Can I Quit Tomorrow?

[Adam21]

To All,

I am miserable in my residency!!

I posted a thread a while back about my being in a car accident and I was thinking of leaving; most posts said stay the course, but things have gotten much worse since then.

Does anyone know what the legal consequences would be of my quitting tomorrow, with no notice, i.e., to the state board and data bank?

They know that I am depressed and seeing a psychiatrist; I don't know if this helps me or hurts me.

They also know that I was in a car accident last month and have been having trouble sleeping, but they pretty much blew that off.

They don't know I have diabetes and am TIRED, WIPED OUT.

I want to come back to some other program at some point, if possible.

Please help,
Adam

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[Abby Normal]

Adam,

I am sorry to hear that you are so unhappy that you are contemplating leaving your residency without notice.

But given that you have posted before going through with it, it seems to me that there is a part of you which is questioning the wisdom of this. If it were me, I'd listen to this little voice.

If you can mentally "step out" of this situation and see yourself as if you were someone else, do you think that suddenly quitting would be viewed upon favorably by future residencies or employers? Probably not.

Have you explored/discussed with your PD a leave of absence, either using the Family Medical Leave Act, short-term disability or long-term disability? If you can't, and your PD is unwilling to approve a personal leave of absence, then I'd burn as few bridges as humanly possible. You may feel vindicated for the moment, but chances are that later down the road you might actually need something from these people, like a letter of recommendation.

Hopefully, your psychiatrist is also adept at psychotherapy and can help you sort it all out. If not, do consider taking advantage of whatever resources are available to you in the realm of psychotherapy, either through the hospital's Employee Assistance Program or through your regular health insurance policy.

What you are contemplating is not something a wise person should do without some kind of professional advice.

Good luck to you, and don't let the b@stard's get you down!

 

[whopper]

I hate saying it but several programs I've seen have several violations with things such as duty hours, following guidelines so residents can drive home safe etc.

Though its slowly dying out, the old culture where residents can be treated like slaves still persists in several programs.

From what you're telling me, if your case is legit, they ought to let you have time off.

Does anyone know what the legal consequences would be of my quitting tomorrow, with no notice, i.e., to the state board and data bank?

I don't know. However abandoning a position where you are a health care provider at worst can be considered quite negligent. In the absolute worst sense, it can be percieved as not taking responsibility when you signed a contract that stated you would provide health care services to those in need.

However if your case is legit, you are in a position where you can't perform your duties.

I hate saying it but maybe you ought to call a lawyer. I would do that before deciding to drop out.

 

[DrMom]

duplicate post. closing this one per OP request.

feel free to contribute to the open one in the general residency forum.