# Medical Ethics: who can and cannot sleep with patients? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 5, 2006, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-ethics-who-can-and-cannot-sleep-with-patients/371549 "2006-09-05T20:09:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Emilio\_Lizardo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Emilio\_Lizardo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emilio_Lizardo)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-ethics-who-can-and-cannot-sleep-with-patients/371549/1 "2006-09-05T20:09:11Z")
I understand why it is wrong for doctors to sleep with their patients. Position of trust, responsibility, vulnerability, etc. But what about other hospital / clinic staff? Are there any ethical or professional prohibitions preventing say, orderlies, technicians, maintenence staff, among others, from having a relationship with a patient? ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-ethics-who-can-and-cannot-sleep-with-patients/371549/2 "2006-09-05T22:42:21Z")
Does your wife know that you have a crush on your x-ray tech? šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-ethics-who-can-and-cannot-sleep-with-patients/371549/3 "2006-09-05T23:06:15Z")
Yes. There are ethical restrictions placed on hospital personnel at hiring. Of course, after a patient is discharged, they are no longer a patient, now are they? šŸ˜‰ Seriously, Iā€™ve know nurses who have married patients. I think itā€™s more than a little strange, but, thatā€™s just me. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-ethics-who-can-and-cannot-sleep-with-patients/371549/4 "2006-09-05T23:52:21Z")
Are you talking about people who began a sexual relationship while one was a hospital employee and the other was a patient? How would that work, exactly? Are they doing it in the hospital room? ---
**Author:** ![Foldup\_Rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Foldup\_Rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foldup_Rabbit)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-ethics-who-can-and-cannot-sleep-with-patients/371549/5 "2006-09-06T04:41:01Z")
Actually boinking while one person is still _in_ the hospital is sort of weird. But once they leave? Nearly everyone goes to the hospital for something at some point. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-ethics-who-can-and-cannot-sleep-with-patients/371549/6 "2006-09-06T04:53:40Z")
I would imagine psychiatrists boinking even ex-patients would be something of a no-no. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-ethics-who-can-and-cannot-sleep-with-patients/371549/7 "2006-09-06T10:52:22Z")
[QUOTE=Foldup Rabbit] Actually boinking while one person is still _in_ the hospital is sort of weird. But once they leave? Nearly everyone goes to the hospital for something at some point. [/QUOTE] Hence my confusion. After they leave they are no longer a patient. Why would ethical considerations apply then? ---
**Author:** ![Emilio\_Lizardo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Emilio\_Lizardo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emilio_Lizardo)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-ethics-who-can-and-cannot-sleep-with-patients/371549/8 "2006-09-06T12:20:42Z")
> [@](#): > > Are they doing it in the hospital room? This is the scenario I had envisioned. And before you object, let me point out that it happened to a friend of mine. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-ethics-who-can-and-cannot-sleep-with-patients/371549/9 "2006-09-06T12:48:19Z")
[QUOTE=Emilio Lizardo] This is the scenario I had envisioned. And before you object, let me point out that it happened to a friend of mine. [/QUOTE] No objection. To me this is clearly unethical. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-ethics-who-can-and-cannot-sleep-with-patients/371549/10 "2006-09-06T13:20:13Z")
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal] No objection. To me this is clearly unethical. [/QUOTE] What? You mean porn films show unethical behavior? Iā€™m shocked. Shocked! ---
**Author:** ![Emilio\_Lizardo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Emilio\_Lizardo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emilio_Lizardo)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-ethics-who-can-and-cannot-sleep-with-patients/371549/11 "2006-09-06T13:43:46Z")
> [@](#): > > To me this is clearly unethical. Now weā€™re getting somewhere. Why is this unethical? What duty does, say, the X-ray tech have, that would make it wrong for her to bonk me if she were so inclined? ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-ethics-who-can-and-cannot-sleep-with-patients/371549/12 "2006-09-06T14:06:03Z")
[QUOTE=Emilio Lizardo] Now weā€™re getting somewhere. Why is this unethical? What duty does, say, the X-ray tech have, that would make it wrong for her to bonk me if she were so inclined? [/QUOTE] For starters, I am assuming that your treatment protocol excludes sex with anyone. It would certainly be against medical advice. Here is the Radiologist Code of Ethics [http://www.asrt.org/content/RTs/CodeofEthics/Code\_Of\_Ethics.aspx](http://www.asrt.org/content/RTs/CodeofEthics/Code_Of_Ethics.aspx) > [@](#): > > ``` > * The radiologic technologist conducts himself or herself in a professional manner, responds to patient needs and supports colleagues and associates in providing quality patient care. > > ``` Screwing someone while at work is unprofessional. She is getting paid to do a job. Banging the patients is not in the jub description. You can find similar codes of ethics for other medical professions using Google. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-ethics-who-can-and-cannot-sleep-with-patients/371549/13 "2006-09-06T14:31:30Z")
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal] Screwing someone while at work is unprofessional. She is getting paid to do a job. Banging the patients is not in the jub description. [/QUOTE] That is why people get lunch hours. Nothing like a nooner at the office. ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-ethics-who-can-and-cannot-sleep-with-patients/371549/14 "2006-09-06T15:09:44Z")
[QUOTE=D\_Odds] That is why people get lunch hours. Nothing like a nooner at the office. [/QUOTE] I expect that if you were to survey 100 HR people and ask them why people get lunch hours, less than 1 would give this response. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-ethics-who-can-and-cannot-sleep-with-patients/371549/15 "2006-09-06T15:30:42Z")
[QUOTE=FatBaldGuy] I expect that if you were to survey 100 HR people and ask them why people get lunch hours, less than 1 would give this response. [/QUOTE] [Jim Carrey]So you mean thereā€™s a chance![/Jim Carrey] ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-ethics-who-can-and-cannot-sleep-with-patients/371549/16 "2006-09-06T16:10:17Z")
[QUOTE=Revenant Threshold] I would imagine psychiatrists boinking even ex-patients would be something of a no-no. [/QUOTE] And you would, unfortunately, be incorrect. We (and I extend this out to all folks in the mental health field who are subject to the rules of the American Counseling Association/American Psychiatric Association/Clinical Social Workers) have a two-year waiting period during which weā€™re not allowed to see clients socially (platonically or sexually), but after that all bets are off. I know of several colleagues who routinely cull their dating pool from their client list, including at least four marriages. I personally stand by my iron-clad rule of ā€œYou donā€™t fuck crazy.ā€ šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slip\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f475e1/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slip\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slip_1)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-ethics-who-can-and-cannot-sleep-with-patients/371549/17 "2006-09-06T17:07:03Z")
Actually, according to American Psychiatric Association Ethics, sexual activity between current or \*former \* patients is unethical. Thatā€™s what I was taught during training. [Cite in section 2 (warning, PDF)](http://www.psych.org/psych_pract/ethics/ppaethics.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-ethics-who-can-and-cannot-sleep-with-patients/371549/18 "2006-09-07T14:21:22Z")
[QUOTE=Freudian\_Slip] Actually, according to American Psychiatric Association Ethics, sexual activity between current or \*former \* patients is unethical. Thatā€™s what I was taught during training. [Cite in section 2 (warning, PDF)](http://www.psych.org/psych_pract/ethics/ppaethics.pdf) [/QUOTE] Hrm.. is that new? Because I can tick off at least four people who are violating that right now, and thatā€™s just off the top of my headā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-ethics-who-can-and-cannot-sleep-with-patients/371549/19 "2006-09-07T17:42:35Z")
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal] Screwing someone while at work is unprofessional. She is getting paid to do a job. Banging the patients is not in the jub description. [/QUOTE] Sure they are. You quoted it yourself: > [@](#): > > The radiologic technologist conducts himself or herself in a professional manner, **responds to patient needs** and supports colleagues and associates in providing quality patient care. So when they are bonking them, they are just simply responding to a patientā€™s needs. Granted, those needs are not necessarily related to their actual medical problem, but they ARE responding to their needs. šŸ˜ƒ What? ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-ethics-who-can-and-cannot-sleep-with-patients/371549/20 "2006-09-07T17:47:20Z")
[QUOTE=bobkitty] And you would, unfortunately, be incorrect. We (and I extend this out to all folks in the mental health field who are subject to the rules of the American Counseling Association/American Psychiatric Association/Clinical Social Workers) have a two-year waiting period during which weā€™re not allowed to see clients socially (platonically or sexually), but after that all bets are off. I know of several colleagues who routinely cull their dating pool from their client list, including at least four marriages. I personally stand by my iron-clad rule of ā€œYou donā€™t fuck crazy.ā€ šŸ˜ƒ [/QUOTE] Itā€™s the crazy ones that have all the good pills. šŸ˜‰ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-ethics-who-can-and-cannot-sleep-with-patients/371549.md?page=2)