I need MAJOR advice.

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jusMICHx

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Recently one of my colleagues was in a physical altercation with his Program Director. It was not intentional, and the two do not have a history of bad blood. It is a long, complicated story, but basically, my colleague needed off in order to see his friend, who is very sick in the hospital. The program director took his time with getting back to my colleague..almost a month! My colleague ended up confronting his director as to what was taking so long and if he had any idea of possible dates. My colleague has been "dicked around" by his director before, and during the confrontation my colleague got very frustrated, and ended up punching his director. There has never been any ill will between the two, nor was there any malintent in terms of the confrontation. He is one of the top interns in his program, and is amazing at what he does. He has a clean record, and will be completed the program in May. He contacted his director at home that night after the confrontation, but the director told him that he had to speak with the hospital board. He is very concerned as to what is going to happen. I think that the worst thing that will happen is that he will perhaps be put on probation, or even suspended. He on the other hand is afraid that he is going to get kicked out of his program. In my opinion, being an intern of surgery, which are one of the toughest to come by now a days, having a clean record, and having no replacement(the hospital can't even afford to give him a single day off for dr's apt's due to lack of coverage), I don't think that he will be kicked out. Any opinions would be GREATLY appreciated. THANK YOU.
 
Ermm... it's difficult to give advice on a situation presented second/third hand.

But there is no such thing as an indisposable resident. I'd guess that a hospital would rather have a vacancy in an overstressed program than a resident who could become a liability.

If it was just a verbal altercation that would be one thing. But a resident who would take a swing at the PD, regardless of the reason, is someone to worry about. Patients are going to push buttons far more than the attendings during the course of our careers.
 
it's your friend and all... If I was that PD he would be gone, his career finished.. Probably press criminal charges too.
 
Plus, if I was that PD... Your friend would have got his butt kicked 😀
 
Seriously, are you posting this because you need advice, or you're trying to brag about it? You posted it in two forums, and chances are, this is probably the only incident like this that has occured recently. Which means that 1- You're not very anonymous 2- People have friends in other programs that talk, so now this story is probably making its way from program to program in the country.

Basically, any chance you had of finding another program after you are fired from this one just went up in smoke. Unless, of course, you find a PD who wants a sparring partner.
 
it's your friend and all... If I was that PD he would be gone, his career finished.. Probably press criminal charges too.

Agree! (who hit who first!) Its stange that a pre med is even talking about some altercation in post- grad medicine!! Remeber these guys have egos the size of George Bush Jr !! 😴
 
As a fellow angry dude with average to below average people skills I feel well qualified to opine. I feel like House being called in to see a case. 😀

Violence works for nation-states and police forces. It doesn't work on a personal level, especially in the professional world.

I'll admit I'm a high strung guy and I've gotten written up before for being impolite or abrupt or "rude" with people. My biggest fear is that I might accidentally let slip a swear word someday. :laugh:

However, even I'm shocked by reading this - if it is in fact true. You never, ever, ever, ever touch somebody on the job. The fact that your buddy would be "uninhibited" enough to actually act on the most base instincts raises major doubts. That's the core issue at hand. Even if it's "never happened before", the fact it would happen even once makes you wonder how this guy's brain is wired.
 
what happened with this, if this happened.
 
:laugh:

I think this has to be a fake post. I can't believe anyone would ever hit a faculty member. That = career suicide.
 
I can't quite believe this either.

I have a temper, and a certain dislike of authority, and have gotten into verbal arguments where I raised my voice to authority figures in situations where it was dumb (customs, National Park police -- never in the hospital). I've even slammed a door now and again, before medical school beat most of the fight out of me. 😳 But even imagining myself as worked up as I can get, I can't imagine actually striking another person in anger. That's something I'd expect from a six year old, not a 20- or 30-something guy. And even pissed off six-year-olds usually have enough self control to confine the pushing and shoving to other kids, not authority figures.

I kinda hope this is fake, because the idea of this person as a doctor...
 
I too would cry fake if I hadn't seen this in the surgery program I did part of my MS3 rotation in. It was an attending who punched a surgical intern, in the OR during a case. Dropped him cold. The intern (a prelim) was quietly given a month of "ambulatory surgery clinic" and taken off the call schedule for awhile and the attending was suspended. I don't know what happened after that.
 
I too would cry fake if I hadn't seen this in the surgery program I did part of my MS3 rotation in. It was an attending who punched a surgical intern, in the OR during a case. Dropped him cold. The intern (a prelim) was quietly given a month of "ambulatory surgery clinic" and taken off the call schedule for awhile and the attending was suspended. I don't know what happened after that.

The intern should have pressed charged for assault. Knocking someone out cold definitely constitutes assault. The intern was probably too worried about ruining his career, though.

However, hitting someone who is ABOVE you in the chain of command is monumentally stupid. That's gonna end badly...
 
The intern should have pressed charged for assault. Knocking someone out cold definitely constitutes assault. The intern was probably too worried about ruining his career, though.

However, hitting someone who is ABOVE you in the chain of command is monumentally stupid. That's gonna end badly...

have to say I would have gotten a whole lot more than that. not sued them or pressed charges but talk about holding all the cards. completely unacceptable behavior of random guys on the street, but physicians in an hospital.
 
In Surgery they like being bent over and raped though. You have to, to endure a surgery residency. :meanie:
 
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