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Yikes. Is this someone who is on the faculty at your school/regularly has medical students rotate with them? If so, I would see if you can sit down with one of the deans and discuss this - you need to get this information into the hands of someone who has the ability to do something about it. I am not sure how this phone conversation you have planned with the guy would possibly be beneficial to you, though I can certainly understand the desire to be straightforward with someone who has been a mentor/friend to you.
 
LoveAndSqualor said:
Update. Just spoke with him. It's dmv reporting related to seizures. My mentor said he didn't want his name on the reports since the patients can see he reported him. He said the provider on the document was the admitting provider and he said they agreed to be the reporter who was documented and that he was given the ok to fill out the forms on their behalf. He also said that the dmv personnel know his handwriting which is why he wanted someone else to fill out the addresses/signature. I told him he should get that provider to sign the documents and he said I was right. Also said he would shred the envelopes I addressed for him.

He's community faculty. They rotate with him occasionally, but I've worked with him quite a bit.
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This is still VERY shady and leaves me with far more questions than answers. Why is he doing a PILE of envelopes for seizure reporting to the DMV all at once - I'm not a neurologist, but I can't imagine there's such a significant volume of these even on a monthly basis that he's sending them in in piles? Were the addresses you were writing for the DMV?? How would the patient even see the form, and why is he not just telling the seizure patients that it's protocol to submit this documentation to the DMV when he is appropriately recommending they not drive - he shouldn't need to hide this from the patient anyway?? Why would DMV personnel "know his handwriting," I cannot imagine a situation in which that makes any sense? If this is all above board then why did he lock the door, and why would he not just ask the admitting provider to do the forms correctly? And why would the admitting provider allow anyone else to "fill out forms on his behalf"??? That is a HUGE red flag.

You need to talk about this with someone at your school. I would not trust this guy as far as you can throw him at this point and this is giving off major fraud-y vibes. That way, you've covered your butt, the dean or whomever from your school can figure out what actually happened here and why, and if it's a problem, at a minimum they can make sure no other students are put in this position in the future.
 
Don’t sign, don’t try to medicalize your rationale. Lawyers won’t give a **** why you did it. The physician is breaching patient / physician privilege.

People have to self report these cases themselves to the DMV.
 
In my state, there are two means of reporting (a disorder of lapse of consciousness) to the DMV.

One way can be anonymous (the DMV will not reveal the report's author if the author requests this). This form can be used by a family member or neighbor. Need not be a doctor.

The other way obligates a health care provider to report to the DMV, if the provider is aware of a disorder that may affect safe driving. Doesn't matter if the driver objects. I've gotten into many serious discussions with patients when I inform them I have to do this.

I realize that this situation is likely not in my state. However, neither of these DMV actions explains this mentor's actions. I agree with all the above replies; something is fishy here!
 
Seconding the others: you’re right to report this to your school. It’s the best thing you can do to protect yourself. I’m trying to imagine the circumstances under which I’d do anything like that and can’t think of a single one.
 
The physician reporting of seizures is not necessarily sketchy. This is law in a few states. Driving restrictions for seizures varies widely by state.

What's sketchy is that this kind of thing is neurology 101, and no neurologist finishes residency without telling scores, if not hundreds, of patients they can't drive for X number of months. There's no reason not to; you just tell patients it's the law and they can get in serious trouble if they get in an accident while driving when they aren't supposed to (which is true in every state). What are they going to do, go see another neurologist who'll tell them the same thing? I'd be concerned that the initials may be for something else, and agree with the other posters that reporting this was the right move.
 
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