Well, that was sarcasm on my part, but I appreciate your follow-on. I work at Health Sciences University and I’ve forwarded the original story along with your anecdote to some of the teachers in our organization in order to further underline the critical need for moral courage in the medical field. And thanks for standing up for the rights of the patient!
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It’s from The Big Lebowski.
I hope what has already been done actually works as we hope.
And agree as to the other - either one has principles, or not. Sometimes, a quick comeback is just…tasty to think about, anyway, lol. Still, I trust that if you ever do have occasion to patch up one of those officers, you’ll remind them that you have met before. They don’t sound too bright, but I’m sure they’ll get the idea. And, if they continue in their present course, will sooner or later run into somebody as lacking in principles as themselves. Unfortunately for them, even your ER can’t fix stupid…
Oh, sure, but the dog gets away with it. Typical. Thanks Obama.
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Thank you for being who you are, and may you never burn out.
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Thanks for the note. I’m a little surprised by the positive reaction I’ve received from some of the people in response to my original posting. I’d like to think that the physicians who conducted the body cavity searches in the legal case are the exception rather than the rule, and that it is only the perception of non-medical civilians that feels that many physicians can’t always be trusted to do the right thing. But perhaps this is indicative of a general trend towards ER doctors bowing down to the pressure put on them by the government, in this case the police.
Congrats on working with the University system. Many of my colleagues were trained there, and from what I understand it is a good place to learn medicine. I really enjoy teaching, but I’ve found that I enjoy working in a community setting rather than an academic one. Please continue to teach the medical students that many of their hardest decisions will not be scientific ones, but will instead be about what is right and wrong in the medical setting.
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Cheers, mate. I also like to think the vast majority of medical professionals are just that, but statistics would certainly prove the latter, that there are some who abuse their authority or fail to exercise their critical thinking skills or maybe they’re just bad seeds (at least one of whom I have known). Happily, the folks at our institution are carrying the torch for ethical behavior. During this past summer break, one track at our faculty/staff conference thing was on moral courage. Eva Fogelman was a past guest speaker, as was Rebecca Skloot. So yay us, but thanks nonetheless.
Also this: Dude is allegedly driving drunk, rams cop car out of sheer stupidity so cops shoot him, deliver to ER. Post-op, cops enter room and attempt to draw blood for proof of alleged blood alcohol levels, patient resists, cops fail. Cops leave room and ask a nurse to get the sample:
Subsequently, nurse returned and drew plaintiff's blood. Although she presented herself in her capacity as plaintiff's medical provider, nurse actually drew blood for the nonmedical purpose of providing a sample of plaintiff's blood to the police. Nurse did not disclose to plaintiff her purpose for drawing blood, or that the blood draw was not in connection with medical treatment for plaintiff's benefit. Plaintiff did not object to her drawing the blood, but also did not consent to her drawing his blood for a nonmedical purpose.And later:
Plaintiff's broad consent to medical treatment is different in kind from any purported consent to a blood draw for nonmedical, law-enforcement purposes.In any case, let's be happy Dr. Ash had the wherewithal to deny the first police request to search Eckert in the NM case. Wonder where they are in the legal proceedings...
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