the meaning of humanity. That was just a bonus for him, though. The real prizes of hitting the fifth floor were lying respectively in rooms 506 and 523.
506 was FloraDeen’s room and 523 was Mabel’s; forty-three steps apart. FloraDeen was in the west wing; she was twenty-five steps from the nurse’s station and Mabel was in the east, a good eighteen steps. These were the two lightest sleepers in the whole hospital. It was a running joke between him and the nurses that if these two were in outpatient, he would be able to run the hospital on his own.
Imagine that.
He never laughed at that joke, though, because he knew that “outpatient” had a different meaning for the nurses then it did for him. He liked Flora and Mabel because they liked him; he was their friend.
He knew that Flora had been in the hospital for six years now. He knew that she couldn’t sleep because she was scared that she’d “shit herself and never wake up.” He knew that she had a family; two daughters and a son. They used to come visit and her daughter, Jada, would even bring the newborn.
That was year one.
Once they found out that FloraDeen had no intention of letting go of her life, they stopped coming. “I guess they figure they’ll see me when I get out.” Flora would tell him. She would always nod vigorously, too, as if she needed to reassure herself of the truth. He would never ask more about it because it wasn’t his place. His place, for Flora, was to give her his share of the red fruit jells that used to come with her meals, but that she wasn’t allowed to have anymore. On her birthday (June 15th,1946) he would always bring her
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We have seen patients and NPs say that doctors don't "care" or have good bedside manner.
I don't know about you guys but how many attendings/fellows/residents/med students have you seen that are straight awkward as hell? I have seen quite a bit and they all seem to lack bed side manner or even if they do try it comes off real fake.
We get tested in step 2 CS to give a tissue when the patient cries but that's such a programed mechanical move because we are suppose to do it.
Have you guys ever felt you lacked bed side manner? If so what did you do or are doing to improve it?
she’ll be like "you have a tumor" and the patient, scared, will say something like "so without surgery i will die and with surgery i may die" shed be like "yep!" like girl i love you but have some empathy😭
You're sick fighting some sort of stupid cold that won't go away. When you pass out in
front of your girlfriend, you awaken in the hospital. You're not a good
patient, but luckily, your girlfriend knows how to deal with your stubbornness.
The ending was so sweet I had to give this a go :)
Okay to monetize as long as I get credit, you don't edit and you link back to this post. After my last bedside script, I couldn't resist writing another. Interested in my work? Check out my master list.
Summary: You're sick fighting some sort of stupid cold that won't go away. When you pass out in front of your boyfriend, you awaken in the hospital. You're not a good patient, but luckily, your boyfriend knows how to deal with your stubbornness.
I've seen two psychiatrists in the past two weeks.
The first guy I saw actually seemed like a decent doctor but he told me that he wouldn't allow me to keep taking another psychiatrist drug that another specialist prescribed for a non-psychiatric disorder because it was a "stupid diagnosis." That was a deal-breaker for me because my issues which that drug was prescribed for are very hard to deal with and I need both meds.
The second guy was much more reasonable. Fortunately he will be happy to work in the second drug if required.
However both psychiatrists were kind of let-downs on an interpersonal basis. The first guy fixed me with this intense and hostile stare for the duration of our appointment and wouldn't engage in small talk. The second guy was super awkward and (for some unknown reason) wouldn't make eye contact and looked at the wall next to me when I was speaking. I really didn't real feel at ease with either.
I don't mean to be judgy, but it would seem like an obvious prerequisite for me that those working with patients with mental health problems could have a friendly disposition. Most docs I have seen, including my family doc, are approachable and friendly. But both psychs I have seen stand out as unusually cold and unfriendly.
Is there any rhyme or reason for this or have I just had bad luck so far? It seems a little strange to me that those specializing in providing mental health care would be unfriendly and hard to relate to.
