Is it ethical to date such a person?

[The Angriest Bird]

We all know that it's unethical to date your current patient, past patients, and their friends + relatives. Is it ethical to date a person you meet in the hospital, who came to visit a patient that is not under your care? For example, if I met a girl in the hospital cafe. She came to see her grandpa in the geriatric department and I'm rotating in Ob/Gyn. Is it ethical to get her number and ask her out?

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[MrBurns10]

It's actually unethical to date anyone who has ever been to a hospital. Ever.

You're fine. The ethics of relationships is pretty subjective anyway, though dating your current patient is universally seen as a bad idea.

 

[DocPsychosis]

The ethics of relationships is pretty subjective anyway, though dating your current patient is universally seen as a bad idea.

If by "bad idea" you mean illegal, then yes, quite a bad idea.

 

[MrBurns10]

If by "bad idea" you mean illegal, then yes, quite a bad idea.

Is it technically illegal? I thought maybe it was illegal for psychiatrists/therapists to date their clients but not for other medical doctors. What I meant by "bad idea" was "unethical", but if the law intervenes also, well there you go.

 

[mjl1717]

It's actually unethical to date anyone who has ever been to a hospital. Ever.

You're fine. The ethics of relationships is pretty subjective anyway, though dating your current patient is universally seen as a bad idea.

Thats Funny!

Just an aside: I once saw a question asking which date would have the absolute worst consequences..

1)surgery patient
2)medical patient
3) obgyn patient
4)psyche patient
5)one other that I forgot

The answer was psyche patient!

 

[The Angriest Bird]

Answer my question? 🙂

It's an ethical question not legal question. It's LEGAL to date the patient on your operation table under anesthesia with a 10cm incision on the sternum. Come on.

 

[colbgw02]

Thats Funny!

Just an aside: I once saw a question asking which date would have the absolute worst consequences..

1)surgery patient
2)medical patient
3) obgyn patient
4)psyche patient
5)one other that I forgot

The answer was psyche patient!

See, I gotta take the OB patient because ya gotta figure that she's easy.

 

[JacobSilge]

Just an aside: I once saw a question asking which date would have the absolute worst consequences..

1)surgery patient
2)medical patient
3) obgyn patient
4)psyche patient
5)one other that I forgot

The answer was psyche patient!

I could see the OBGyn patient being a close runner up...

Back to the main topic, I'm pretty sure that the official AMA guidlines do not say that it is unethical to date a former patient who hasn't been under your car in at least 6 months.

 

[Law2Doc]

I could see the OBGyn patient being a close runner up...

Back to the main topic, I'm pretty sure that the official AMA guidlines do not say that it is unethical to date a former patient who hasn't been under your car in at least 6 months.

It is unethical to keep a former patient under your car.

 

[MrBurns10]

It is unethical to keep a former patient under your car.

The ethics of a patient under your car should be taken on a case by case basis. What kind of car? Is your patient pregnant? Does he/she have insurance? It's a complex issue.

 

[diosa428]

See, I gotta take the OB patient because ya gotta figure that she's easy.

? Most females go to the ob/gyn once a year. It's called an annual exam.

 

[Messerschmitts]

We all know that it's unethical to date your current patient, past patients, and their friends + relatives. Is it ethical to date a person you meet in the hospital, who came to visit a patient that is not under your care? For example, if I met a girl in the hospital cafe. She came to see her grandpa in the geriatric department and I'm rotating in Ob/Gyn. Is it ethical to get her number and ask her out?

HAHA HAHA I love this post. Dayam, you such a playa! 😛 I can't believe you're getting your game on in the hospital cafeteria. But I guess you gotta make your own opportunities when you get sick of waiting for fate, right? Best of luck!

 

[Blade28]

? Most females go to the ob/gyn once a year. It's called an annual exam.

I think he was making a joke.

 

[plauto]

We all know that it's unethical to date your current patient, past patients, and their friends + relatives. Is it ethical to date a person you meet in the hospital, who came to visit a patient that is not under your care? For example, if I met a girl in the hospital cafe. She came to see her grandpa in the geriatric department and I'm rotating in Ob/Gyn. Is it ethical to get her number and ask her out?

you forgot future patients. You cannot date future patients either 😛

 

[Blesbok]

you forgot future patients. You cannot date future patients either 😛

Or patients of anyone that you are in any way connected to their doctor. Is the potential datee seeing a doctor that once sat 3 rows over from you at a conference? Can't date them either.

 

[ACSurgeon]

😉

We all know that it's unethical to date your current patient, past patients, and their friends + relatives. Is it ethical to date a person you meet in the hospital, who came to visit a patient that is not under your care? For example, if I met a girl in the hospital cafe. She came to see her grandpa in the geriatric department and I'm rotating in Ob/Gyn. Is it ethical to get her number and ask her out?

Of course it is okay... remember when Elliot wanted to date the guy who brought in his old lady neighbor? If scrubs allowed it, it must be true! 😉

 

[bcat85]

See, I gotta take the OB patient because ya gotta figure that she's easy.

👍

But she may have VD👎

 

[yohimbine1]

Or patients of anyone that you are in any way connected to their doctor. Is the potential datee seeing a doctor that once sat 3 rows over from you at a conference? Can't date them either.

Agreed. Might as well avoid dating altogether to prevent any unethical situations

 

[Doctor J]

See, I gotta take the OB patient because ya gotta figure that she's easy.

😆

Thank you folks, he'll be here all night, don't forget to tip the bartender...

 

[Messerschmitts]

Or patients of anyone that you are in any way connected to their doctor. Is the potential datee seeing a doctor that once sat 3 rows over from you at a conference? Can't date them either.

Ha ha ha. I guess you can date your wife, whom you married before medical school because you anticipated this conundrum. And if you didn't get married before medical school...you can always order a Russian mail-order bride.

 

[mjl1717]

I could see the OBGyn patient being a close runner up...

Back to the main topic, I'm pretty sure that the official AMA guidlines do not say that it is unethical to date a former patient who hasn't been under your car in at least 6 months.

Yes, my initial thought was that the answer was the ObGyn patient.

 

[ClockworkDoc]

The ethics of a patient under your car should be taken on a case by case basis. What kind of car? Is your patient pregnant? Does he/she have insurance? It's a complex issue.

👍

 

[DickyV]

Ha ha ha. I guess you can date your wife, whom you married before medical school because you anticipated this conundrum. And if you didn't get married before medical school...you can always order a Russian mail-order bride.

Just make sure said mail-order bride has never been to a doctor, either.

In seriousness, I think the OP is clear on the ethics side of things.

 

[KeepJumping]

When it comes to dating... think of it this way: Could your reputation as a future doctor be damaged in any way if you dated this person? We've worked too hard to let someone damage our reputation.

Going back to the OP's question about dating a non-patient visitor in the hospital... if that relationship went sour, could someone find out you were perusing on your lunch hour during work? How would that look? Yikes! I'd stay away from that! I wouldn't want that getting back to my attending, who expects me to work when I'm at work.

 

[Hayden2102]

Er... why would the attending care about what you're doing in your lunch hour?

 

[Messerschmitts]

When it comes to dating... think of it this way: Could your reputation as a future doctor be damaged in any way if you dated this person? We've worked too hard to let someone damage our reputation.

Going back to the OP's question about dating a non-patient visitor in the hospital... if that relationship went sour, could someone find out you were perusing on your lunch hour during work? How would that look? Yikes! I'd stay away from that! I wouldn't want that getting back to my attending, who expects me to work when I'm at work.

Well, if you can't meet someone at "work", and you're too busy as a med student to have a life outside of work, where the frack are you supposed to meet someone? Give us some wiggle room! Not all of us were lucky enough to have been married/engaged prior to beginning med school! 😛

 

[Hurricane95]

Past patients are perfectly ok dude. At least I'm not cutting my boundaries. I know a doc who had the hots big time for one of his patients, who in his words was "hot as ****." He proceeded to ask her nicely to let his colleague whom he regards highly take over her care from then on. He then proceeded to start dating her a week later and they're now engaged. Needless to say there's loopholes in every "rule." He now gets to give her a physical exam WHENEVER he wants (assuming she's in the mood) 😀

 

[Messerschmitts]

Past patients are perfectly ok dude. At least I'm not cutting my boundaries. I know a doc who had the hots big time for one of his patients, who in his words was "hot as ****." He proceeded to ask her nicely to let his colleague whom he regards highly take over her care from then on. He then proceeded to start dating her a week later and they're now engaged. Needless to say there's loopholes in every "rule." He now gets to give her a physical exam WHENEVER he wants (assuming she's in the mood) 😀

Good for him! Ha ha although, I can't resist pointing out that would totally be the wrong answer on USMLE Step 1. According to Kaplan Q-bank, once you have accepted responsibility for caring for a patient, you are apparently not allowed to relinquish that responsibility. If you click on "tell the patient you can no longer be her doctor because you'd like to date her", you get a big fat red x! 😛

 

[jbrice1639]

Er... why would the attending care about what you're doing in your lunch hour?

what's a "lunch hour"...?

 

[spreebee]

Yes, my initial thought was that the answer was the ObGyn patient.

Hey, I heard of this doc in my town cheating on his wife with his patient during an annual exam....He also got sued later on by the patient after his wife divorced him...

 

[Law2Doc]

Past patients are perfectly ok dude.

There are ethical issues with former patients. The AMA rules indicate "Sexual or romantic relationships with former patients are unethical if the physician uses or exploits trust, knowledge, emotions, or influence derived from the previous professional relationship." In law, the lines prohibiting dating of former clients are even stronger than the AMA language. It's certainly not something you can say is "perfectly ok dude" as a blanket statement. It is something you can perhaps navigate through, but you need to be very cognizant that you on ethical thin ground.

See eg.

http://www.managedcaremag.com/archives/0211/0211.ethics.html

and in the UK, http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/333/7579/1132?ck=nck

 

[yohimbine1]

good post. Ethics are subjective debates but law is more concrete.

 

[Mr Cookie Pants]

Good for him! Ha ha although, I can't resist pointing out that would totally be the wrong answer on USMLE Step 1. According to Kaplan Q-bank, once you have accepted responsibility for caring for a patient, you are apparently not allowed to relinquish that responsibility. If you click on "tell the patient you can no longer be her doctor because you'd like to date her", you get a big fat red x! 😛

Pediatrics: double win-

Attractive 17 y/o becomes doubly legal for her pediatrician to date at 18!

 

[hmm...]

If the person is not your patient and came in with their ailing relative, it is not ethical to date them. They are in a weakened psychological and emotional state and doctors/med students will seem to an authority figure that help them cope with their feelings. You are deluding yourself if you think that her/his warm feelings towards you is equivalent to sad person at a bar seeking comfort in you.

 

[Messerschmitts]

If the person is not your patient and came in with their ailing relative, it is not ethical to date them. They are in a weakened psychological and emotional state and doctors/med students will seem to an authority figure that help them cope with their feelings. You are deluding yourself if you think that her/his warm feelings towards you is equivalent to sad person at a bar seeking comfort in you.

I give up, I guess I'm gonna be single forever then. 😛

 

[hmm...]

Hey. all the staff are fair game. I've seen some pretty hot nurses.

 

[Messerschmitts]

Hey. all the staff are fair game. I've seen some pretty hot nurses.

All the staff around here have rings on their fingers. What gives? 🙁

 

[abooodMD]

We all know that it's unethical to date your current patient, past patients, and their friends + relatives. Is it ethical to date a person you meet in the hospital, who came to visit a patient that is not under your care? For example, if I met a girl in the hospital cafe. She came to see her grandpa in the geriatric department and I'm rotating in Ob/Gyn. Is it ethical to get her number and ask her out?

Is it a crime to date such a girl ???
Dude, in my point of view it is not " unethical " to date a patient's guest.
Look with full attention;
any girl you will become engaged with will be:
your patient, your colleague's patient, a visitor for your patient, a visitor for your colleague's patient OR she'll be your patient or your colleague's patient after meeting her.
Am I wrong?
personally, I don't like any doc to date his patient, but regarding to your previous post, in this case it is ok to date that girl which came to see her grandpa, if she was cute of course .

 

[y2janitor]

is she hot? lets see a pic

 

[Doctor1982]

Hey, I heard of this doc in my town cheating on his wife with his patient during an annual exam....He also got sued later on by the patient after his wife divorced him...

I don't know why that's so funny...but it is!

 

[DrSuicideBarbie]

Is it technically illegal? I thought maybe it was illegal for psychiatrists/therapists to date their clients but not for other medical doctors. What I meant by "bad idea" was "unethical", but if the law intervenes also, well there you go.

Oy Gevalt! Don't tell me Uncle Sam is dabbling in the private affairs of free citizens once again!?!?!?!?