Confronting doctors is not very easy when you are a nurse. At the same time, it’s the duty of nurses to act as the final piece of defense for our patients, always aiming to do right by the patient. Someone has to ensure to get it right. So, what should be done when you come to know that a doctor has placed the wrong orders? This is unfortunately not as uncommon as one might hope. It’s actually a fairly regular issue that is being faced by nurses more often in all corners of the globe. How can this be solved?

Disagreeing with a doctor

What would you do in this situation? You have come to know that a patient is suffering from some kind of illness or discomfort, and the patient is reporting the same to the doctor on staff. The doctor says there is no issue with the patient, and asks you to leave the patient as such. What will you do now? Some nurses will not question the doctor since he/she is whom they report to. And it’s understandable that it’s difficult to question your boss, as job security becomes a fear. When it comes to personal issues, we always to tend to do whatever is good for us. But, being in a field where we are responsible for our patients, we have to make the right choice in doing what is best for them, too.

In some other cases, nurses might tend to question doctors only to get criticized by the doctors. However, if you are able to question back, you could set an example for all the nurses in your organization and perhaps, in a good way. So, think twice before you leave the issue unnoticed. If another nurse sees you questioning your doctor for clarity or consideration, he or she who was afraid to ask questions in the past might get the courage to rise up against the wrong orders as well. When more nurses do this, then more doctors will become conscious of what they are doing and become more careful in certain situations.

In what situations should nurses be assertive?

No matter how new you are to the field or your job, there are some situations in which nurses should always be assertive enough to speak up in times of a doctor’s wrong orders.

Firstly, it is very important to confront doctors when you find that their orders don’t match up with the patient’s individual needs. Sometimes, the entire lot of orders will be intended for another patient. Confronting these things will be easier for you, because these are obvious oversights and it is easier to point out a mistake than to question doctors about their judgments. In these situations, just tell your doctor that you want to double check something and ask questions that won’t lead to an argument.

In other situations, you may have to start a slightly harder conversation. This might seem impossible for some of you. But still, you need to rise up especially when the error is so obvious and is a clear judgmental error. In these cases, you need to be able to question the doctors’ judgment and confirm his or her intention. A further level of confrontation becomes particularly difficult, which is when you have already questioned the doctor about his or her judgment and he or she persists in a treatment course that cannot be accepted. Although you cannot start up a heated conversation with the doctor, you should not let it go.

Keeping your patient’s best interest in mind

In such cases, try to explain to the doctor that his or her order is questionable, and do your best to explain why. You may have to dig deep to find the patience you need to get through to the doctor. In this situation, be as polite and humble as possible. Then, he or she may take the time to verify the treatment course that was ordered. Some doctors might think they have more expertise when compared to a nurse, and this could pave way for the ego and wrong attitude towards you. But, you need to maintain your patience by not losing your temper. This is possible if you keep remembering that your ultimate aim is to provide the right treatment for the patient and nothing else.

Also, remember that although doctors are superiors when it comes to treatment planning, they are not miracle workers. Human errors are natural and there is nothing wrong with that. By helping them out whenever they are getting it wrong, you are going to build his or her trust while being able to reach your goal, which is, the right treatment for the patients! If you are able to succeed in one or two cases, your courage to rise against mistakes will eventually develop, thus, paving a way to a bright future for yourself and to the field in which you are working. Nursing is not just a career to make money, but a career to serve others – your patients.