Last week I started a "Talkin' Shop" series on dissecting a recent article in the Readers Digest..."50 Secrets Nurses Won't Tell You". (Michelle, Crouch. "50 Secrets Your Nurse Won't Tell You." Reader's Digest. November 2011: 132-42. Print)
The idea being, since I was so *ahem* rudely overlooked for this article, that I was gonna have my say anyway. Hence YOU being subjected to these "dissections". Lucky you! ;) (Should we see if I can do 50 different photos of the ol' RD cover for each post? CHALLENGE!)
Carrying on...
Today's quote:
"We're not going to tell you your doctor is incompetent, but if I say, 'You have the right to a second opinion', that can be code for 'I don't like your doctor' or 'I don't trust your doctor'." -Linda Bell, RN, clinical practice specialist at the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses in Aliso Viejo, California
I'll level with you here...this one is kind of a boring one. 'Cuz you know what? It's true.
I have only worked in one medical facility (the one I currently work in) so I can't speak for everywhere, but would imagine there are some similarities here, in that there is a "code of conduct" for nurses, and part of that agreement is not bad mouthing the doctors.
While there are times, I'm sure, in every nurses' career where he/she wants to grab a patient, look them deep in the eye and whisper..."Run. Run very fast and very far and when you can't run anymore, find a new doctor."
Case in point: Michael Jackson's doctor. Or any of these 10 scary doctors. Yikes.
If you ask a nurse what she thinks of your doctor and she "hmmmm's" and "haaaaa's" then tells you that "you know, all of the doctors in that practice really are good, but I GO TO (key words there) Dr. C" take that as encrypted "whoa nelly, you might want a different doctor!".
And most of all, remember that the bottom line is YOUR health. If you are uncertain about the care you are receiving, ask for a second opinion. Listen to your gut. Trust your instincts. There is a "Patient's Bill of Rights" which is a list of rights a patient is guaranteed.
If all else fails, it never hurts to have a local nurse in your pocket to call up and say, "Yo. I need a colonoscopy...who should I see?" 'Cuz we all know which doctors will give you the best dose of Versed. Well, scratch that. I don't know. All I could tell you is which doctor is a bit generous in his cervical exams.
And that won't help you for your colonoscopy. Just sayin'.
'Til next week!
I am looking forward to these posts, so interesting! When I was a kid I was in a car accident and broke my leg. The Orthopedic Surgeon that we got assigned to was terrible and we had that feeling about him, but we didn't really know how to switch doctors. Some years later I was watching the news and they were doing a bit on mal-practicing doctors and he was on there!
ReplyDeleteI love your talkin' shop posts. When I was in the hospital with Matthew my nurse kept saying things without actually saying them, but I understood where she was coming from. She made herself clear without compromising herself.
ReplyDeleteLove you SharkBait.
I always measure a doctor a lot on the nurses he has... we all know the nurses do most of the work :)
ReplyDeleteAnd for our pediatrician I go to where I felt like the doctor wasn't rushing in and out and really talked to my kids.
LOVE IT and TOTALLY agree! I know nurses aren't technically allowed to recommend doctors, but I simply ask them who they see, and then what insurances those doctors accept. It's worked every time. At my 6-week post partum check I saw a nurse practitioner at my new office (we'd just moved across the country) and not only did she give me a fabulous list of ALL the specialists I was looking for, but she gave me the name of her hairdresser too....and every single one of these folks is amazing!!!
ReplyDeleteJust what does "quite generous with cervical exams" mean?!?!?!
ReplyDeleteLOL! Love it and good to know! The nurses really do know what is going on and I so appreciate that! Thanks for sharing your insight!
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