Ethical considerations around caring for people you know

[Waitlistno2]

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I work as an EMT in the same community that I live. On countless occasions, I have taken people to the hospital who I know, friends, family of the friends, etc. I was wondering about discussing this for secondaries/interviews if it came up organically, would this be a red flag? I guess I could've handed off care to avert any potential conflict of interest, but at the expense of the time it would take to get another ambulance there to care for them.

Just wondering if anyone knows how to tiptoe around this landmine.

 

[wysdoc]

I work as an EMT in the same community that I live. On countless occasions, I have taken people to the hospital who I know, friends, family of the friends, etc. I was wondering about discussing this for secondaries/interviews if it came up organically, would this be a red flag? I guess I could've handed off care to avert any potential conflict of interest, but at the expense of the time it would take to get another ambulance there to care for them.

Just wondering if anyone knows how to tiptoe around this landmine.

Anyone who serves a small community will be serving people they know, so there is no conflict of interest here in your EMT role.
The ethical issue arises if doctors prescribe for friends & family without keeping official medical records, without evaluating them in the office, or especially if providing prescriptions for controlled substances.

 

[Goro]

This is a fine subject for prompts like dealing with difficult situations, coping, but not any type of ethical conflict, because there isn't any.

 

[LizzyM]

The ethical issue I can see is one of privacy and confidentiality as nosy people know that you know, or think that you know, the circumstances of someone's recent trip to the hospital.

 

[wysdoc]

The ethical issue I can see is one of privacy and confidentiality as nosy people know that you know, or think that you know, the circumstances of someone's recent trip to the hospital.

Good point - keeping medical treatment confidential is important so you’ll have to get used to the separation of personal/ professional roles. It can’t be a topic for gossip like who you had to make an ambulance call for and why

 

[Waitlistno2]

Anyone who serves a small community will be serving people they know, so there is no conflict of interest here in your EMT role.
The ethical issue arises if doctors prescribe for friends & family without keeping official medical records, without evaluating them in the office, or especially if providing prescriptions for controlled substances.

This is a fine subject for prompts like dealing with difficult situations, coping, but not any type of ethical conflict, because there isn't any.

The ethical issue I can see is one of privacy and confidentiality as nosy people know that you know, or think that you know, the circumstances of someone's recent trip to the hospital.

Thank you guys for assuaging my concerns, truly. As to the nosiness, I've been there, but people have generally been understanding when I say "I have an ethical and moral obligation not to discuss anything related to patient care. I appreciate you respecting that 🙂 "