# Idiot doctor almost paralyzes patient **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 9, 2002, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-doctor-almost-paralyzes-patient/123156 "2002-08-09T15:23:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2002, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-doctor-almost-paralyzes-patient/123156/21 "2002-08-10T13:33:19Z")
Momentary chime-in to extol the virtues of residents… I work with residents daily. I haven’t met one yet that I’d even consider borderline, much less inept. Oh, sure, some can be pricks, but they’ve all been well qualified to do what they do. I think med school does a fairly good job of weeding out the ones who shouldn’t become MDs. I also think that the 24/48/72 hour shift thing is ridiculous. Patients should refuse to be seen by anyone who has been on duty for more than, say, 10-12 hours. That’d end that practice forthwith. As for the doc in the OP…he should be restricted to processing stool samples for a year of so. ---
**Author:** ![Nightingale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@Nightingale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightingale)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2002, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-doctor-almost-paralyzes-patient/123156/22 "2002-08-10T17:01:00Z")
The surgeon in the article should have his license revoked. In defense of residents. . . I work with medical residents every single day. Once in a great while, I encounter one who is a brilliant clinical genius. Even more rarely, I run across a total idiot. About 99.9% of them are exactly what you’d expect – newly graduated professionals who are working hard to build their clinical knowledge. They simply lack experience, which is why they are closely supervised by an attending physician. The only ones I think of as “nightmares” are the ones that walk through the door thinking they know everything. ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-doctor-almost-paralyzes-patient/123156/23 "2002-08-11T00:16:08Z")
I read about this case in the Washington Post newspaper. I think the doctor in question is appealing the decision. I hope that the medical board, right before they fire him, say one phrase, “Direct Deposit!!” ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-doctor-almost-paralyzes-patient/123156/24 "2002-08-11T01:04:01Z")
I know a little about residents, since the aforementioned **dr\_mom\_mcl** is a resident advisor for the department of family medicine at the university that runs the hospital she works at. I don’t recall her ever complaining about the quality of the residents (whom she calls “my young doctors”), although I have heard her lamenting sympathetically about the amount of sleep they get. I do assume people know that all doctors were residents once, including the fabulous ones. ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-doctor-almost-paralyzes-patient/123156/25 "2002-08-11T02:57:43Z")
For what it’s worth, the article doesn’t say that a resident took over, just a surgeon that wasn’t qualified to do the surgery. How great or awful residents are doesn’t figure into this particular issue. The point is he left a patient OPEN on the table to go attend to personal business without having a qualified backup person to assist. Incredibly weird and irresponsible. The patient’s needs come first, not his checking account balance. I’m at a loss as to why he couldn’t send someone else to deposit the check. (At my credit union, anyone can deposit money to my account, just not withdraw from it). Either way, this guy sounds dangerous. Talk about a lack of judgement. The issue doesn’t sound like he needed a break, it sounds like the operation ran late and he was worried he wouldn’t get to the bank. It’s not a reflection on physicians in general (by any means), and I strongly disagree with this: > [@](#): > > Everyone ALREADY thinks that doctors are sneaky little self-important, money-grubbing, heartless vermin. Why add fuel to the fire? Who is everyone? Even the worst physicians I’ve dealt with don’t match this description. I think someone has issues that go beyond anger at the situation in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Wildcatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eada6e/32.png) [@Wildcatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wildcatz)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2002, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-doctor-almost-paralyzes-patient/123156/26 "2002-08-11T06:39:51Z")
> [@](#): > > Sorry we can’t all come out of medical school as fully-trained clinical geniuses. Sorrier still that this doctor–a private doc I assume–has seen fit to let a resident rotate with him, to try to pass on some of his knowledge and experience. **DrJ** , understand that this comes from having to deal with many residents that have made (or attempted to make) lousy choices in patient care or have the attitude that no matter what ANYone says they are right. I, and other nurses that I have worked with, just cringe because we are afraid it’s one of those residents that will be sweeping through. The doctors at the office have often made comments about the same thing. I do try to remember that every doctor was a resident at some point as **matt\_mcl** points out, but when the resident refuses to accept input things can and will go wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-doctor-almost-paralyzes-patient/123156/27 "2002-08-12T01:16:54Z")
“… Everyone ALREADY thinks that doctors are sneaky little self-important, money-grubbing, heartless vermin.” I am **not** sneaky. But seriously, folks… To be more accurate, the OP should probably have referred to the increased risk of infection and anesthesia-associated complications, rather than the patient supposedly being “almost paralyzed”. I’ve seen nothing to indicate that MoronDoc left a resident in charge, just that the M.D. remaining in the O.R. was not qualified to complete the surgery (or to handle all complications that could have arisen from MoronDoc’s prolonged absence?). I agree that MoronDoc should have his operating privileges suspended and face other sanction from his state medical board. Thankfully, his is a very atypical case. ---
**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2002, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-doctor-almost-paralyzes-patient/123156/28 "2002-08-12T13:45:54Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Kn_ckers \* > \*\*Everyone ALREADY thinks that doctors are sneaky little self-important, money-grubbing, heartless vermin. \*\* This is completely untrue. I don’t think this, and I don’t know anyone else who does. This is a shocking and awful case, but what about the thousands of other surgeries that were completed without incident that day? The particular doctor talked about in the story was an irresponsible, selfish asshole, but that doesn’t cause me to think that all doctors are. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2002, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-doctor-almost-paralyzes-patient/123156/29 "2002-08-13T12:06:35Z")
Other than the quite obvious “direct deposit” route, surely he realizes that anyone can deposit a check on your behalf. Simply write “For Deposit Only” with your signature on the back of the check and a freaking monkey can deposit it. Anyone know how far the bank was? ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2002, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-doctor-almost-paralyzes-patient/123156/30 "2002-08-13T14:10:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PunditLisa \* > Anyone know how far the bank was? Mount Auburn hospital is less than half a mile from Harvard Square, where the bank was. It’s a pretty short walk. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idiot-doctor-almost-paralyzes-patient/123156.md?page=1)