International Race Station

When I worked at H. C. Frick Hospital in Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania we had a myriad of doctors from a multitude of countries. It was like the United Nations at times. Sometimes things were peaceful and other times as a nursing supervisor, I had to act as a referee. Often the disputes were between physicians and nurses, but there were times it was between doctors and patients of patient families. Only rarely was it between doctors and other physicians.

We had physicians from the Middle East, Italy, India, Sri Lanka, Korea, Latin America, and even a few from the United States. Many times I was able to avert major problems. Getting to know each physician was crucial. Knowing how to approach them without affronting them or damaging their image of themselves was the key. Often asking a question that I already knew the answer could sway the argument and eliminate a confrontation without damaging their self-esteem.

When I worked the emergency department, I noticed a woman had a fruity odor to her breath. It was a sure sign of diabetes. I looked at the orders the doctor had written, but there was no blood sugar ordered. I mentioned that he might want to include it. When He asked why, I asked if he’d noticed the odor of her breath. He checked her, then said to me, “Good catch.”

Another doctor was telling a woman that she had contact dermatitis, but I saw from across the room that the rash was only on one side of her face. After repeating loudly several times that it was only on one side of her face, the doctor changed the diagnosis to shingles and his virtue remained intact.

An obstetrician had a bad habit of falling back to sleep after she was called to inform her that one of her patients had arrived. If the nurses called the second time, she would come in angry and almost abuse the staff. I walked onto the unit and the nurses were discussing what to do. I suggested they call her and ask for Louise. When the doctor would tell them there was no Louise there, they could say, “Sorry. I must have the wrong number.” They did and the doctor came in and was very pleasant.

We had a Singh Sheikh who wore colorful head wrappings, several physicians from the Middle East, and one from Sri Lanka. We had one doctor from the Netherlands, three from Sicily, and one from Turkey, learning their foibles was the key to keeping the peace.