Memory Alpha
Register
Advertisement
Memory Alpha
Multiple realities
(covers information from several alternate timelines)
"Doctors and nurses are supposed to project an air of caring competence."
– Dr. Julian Bashir, 2372 ("The Quickening")
Good bedside manner

An example of good bedside manner

Bedside manner was a term used to describe one's demeanor while treating patients. It could include their tact or lack of it when discussing serious medical conditions with the patient in question, their dismissal of legitimate concerns, or kindness.

Examples of bedside manner[]

Doctors[]

Phlox
In 2153, Hudak asked Dr. Phlox if the Denobulan was practicing his bedside manner after he made conversation with him. (ENT: "The Breach")
Leonard McCoy
McCoy after he slapped Eleen

McCoy after he slapped Eleen

In 2263 of the alternate reality, after Leonard McCoy made an insensitive comment about Kirk's father, James T. Kirk asked McCoy whether he had learned about bedside manner in medical school. (Star Trek Beyond)
In 2270 of the prime universe, Leonard McCoy assured Spock that an injection of a synthesized drug for his choriocytosis wouldn't hurt a bit. When Spock rebuffed it by claiming McCoy's comments were "unnecessary" and "untrue," McCoy vowed, "That's the last time I waste my bedside manner on a Vulcan." (TAS: "The Pirates of Orion")
Beverly Crusher
In 2366, Dr. Beverly Crusher diagnosed Q with muscle spasms in his back, but showed little sympathy for his plight. The Q sarcastically praised her bedside manner, saying her patients likely recovered quickly to get away from her. (TNG: "Deja Q")
Julian Bashir
In 2370, Jadzia Dax asked Melora Pazlar if it was Dr. Julian Bashir's bedside manner that had charmed her, after the Elaysian confessed that she might be falling for him. (DS9: "Melora")
In 2372, Quark rebuffed Leeta's claims that Rom was ill and needed to lie down, saying that her knowledge of Dr. Bashir's bedside manner didn't qualify her to give medical advice. (DS9: "Bar Association")
Also that year, Bashir chalked up Ekoria's faith in him to his bedside manner. (DS9: "The Quickening")
In 2374, Lisa Cusak asked a distracted Bashir how he ever graduated medical school with the kind of bedside manner he was displaying. (DS9: "The Sound of Her Voice")
The Doctor
The Doctor was frequently criticized for his lack of bedside manner, a feature which was not exclusive to him but to the EMH Mark I in general. (VOY: "Message in a Bottle") In 2371, Tom Paris' criticism led Chakotay to suggest that one of the crewmembers of USS Voyager should train as a field medic. Captain Kathryn Janeway volunteered Paris himself. (VOY: "Parallax") There was some talk of reprogramming the EMH to be less rude, but Kes argued against it, saying he was alive and self-aware, not just a hologram. (VOY: "Eye of the Needle") By 2373, his manner had improved somewhat, as he had realized that occasionally, the truth about one's medical condition had to be given gently. (VOY: "Basics, Part II") In his quest for self-improvement, he chose several character elements from various historical figures, hoping to improve his bedside manner. (VOY: "Darkling") In 2375, when Seven of Nine told him he was the medical database, he qualified it by saying, "With two legs and a splendid bedside manner." (VOY: "Relativity")
In 2378, Tom Paris' version of "Photons Be Free" described the character based on The Doctor as having "obnoxious bedside manner" which would have to be tolerated. (VOY: "Author, Author")
T'Ana
Dr. T'Ana's grumpy personality resulted in her having some very acerbic bedside manner, and she was prone to using profanity quite often. In 2380, after treating Ensign Beckett Mariner for a stab wound, she asked Mariner if Mariner wanted her to get rid of the numerous body scars that Mariner had on her body. When Mariner declined this request, she replied saying "Congratulations, you look like a *bleep* scratching post." (LD: "Temporal Edict")

Others[]

M'Benga slapping Spock

Dr. M'Benga slapping Spock at his request

In 2259 of the alternate reality, James T. Kirk criticized what he referred to as Spock's bedside manner after the Vulcan bluntly told him that it would be "mathematically impossible" to reach his target destination after his display compass had been deactivated. (Star Trek Into Darkness)

In 2268, a dying McCoy praised Spock's bedside manner after the Vulcan said McCoy's death "could happen anytime." (TOS: "The Empath")

In 2269, Nurse Christine Chapel praised Montgomery Scott's gentle coaxing of Lieutenant Mira Romaine, saying (in a Scottish accent), "With a bedside manner like that, Scotty, you're in the wrong business." (TOS: "The Lights of Zetar")

In 2365, Dr. Katherine Pulaski told Data his bedside manner needed work, after the android examined her and assured her, "All systems are functioning within normal specifications." (TNG: "Unnatural Selection")

In 2367, Geordi La Forge explained his superfluous assurance to Data that a systems check would not hurt as bedside manner, and that it was to make him comfortable. Data assured the engineer that he was "perfectly comfortable." (TNG: "Clues")

In 2373, a badly injured Enrique Muniz complained about the nurses (in this case, Miles O'Brien), saying they were "all thumbs." When O'Brien threatened to "tighten [his] bandage like a tourniquet," Muniz criticized his bedside manner, saying he'd known nicer and prettier voles. (DS9: "The Ship")

While malfunctioning that same year, The Doctor criticized B'Elanna Torres' sensitivity, after she asked him not to bother her while she worked on him. She seemed surprised by this, asking, "You are questioning my bedside manner?" (VOY: "The Swarm")

In 2374, Jadzia Dax teased Worf about his bedside manner after the Klingon curtly informed her that her blood pressure had dropped by twenty percent, saying he should have been a doctor. (DS9: "Change of Heart")

Also that year, Bashir told Luther Sloan he had a good bedside manner when the Section 31 officer didn't use bright lights in his interrogation of the doctor. (DS9: "Inquisition")

The Doctor, after beaming aboard a Serosian vessel with B'Elanna Torres, praised her bedside manner after she asked to check his mobile emitter, rhetorically asking what kind of bedside manner Tom Paris would have while in charge of Voyager's sickbay. Later, Harry Kim noted Paris' insensitivity as he told an injured Seven of Nine how bad her injury could have been. (VOY: "Revulsion")

After Seven of Nine referred to Neelix as a cadaver, The Doctor remarked, "And they say I have a lousy bedside manner." (VOY: "Mortal Coil")

When the EMH Mark II sarcastically asked The Doctor how they were supposed to take control of the USS Prometheus, The Doctor asked him which one of them had a terrible bedside manner. This was following the Mark II's earlier assertion that the Mark I was the inferior program, identifying him by his "beady eyes and terrible bedside manner." (VOY: "Message in a Bottle")

In 2375, Tom Paris criticized Tuvok's bedside manner after the Vulcan curtly told an injured Samantha Wildman to conserve her strength. (VOY: "Once Upon a Time")

Also that year, The Doctor apologized to a Series 5 long-range tactical armor unit after B'Elanna Torres complained about having to explain what she was doing as she did it, saying she didn't share his bedside manner. (VOY: "Warhead")

In 2380, Ensign Sam Rutherford transferred to Sciences and joined Ensign D'Vana Tendi and Dr. T'Ana as a nurse. After telling an injured crewman that he was running the risk of dying and started panicking, T'Ana threw him out and told Tendi to take over. She did stop him from leaving briefly, telling him that if he couldn't muster up any bedside manner, he might as well be with the grunts in Security. (LD: "Envoys")

External link[]

Advertisement