What are some of the ways physicians maintain their dominance? The majority of these behaviors are nonverbal:

• Poor eye contact or raised eyebrows
• Never bothering to learn your name
• Ignoring you
• One-word answers
• Sarcastic tone of voice
• Body language that says, “I am better than you”
• Eyes that say, “You are bothering me”

Acknowledging this power difference is the first step in learning to communicate with physicians, because the vast majority of all communication is nonverbal. As new nurses, sometimes we just can’t put our finger on why we hesitate to approach a physician. You may need to remind yourself that these are learned behaviors and not to take them personally.

Source: Stressed Out About Communication Skills, HCPro Inc., 2007. For more information on our series of Stressed Out books, visit www.stressedoutnurses.com