In any hospital inpatient prac we may have had this year we have almost undoubtedly had some form of contact with Doctors whether it be in the team meetings on ward rounds or just in general. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in saying this, but I have to admit that for most of this year I have found Doctors very intimidating, its like the Doctors are up here and down here's the little physio student. But it should not be that way and if we look at it in the right way it's not.
I've found that in the last placement I had within the hospital and my current one that Dr's are just people like us, it's obvious I know but it helps me to remember that. It's also really important that if, like me, you have a Dr phobia, that we overcome this because what we have to say is really important. I have found that on my current placement there's been many times when the Dr's have written in the notes, ?D/C this pm, and I've read that going, What?! No way! That's when we need to be confident that we know what we're talking about and either speak to the Dr directly or write in the notes that we don't exactly agree. I've also noticed on my last two hospital pracs how good a realtionship the senior physio on the ward has with the Dr's, including the consultants (If you're on first name basis with a consultant I would regard that as a good relationship) and the difference that makes. On many occasions the consultants will ask the physio what they think, and the better the relationship we can have with the medical staff the more beneficial it is for all involved.
So what I've learnt this year is that whilst there is a place for respect of Dr's and senior medical staff, we also need to be confident and sure of the importance of our role. There are so many different components of patient care and we are experts in certain areas of that care, intimidated or not we need to stand up as an advocate for the patient and say what we think when the need arises.
3 comments:
Good point, worth mentioning that even though Doctor is like a 'boss' in the hospital, it doesn't mean that we need to avoid them. Instead, multi-team cooperation improves work place relationship and harmony and patients outcome.
I agree that it is important that we even as student express concerns we have regarding our patients. I have found that RMOs are especially grateful of physio student's opinions, as they too are in the process of learning and gaining experience (not that anyone ever stops learning). I usually approach them first, but if they appear unsure or do not address the situation in a way you see as adequate, start moving up the line :). I have to say that I have nothing but positive interactions with medical staff (even though they may not have always made the best decisions initially in my opinion) and they were happy to listen to my concerns.
This is not something I’ve had a lot of experience with personally. But your point is well taken, Bronwyn. They should not be scary people. We should certainly work as a team, all members of which are respected. Isn’t it funny what that blue shirt can do to us? A supervisor once pointed out to me that no matter what we do sometimes, we cannot get away from the image that shirt projects, not because of our frame of mind, but because of other people’s. Doctors sometimes are intimidating, because they act in an intimidating way. I have certainly seen consultants act this way with my supervisors. I believe it will be important in our careers to stand up and assertively command the respect we deserve. It will take some skill, won’t it…
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