# Tell me about how you got a doctor struck off **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 21, 2012, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-how-you-got-a-doctor-struck-off/632156 "2012-08-21T12:35:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-how-you-got-a-doctor-struck-off/632156/1 "2012-08-21T12:35:57Z")
Hi, I’ve had a very bad experience with a psychiatrist, and want some heartwarming stories to raise my spirits enough to complain. Have you ever got or tried to get a MD struck off? What happened? Was the White wall of silence a problem? ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-how-you-got-a-doctor-struck-off/632156/2 "2012-08-21T12:43:24Z")
“struck off” must be some sort of regional term. I assume you mean relieved of their duties of caring for you, but you may mean to “get a rise out of” considering the “White Wall of silence” comment. Not sure. If you mean the former, yes, of course, I have. I simply never returned to see them, and found a new physician. Now if you are in a mental hospital, this may be a problem, but I’ve never experienced that. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-how-you-got-a-doctor-struck-off/632156/3 "2012-08-21T12:48:10Z")
I’m from the UK, so maybe that’s it Struck off= Get the certifying board to revoke a medical practitioner’s license. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-how-you-got-a-doctor-struck-off/632156/4 "2012-08-21T12:50:35Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > Get the certifying board to revoke a medical practitioner’s license. 😕Do you REALLY think this is so common that multiple people here have done it? It would be like asking hey how many people here have had an assassin after you? If you want epic stories of medical incompetence well everyone has those. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-how-you-got-a-doctor-struck-off/632156/5 "2012-08-21T12:51:49Z")
“struck off” = formally disciplined by the profession’s regulatory body? ETA; my guess was right. Late, but correct. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-how-you-got-a-doctor-struck-off/632156/6 "2012-08-21T12:54:25Z")
> [@grude](#): > > It would be like asking hey how many people here have had an assassin after you? > > If you want epic stories of medical incompetence well everyone has those. Then I am curious why the incompetant doctors got away with it. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-how-you-got-a-doctor-struck-off/632156/7 "2012-08-21T12:56:08Z")
I know a man who got his wife’s gynecologist jail time when the MD refused to stop chasing her after she put an end to their affair. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-how-you-got-a-doctor-struck-off/632156/8 "2012-08-21T13:01:12Z")
How did “the man” do this? It seems the woman in question would have to press charges, or something. Or is this a joke? ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-how-you-got-a-doctor-struck-off/632156/9 "2012-08-21T13:02:38Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > Then I am curious why the incompetant doctors got away with it. Lack of actual harm, regulatory body not interested in the claims, no money to hire a lawyer to sue, plenty of reasons. The actual harm one is the biggie, incompetence that could have or may have lead to horrible harm is hard to get people excited about. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-how-you-got-a-doctor-struck-off/632156/10 "2012-08-21T13:06:42Z")
Struck off the register, meaning the doctor in question isn’t an official doctor any more and can no longer legally practice medicine. This is apparently called something else in the US, but I expect most other English speakers would be familiar with the term. Out of curiosity, what is it called in the US? ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-how-you-got-a-doctor-struck-off/632156/11 "2012-08-21T13:08:58Z")
I think we’d call it having their medical license revoked. Not an easy thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-how-you-got-a-doctor-struck-off/632156/12 "2012-08-21T13:12:27Z")
Lost their license to practice medicine? It is hard to lose your license actually in the USA, is it more common in the UK? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-how-you-got-a-doctor-struck-off/632156/13 "2012-08-21T13:13:40Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > How did “the man” do this? It seems the woman in question would have to press charges, or something. Or is this a joke? Yes, his wife cooperated with the prosecution. She had an affair with her gyne. At some point she attempted to end it, but he kept pursuing her. She confessed all to her husband. He then contacted the doctor, trying to get him to back off. The doctor continued with his attempts. The guy hired an attorney and it wound up in court. The case was 12 or so years ago. I’m trying to find a cite. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-how-you-got-a-doctor-struck-off/632156/14 "2012-08-21T13:21:19Z")
Extremely difficult to do in this country. Malpractice is insufficient grounds on it’s own, many doctors will be sued, and lose malpractice suits without any repercussions except financial. If a doctor hasn’t been convicted of a crime you’d have to convince a medical board consisting of doctors that one of their own should lose his God given right to practice medicine. And since doctors are God, they gave themselves that right. It’s like one of those “can God make a rock so big He can’t lift it” conundrums. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-how-you-got-a-doctor-struck-off/632156/15 "2012-08-22T10:35:10Z")
> [@grude](#): > > It is hard to lose your license actually in the USA, is it more common in the UK? I don’t know > [@TriPolar](#): > > Extremely difficult to do in this country. Malpractice is insufficient grounds on it’s own, many doctors will be sued, and lose malpractice suits without any repercussions except financial. If a doctor hasn’t been convicted of a crime you’d have to convince a medical board consisting of doctors that one of their own should lose his God given right to practice medicine. And since doctors are God, they gave themselves that right. It’s like one of those “can God make a rock so big He can’t lift it” conundrums. Oh, I’m surprised the MDs on the medical board don’t want to get rid of the competition. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-how-you-got-a-doctor-struck-off/632156/16 "2012-08-22T14:02:49Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > Oh, I’m surprised the MDs on the medical board don’t want to get rid of the competition. Sets a bad precedent. If one doctor can be removed for incompetence, then they are all vulnerable. It’s an exclusive club, members turning on each other would destroy that. ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-how-you-got-a-doctor-struck-off/632156/17 "2012-08-22T14:16:41Z")
So you had a “very bad experience” and now you’d like to try and ruin this person’s life? ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-how-you-got-a-doctor-struck-off/632156/18 "2012-08-22T21:20:40Z")
Show us on the doll where the bad shrink touched you. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-how-you-got-a-doctor-struck-off/632156/19 "2012-08-23T12:40:26Z")
> [@SmellMyWort](#): > > So you had a “very bad experience” and now you’d like to try and ruin this person’s life? They get paid a lot of money for acting competently and ethically, he didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-how-you-got-a-doctor-struck-off/632156/20 "2012-08-23T12:52:24Z")
Look if you have a real complaint, then the professional body which regulates doctors in your jurisdiction is the place to go. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-how-you-got-a-doctor-struck-off/632156.md?page=2)