# What happens when a medical intern is fired? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 1, 2009, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-medical-intern-is-fired/494928 "2009-05-01T03:20:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![No\_Wikipedia\_Cites](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@No\_Wikipedia\_Cites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Wikipedia_Cites)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-medical-intern-is-fired/494928/1 "2009-05-01T03:20:27Z")
On Scrubs, they show on occasion a medical intern getting canned. I didn’t know this would happen, with the exception of extreme ill-behavior. How can they just fire a medical intern? I thought that an internship is basically part of medical education, and is mandatory. Since it’s sort of educational, how can they be subject to the regular rules of a workplace where you can just get fired at will? And what happens afterward – do they get to restart their internship elsewhere, or are they banned from practicing medicine? ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-medical-intern-is-fired/494928/2 "2009-05-01T03:38:09Z")
Well it is a job, they do get paid. A friend’s daughter is currently at Utah State’s medical facility and get’s $45,000ish. I guess if they are paying you they can quit paying you. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-medical-intern-is-fired/494928/3 "2009-05-01T13:55:59Z")
I have to wonder why anyone would assume something seen on a sitcom would be at all representative of reality. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-medical-intern-is-fired/494928/4 "2009-05-01T14:10:41Z")
I would think it would be hard to fire them, they should have a contract. And firing them could cause a leagal problem for the hospital ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-medical-intern-is-fired/494928/5 "2009-05-01T14:43:52Z")
I don’t know whether medical internship employment is usually at will or contract, but if it’s a contract, that just means the firing needs to be in accordance with the terms of the contract, not that it can’t be done. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-medical-intern-is-fired/494928/6 "2009-05-01T14:55:42Z")
I never heard of anyone being fired, but I know an intern who quit after 6 weeks. She basically gave up the idea of ever practicing medicine and, IIRC, got a job with an insurance company, evaluating claims. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-medical-intern-is-fired/494928/7 "2009-05-01T15:15:38Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > I have to wonder why anyone would assume something seen on a sitcom would be at all representative of reality. Scrubs isn’t a documentary?! 😕 ---
**Author:** ![hobscrk777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a6a055/32.png) [@hobscrk777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hobscrk777)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-medical-intern-is-fired/494928/8 "2009-05-01T16:38:09Z")
> [@glee](#): > > Scrubs isn’t a documentary?! 😕 No, you’re thinking if _House_. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-medical-intern-is-fired/494928/9 "2009-05-01T17:16:19Z")
> [@sassyfras](#): > > On Scrubs, they show on occasion a medical intern getting canned. I didn’t know this would happen, with the exception of extreme ill-behavior. How can they just fire a medical intern? I thought that an internship is basically part of medical education, and is mandatory. Since it’s sort of educational, how can they be subject to the regular rules of a workplace where you can just get fired at will? > > And what happens afterward – do they get to restart their internship elsewhere, or are they banned from practicing medicine? Of course they can be fired. Depending on the circumstance a misdeed might result in anything from suspension to firing to disciplinary action that results in everything from temporary to permanent loss of licensure; from legal actions such as civil torts to criminal penalties. There is no special protection from bad deeds simply because your degree is MD. It’s just a job, like any other. Certainly the consequences to a career are weighed by administration, and in some ways perhaps it’s a bit harder to dot the i’s and cross the t’s. It’s not unusual to simply lose one’s position within a particular program, without further consequence being specified by the program. You are correct that at least an initial year post-Med School is required for the bare minimum licensure. A single post-grad year would not get you on staff at any Hospital, however, and you would not be eligible for any Board Certification. More typically programs are for 4 to 8 years post-Med School to be eligible for those. At any point in a program you can lose your position. In general there is a fairly robust review process for the loss of a position mid-year (program commitments are seldom more than a year at a time, even though the informal agreement might be for the duration of the program). Those who do lose their position might be given the opportunity to re-apply; if that is not offered then their choices are to look elsewhere. It would not be unusual for a different (perhaps lesser-quality) program to pick them up; it would all depend on the nature of the dismissal. I have never seen any television medical shows, so I can’t comment on what happens there. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-medical-intern-is-fired/494928/10 "2009-05-01T17:36:14Z")
Even if it is part of your education to be a fully qualified Dr. they can still kick you out, just like colleges kick students out all the time for low grades. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-medical-intern-is-fired/494928/11 "2009-05-01T22:24:44Z")
**Chief,** that was very informative. The mysteries (to me) of medical education and qualification need to be expanded. You did just that! Thanks! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2009, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-medical-intern-is-fired/494928/12 "2009-05-02T13:54:02Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > I have to wonder why anyone would assume something seen on a sitcom would be at all representative of reality. I have to wonder why someone would take the time to point this out, because in this particular case the assumption is correct. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2009, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-medical-intern-is-fired/494928/13 "2009-05-02T20:03:45Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > I have to wonder why anyone would assume something seen on a sitcom would be at all representative of reality. While comedy is a farcical parody of reality, it usually has at least some basis in reality. Never hurts to find out exactly where that inspiration comes from. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2009, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-medical-intern-is-fired/494928/14 "2009-05-02T21:09:24Z")
There was an intern on Scrubs recently who got fired for screwing off. He now has a job as a city bureaucrat on Parks & Recreation. Parks & Recreation will soon be out of business entirely for not being at all funny. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2009, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-medical-intern-is-fired/494928/15 "2009-05-02T22:18:38Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > There was an intern on Scrubs recently who got fired for screwing off. He now has a job as a city bureaucrat on Parks & Recreation. Parks & Recreation will soon be out of business entirely for not being at all funny. P&R rules. Last week’s episode had a poop fight. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2009, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-medical-intern-is-fired/494928/16 "2009-05-03T00:28:21Z")
A **dog** poop fight! And the show is a “Safe bet” to return next year. [http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/04/fall-tv-cheat-s.html](http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/04/fall-tv-cheat-s.html) > [@](#): > > Since it’s sort of educational, how can they be subject to the regular rules of a workplace where you can just get fired at will? People can be fired from jobs, people can be kicked out of school. What made you think a job with educational components would somehow be immune to such things?