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I'm mad about a phone call with a doctor!!

SLIDER-in-KY
This just really hacks me off....I was transporting a patient this afternoon whose blood pressure was really high....238/140. We've got standing orders for certain types of treatment for high blood pressure, but for the treatment I wanted to do, we have to call our "medical control" and get verbal authorization from a doctor for this medication. I called and the one doctor that none of us like answered the phone in the Emergency Room. Well, he denied my request for this treatment, which he has been known to do with several other Paramedics with our service. There was another medic in the ER that said after he got off the phone with me, he went ballistic...cussing and yelling about how much he hated to have to listen to the Paramedics when they called for various orders. This guy is a real JERK!!! The more I heard about what he was saying, the madder I got. I'm thinking about going over his head and talk to his boss (who is the hospital's medical director), but a medic going against a doctor?????? I know I won't win that fight. OK....venting session is over.[8D]
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • br549
    lots of doctors think they're GOD.
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  • dan kelly
    do it slider..get it on the record somewhere..if you request to do a procedure and your request is denied and that patient dies there could be a law suit...cover your own ass...and confront the doctor...drop the hint that if you ever hear of him cussing you out again you will deal with him outside of work...one on one, just the 2 of you, no witnesses[}:)]
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  • SLIDER-in-KY
    Bad part about this is the fact that I didn't hear his tirade myself. It was another medic that heard it. I won't deal with him "one-on-one". It's certainly not worth jeopardizing my job. Other than the B/P, the patient was stable. I just wanted to try to get the b/p under control. I think I'll talk it over with my boss first, then if need be, go to the dr's boss. Either way...I'm still mad and I've still got two hours left on this shift today. I hope I don't have to call again today because it will be my luck that I'll get that same doc on the phone.
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  • 11b6r
    Thought you knew- MD stands for Magnificent Deity. Bad case of God Complex. Usually corrected when an out-of-control pt in the ER cleans his clock. [:p]
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  • medic07
    Slider
    Go to the EMS Supervisor first with your concerns...never a complaint. The concern is that this particular physician "routinely" refuses to allow the EMT-Ps to provide medical interventions that are allowed per protocols upon consultation with the medical director.

    I would also inform the Supervisor that other EMT-Ps have had the same issue and that it was "reported" to you that he lost his professional composure upon ending communications with you.

    He is a physician and not the only one there. The hospital might take steps to inform him of the protocols and possibly even review his priveledges on their staff.

    We find out every shift who is working the two ERs in our town...makes a difference on where we take what patients.
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  • tr fox
    Document every thing that this doctor does that you consider wrong. Dates, times, locations, facts, witnesses, and when you get enough events documented, find some way to use it to bring this arrogant doctor down to his deserved level.

    Such a "diary" will often be considered to be the next best thing to an eye witness.

    JMHO
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  • watrulookinat
    I would definitely mention it so your supervisor first. But I would wait till your able to calm down some...then talk with him.
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  • glabray
    And 90% of what they do is simply prescribe whatever medications give them the biggest perks from the drug companies.
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  • KEVD18
    lopressor?
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  • dakotashooter2
    While there may be standard proceedures in place it is still within your duty to question those proceedures if your training leads you to believe they may not be effective. Quite frankly, while you are trying to provide as much information as possible to the doctor in route, he is not there. You may be seeing symptoms that are difficult to describe. You may not be a doctor but you are is eyes and ears untill the patient reaches the hospital. If he cannot trust your judgement then he is wasting a valuable diagnostic and treatment tool. If what you are asking is truely invalid and a risk to the patient his job is to deny your request but he should not be judging you for weighing all the options. Keep doing what you do (asking questions) and if he doesn't like it tough.As far as I know asking for options never killed anyone.
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