I have spent a lot of time volunteering in the emergency department at Saint Elizabeth in Edgewood and through this I have started to figure out what makes a good physician/nurse relationship. The most important aspect of this relationship is respect. A physician who doesn't treat the nurses with respect will be hated by many and his/her work will suffer. A nurse who is disrespectful to a physician will not be relied on and his/her work will also suffer. So for a good relationship, mutual respect is key. For example, the physician must not talk down to the nurse and in the same breath, the nurse must listen to the physician and not talk back. That is not to say that they cannot disagree, but these situations need to be handled in a respectful way for both parties. The physician/nurse relationship should not be treated as a boss/worker relationship but as a relationship between colleagues. Each colleague is better suited for a specific set of tasks/ordeals and as such each knows how to handle those given ordeals in a more appropriate manner. I hope this makes sense!
Just as the physician/nurse relationship requires respect, so too does the physician/patient relationship. A patient must respect his/her physician and understand that they know what they are doing (i mean, they don't go through all of that schooling because it is fun...). In the same breath, a physician must treat his/her patient with respect in the sense that the patient is a person in need of help. I think it is important that a physician forms a sort of friendship with the patient in that he/she doesn't just see them as another sick body. But with that, I feel that the physician can't get too close to the patient because that closeness has the ability to hinder the abilities of the physician. Once again, i hope this all makes sense. I Have never really thought about these questions before but now I have a lot to think about!
The physician basically has to be loyal to the patient, because they have come to this person for medical assistance. The physician has a moral obligation to help them - they have put their lives in the hands of this person. The physician has to have a sense of virtue that relates to the patient on a personal level, and provides options of treatments for the sake of the patient's well being, and not just for the sake of doing their jobs. The patient should get a say in what happens, but they must also respect the physician knows best in terms of medicine, as Craig stated previously. They must make decisions together, and I find it more effective when they see each other as "friends" rather than the doctor and the patient (as cheesy as that sounds). The same calls for the relationship between the nurse and the physician! You can't have a happy work environment if one spectrum is treated with less respect than the other. Yes, the physician is considered higher on the totem pole, but he/she would not have a well oiled machine if it weren't for the entire staff. I think it really does just come down to respect. The nurse must understand that the physician does his/her job, and the physician needs to see that the nurses have important tasks as well. Be friends, ya jackwagons.
The relationship between a physician and patient should be based on trust and respect. The patient has to trust the physician to decide what is best for their well being and they have to respect their decisions.The patients is putting their life in the hands of the physician and has to trust that the physician will do what is best for them. Likewise the physician has to respect the requests of the patient and trust that the patient will follow the instructions given. If the physician doesn't respect the patient then their treatment and effort will be diminished which could end horribly.
Similar to the patient and physician, the relationship of a physician and nurse also has to have trust and respect. If a physician doesn't respect a nurse and doesn't treat her right then the work place becomes very hostile. The doctor has to respect the nurse and her decisions and trust that she knows what she is doing. If the doctor second guesses everything the nurse does then there will never be any progress. The nurse in return has to trust the decisions of the physician and respect his requests. The nurses do a lot of the hands on work with the patients for the physicians and it the nurse doesn't trust the doctor then it is going to make it hard to perform the requested tasks with the patient.
I’m going to sound like a broken record here, but I agree with all of those before me - respect is an essential component in a relationships between a physician and a nurse, as well as the relationship between a physician and a patient.
Physician/Nurse: Both nurses and physicians need to be aware that they both went into a field where they must care for others, and they must also be aware that caring for others is their number one priority, and that the relationship between them should never interfere with that. The relationship requires respect and collaboration. There needs to be constant communication about updates on patients so that everyone is on the same page. I’m stressing the importance of collaboration here because respect is one thing, but to completely trust every decision made by the other without question is detrimental. I know that seems pretty cynical, but come on, it’s true. There needs to be verification on absolutely everything. The respect here needs to go in two ways: the doctors and nurses must respect that each other is competent and knows how to do their job, and they also must respect each other enough to ask questions and most importantly confirm diagnoses, treatments, and patient updates. I agree with everyone before me about the importance of respect and trust, but there is a fine line that accompanies trust, which frankly makes me nervous…
Physician/Patient Respect is also essential here. The patient needs to respect that the doctors are there to help them, and that they know what they are doing. They need to… trust… that they are doing everything they can do help them. The doctor, then, needs to respect the needs and wants of the patient, and they need to respect that the patient’s opinion matters also.
I have spent a lot of time volunteering in the emergency department at Saint Elizabeth in Edgewood and through this I have started to figure out what makes a good physician/nurse relationship. The most important aspect of this relationship is respect. A physician who doesn't treat the nurses with respect will be hated by many and his/her work will suffer. A nurse who is disrespectful to a physician will not be relied on and his/her work will also suffer. So for a good relationship, mutual respect is key. For example, the physician must not talk down to the nurse and in the same breath, the nurse must listen to the physician and not talk back. That is not to say that they cannot disagree, but these situations need to be handled in a respectful way for both parties. The physician/nurse relationship should not be treated as a boss/worker relationship but as a relationship between colleagues. Each colleague is better suited for a specific set of tasks/ordeals and as such each knows how to handle those given ordeals in a more appropriate manner. I hope this makes sense!
ReplyDeleteJust as the physician/nurse relationship requires respect, so too does the physician/patient relationship. A patient must respect his/her physician and understand that they know what they are doing (i mean, they don't go through all of that schooling because it is fun...). In the same breath, a physician must treat his/her patient with respect in the sense that the patient is a person in need of help. I think it is important that a physician forms a sort of friendship with the patient in that he/she doesn't just see them as another sick body. But with that, I feel that the physician can't get too close to the patient because that closeness has the ability to hinder the abilities of the physician. Once again, i hope this all makes sense. I Have never really thought about these questions before but now I have a lot to think about!
I think a friendship relationship is too risky because it could potentially get in the way of the doctor's ethical decisions and actions.
DeleteSorry, I guess I could have read the rest of your paragraph! I agree! Let's just say that doctors and patients should have an acquaintance-ship!
DeleteThe physician basically has to be loyal to the patient, because they have come to this person for medical assistance. The physician has a moral obligation to help them - they have put their lives in the hands of this person. The physician has to have a sense of virtue that relates to the patient on a personal level, and provides options of treatments for the sake of the patient's well being, and not just for the sake of doing their jobs. The patient should get a say in what happens, but they must also respect the physician knows best in terms of medicine, as Craig stated previously. They must make decisions together, and I find it more effective when they see each other as "friends" rather than the doctor and the patient (as cheesy as that sounds).
ReplyDeleteThe same calls for the relationship between the nurse and the physician! You can't have a happy work environment if one spectrum is treated with less respect than the other. Yes, the physician is considered higher on the totem pole, but he/she would not have a well oiled machine if it weren't for the entire staff. I think it really does just come down to respect. The nurse must understand that the physician does his/her job, and the physician needs to see that the nurses have important tasks as well. Be friends, ya jackwagons.
The relationship between a physician and patient should be based on trust and respect. The patient has to trust the physician to decide what is best for their well being and they have to respect their decisions.The patients is putting their life in the hands of the physician and has to trust that the physician will do what is best for them. Likewise the physician has to respect the requests of the patient and trust that the patient will follow the instructions given. If the physician doesn't respect the patient then their treatment and effort will be diminished which could end horribly.
ReplyDeleteSimilar to the patient and physician, the relationship of a physician and nurse also has to have trust and respect. If a physician doesn't respect a nurse and doesn't treat her right then the work place becomes very hostile. The doctor has to respect the nurse and her decisions and trust that she knows what she is doing. If the doctor second guesses everything the nurse does then there will never be any progress. The nurse in return has to trust the decisions of the physician and respect his requests. The nurses do a lot of the hands on work with the patients for the physicians and it the nurse doesn't trust the doctor then it is going to make it hard to perform the requested tasks with the patient.
I’m going to sound like a broken record here, but I agree with all of those before me - respect is an essential component in a relationships between a physician and a nurse, as well as the relationship between a physician and a patient.
ReplyDeletePhysician/Nurse:
Both nurses and physicians need to be aware that they both went into a field where they must care for others, and they must also be aware that caring for others is their number one priority, and that the relationship between them should never interfere with that.
The relationship requires respect and collaboration. There needs to be constant communication about updates on patients so that everyone is on the same page. I’m stressing the importance of collaboration here because respect is one thing, but to completely trust every decision made by the other without question is detrimental. I know that seems pretty cynical, but come on, it’s true. There needs to be verification on absolutely everything. The respect here needs to go in two ways: the doctors and nurses must respect that each other is competent and knows how to do their job, and they also must respect each other enough to ask questions and most importantly confirm diagnoses, treatments, and patient updates. I agree with everyone before me about the importance of respect and trust, but there is a fine line that accompanies trust, which frankly makes me nervous…
Physician/Patient
Respect is also essential here. The patient needs to respect that the doctors are there to help them, and that they know what they are doing. They need to… trust… that they are doing everything they can do help them.
The doctor, then, needs to respect the needs and wants of the patient, and they need to respect that the patient’s opinion matters also.