The hospital has hired several new hospitalists during the past few months. One in particular really clicked with me. I introduced myself to her because she had several of my patients for the day, who required a lot of attention. I had to call her several times regarding discharge planning/issues, a change in antibiotics, and family concerns.
Typically, many doctors seem to get annoyed by patient/nurse concerns and don’t communicate with the nurses as much as we would like. At the end of the week, this hospitalist repeatedly thanked me for “making her first days easier” and for “telling her any issues/concerns so we can solve them.” She even offered to buy me a coffee sometime for her gratitude.
It is really nice to see true nurse-physician communication without feeling overpowered. She valued my opinion/suggestions, took her time to assess the nurse and patient needs, and treated me like we were on the same team (which we are).
Relationships like this are so important in healthcare, yet so minimal. It is so frustrating to be hesitant to call a doctor for a legitimate concern. It’s frustrating to sense that a physician feels like they have all of the power/intelligence. It is important to remember multi-disciplinary care and recognize that each member is on the same team to serve the patient.
Until next shift,
Shania