The docs talked of firing a gun up the patient's rectum and punching him in the face; closely examined his genitals for funsies, with the goal of humiliating the patient; told everyone in the room that he had tuberculosis, syphilis; falsified his medical records; deceived the patient into thinking he had received post-op instructions from the one of the plaintiffs when he had not; called him "gay", a "whimp", a "******", etc.
And some of you are defending the plaintiffs?
Holy ****
And you can't see how it would cause psychological suffering for the patient? Or distrust of the medical establishment?
Jesus.
I am seriously and painfully astounded at the rationalizations here.
Also, again, if you are doing and saying the right things, you will not have a problem. The paranoia is w/ those that assume they would.
Remember, the patient and his/her family are the VULNERABLE ones here.
If you fix my car and talk smack about me while I'm away and you are fixing it, and if you do a good job, yet I hear about your smack talk against me, I may just address you and say, "YOU did a great job fixing my car. I sincerely appreciate that you did. I don't, however, understand why you felt the need to talk smack about me. Maybe you were having a bad day or whatever; but this kind of thing is bad for your business. And it is a shame, since you are such a talented mechanic."
Now, compare this to physicians and those involved in direct delivery of care to humans. Some pre-physicians and physicians don't want to buy that being a physician is a calling; but you see, it is. It goes far and away above simply performing a particular service. And there is the problem with some in HC today. It's all about services and fees, while the calling and the sense of humanitarian commitment isn't there. And I am telling you that this is a HUGELY problematic way for the medical profession to go.
You want to talk about advanced practice nursing overstep or other mid-level overstep? Holistic approach and human ethics and caring is thick in many and hopefully most nursing programs worth anything at all. Why? B/c it is a profession based on holistic, human need. It realizes that patients want and need to know that you actually give a damn about them--both in terms of the medical services you provide and about them holistically speaking. You can
try to separate these two things; but it doesn't work. Hell, it doesn't work even in veterinary medicine. I could you a number of real life examples that illuminate this point.
What does it mean to be caring and humane? What does it mean to be someone that has a high level of expectation in terms of providing for people's health needs and such with respect, honest to goodness compassion, and genuine dignity. Yea.
This is a calling, b/c as you do treat people with compassion, respect, and dignity, it shouldn't be based on merely whether or not you particularly like the said personality of said patient. And it should not simply be about whether or not you can fix a particular part of the person's body/condition. That person isn't a car. He or she is a multiply complex being--JUST AS YOU ARE.
Say what you want about nursing; but at my university program and even my initial ADN program, we had a ton of ethics courses or ethics throughly weaved in to the courses, which were thought-provoking and eve stirring. Of course some nursing students just get through them to get them done. But others of us really try to stretch and grow from our education.
I don't know how much of the tendency to be compassionate is nature or nurture/education. But what I do know is even beyond all the various ethical issues and dilemmas presented, there is one simple rule that has spoken to me deeply from my childhood. It is this:
"Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you." How would you as the patient want to be treated? IF you or your loved one was on that table, how would you want things to be conducted?
And sadly b/c some people don't have enough internal stuff to fully appreciate this; messages are sent from juries or judges For example, some stinging damages and such noted in this original, nightmarish story. Heck, those consequences are not going to kill the defendant.
I hope they do help her to get some needed help and insight before she actually does end up losing her license. As long as you have a license, you can get some kind of work.
Stand back and thing about this just for a second. It is a good thing that people have a high level expectation of humanity-driven care from the medical profession. Who you really want it to be any other way????? People need to have a high level of respect and trust of those that so intimately and powerfully affect their lives.
To much is given, much is expected. Physicians everywhere should be glad they didn't give this woman a merely slap on the wrist. That would undermine the very profession in which you have chosen (and have worked so hard) to serve. Value what being a physician actually means.
Also, remember one day YOU OR YOUR LOVED ONE will be on the other end of receiving some very serious care. I pray you don't have to wait until that point to get some insight about what being a genuinely caring, respectful, and effective physician means--and yes, genuine caring goes hand in hand w/ effectiveness--even if you want to think otherwise. See if you care, you make it your business to know your business and incorporate that with the required compassion and dignity and respect. Try separating these from each other and all you have is something much worse that a robot--as the anesthesiologist clearly was in this example--unless the robot had been programmed to behave like a totally careless ass.