fafalone Posted October 11, 2002 Posted October 11, 2002 On ER tonight, all the doctors and nurses walked out because of horrible working conditions, leaving the patients without care. This has happened a few times in real life. Where do all the health related members (and everyone else too) weigh in on this?
aman Posted October 11, 2002 Posted October 11, 2002 The squeeky wheel gets the greese. I don't know what other option they have when they are blocked from legal avenues. As long as it is just a burr on the butt and inconvenience to make the news and not a real danger. It beats terrorism to make a point. There is never an excuse for terrorism. Just aman
Glider Posted January 20, 2003 Posted January 20, 2003 Nurses in the UK have been working for pathetic pay for years. However, although they do protest (usually in their own time at hospital gates), they have never walked off and left patients who needed them. This is one of the reasons that nurses are heros of mine. The government, in an extremely cynical fashion, rely on this and continue to insult the nurses with paltry pay offers. The upshot is, of course, that now there is a severe shortage, because nobody wants to be a nurse now, so recruitment has dropped off to next to nothing. In my own opinion (and those of most nurses I know), it would be indefensible to walk off a ward leaving patients without care. Nobody I know would do it. The bloody govenment had better wake up soon though. We are running out of nurses fast.
fafalone Posted January 20, 2003 Author Posted January 20, 2003 Actually there have been a couple recent walkouts that resulted in some serious cases being transferred to hospitals in other states.
blike Posted January 20, 2003 Posted January 20, 2003 The doctors who strike are only refusing to see new patients. They are still taking care of those they are already seeing. I think I can't say that I'm totally for this, but I can't say that I'm totally against it either. I don't know what other options there are. I know if lawyers had people dictating their job like insurance companies dictate a physicians practice, they'd be screaming bloody murder. The medical profession here in the US is in shambles. Doctors hardly make enough pay to cover malpractice, and malpractice suits are way out of hand. Insurance companies have also had their hand in ruining medicine. I'm not against the idea of medical coverage for everyone, but something is wrong when a 21-year old insurance rep making 25k a year tells a doctor who has spent many hard years studying and perfecting his art how much time he can spend with a patient, what tests he can and cannot order, what he can and cannot diagnose. Nurses are underpaid, understaffed, and overworked [plus they have to deal with grumpy doctors]. Note to all future doctors(including myself): Respect nurses. They work very hard, and get mistreated all the time for doing their job (calling the doctor when something is wrong).
fafalone Posted January 20, 2003 Author Posted January 20, 2003 People hear doctors make upwards of $250,000 a year or more, and ask what they're complaining about. What they don't seem to understand, is $200,000 of that goes to malpractice insurance. Neurosurgeons typically need to earn $1,000,000 per yer to break even. I support the walkouts.
Glider Posted January 20, 2003 Posted January 20, 2003 Originally posted by blike Note to all future doctors(including myself): Respect nurses. They work very hard, and get mistreated all the time for doing their job (calling the doctor when something is wrong). Excellent point, well made! Newly qualified doctors will find life initially a lot easier if they trust the nurses too. I have seen ward sisters pull house officers out of the crap so many times! Fafalone, you make a good point about malpractice insurance. It's starting to get that way over here in the UK too. There was a recent complaint against an obstetrician. The infant being born had become stuck, and his airway was constricted. The midwife called the doctor, who managed to sort the problem quickly and efficiently, saving the infant's life (with no invasive surgical intervention). He walked away from the incident feeling (in his own words) that this was one of those times when he had really made a difference. However, a few days later, he was called by an administrator to answer a complaint that the patient had made against him. He had to forget his leave and go through the whole process of formally answering the complaint (as did his team). The nature of the complaint? That "he had sweated too much whilst delivering the baby" (I swear this is absolutely true!). The increase in cases like this, people making spurious baseless complaints in the hope of winning a few quid with the help of parasitic "no win-no fee" lawyers really pisses me off. As you say, it's becoming too expensive to be a doctor now. Because of the increase in these greedy self-serving individuals, it will soon not be worth anyone's time and effort to become doctors. THEN these bastards will have something to bitch about and it will be their own damn fault!
fafalone Posted January 20, 2003 Author Posted January 20, 2003 That's ludicrous, I'd just ignore it or tell them to get a life.
Radical Edward Posted January 20, 2003 Posted January 20, 2003 It's all part of the compensation culture that has developed. Financial compensation should not be given unless it is necessary.
Adam Posted January 21, 2003 Posted January 21, 2003 These suckers rip you off big time (i don't care how long they have been schooled ) I have been screwed by all types of doctors.Especially dentists, who don't finish the job and purposely cause me to make more apointments than necessary so my dental insurance coverage goes down the drain. Screw doctors, I can take the pain.
fafalone Posted January 21, 2003 Author Posted January 21, 2003 The reason for that is to afford in insanely high malpractice insurance.
Glider Posted January 21, 2003 Posted January 21, 2003 Originally posted by Adam Screw doctors, I can take the pain. Interesting attitude. I wonder how it would hold up in the face of say, renal cholic or a renal stone. I have watched people turn white, throw up and pass out due to this. It's nice to know there's at least one person who won't be wasting the A+E staff's time anyway.
blike Posted January 22, 2003 Posted January 22, 2003 Glider, I take it your a medical student over there in the UK? or already graduated? Either way, how do you become a doctor over there? I'm just interested in comparing how you get into medicine there and how you do it here.
fafalone Posted January 22, 2003 Author Posted January 22, 2003 I only go to the hospital if i think im going to die, i know they have better things to do. hell, it took 3 months of acute bronchitis (note, my word use here of acute is correct according to the diagnosis given ) before i even went to a primary to get something for it.
blike Posted January 22, 2003 Posted January 22, 2003 it took 3 months of acute bronchitis (note, my word use here of acute is correct according to the diagnosis given ) I think acute bronchitis becomes chronic bronchitis after the 3 month mark.
fafalone Posted January 22, 2003 Author Posted January 22, 2003 Want a scan of the paper with the diagnosis? <^> Maybe of in fairy world of zen aka DO school they call it that, but my MD called it acute.
blike Posted January 22, 2003 Posted January 22, 2003 Haha, no I don't need a scan. I just asked my dad, he said you were right if you hadn't had it for 2 consecutive years.
fafalone Posted January 22, 2003 Author Posted January 22, 2003 a·cute ( P ) Pronunciation Key (-kyt) adj. Having a sharp point or tip. Keenly perceptive or discerning: “a raw, chilling and psychologically acute novel of human passions reduced to their deadliest essence” (Literary Guild Magazine). See Synonyms at sharp. Reacting readily to stimuli or impressions; sensitive: His hearing was unusually acute. Of great importance or consequence; crucial: an acute lack of research funds. Extremely sharp or severe; intense: acute pain; acute relief. I WIN FAF 2 BLIKE -1
fafalone Posted January 22, 2003 Author Posted January 22, 2003 OH AND BTW: acute 1. Sharp, poignant. 2. Having a short and relatively severe course. Origin: L. Acutus = sharp (18 Nov 1997) FROM CANCERWEB'S ONLINE MEDICAL DICTIONARY AS THEY SAY IN A CERTAIN COUNTRY I SHALL NOT SPEAK OF THE NAME OF, SOD OFF I WIN AGAIN FAF 3 BLIKE -1
blike Posted January 22, 2003 Posted January 22, 2003 NO! I'll remove my point, but you don't get an addition to yours! cheater.
fafalone Posted January 22, 2003 Author Posted January 22, 2003 Just admit MDs are unfathomably superior to DOs...
Glider Posted January 22, 2003 Posted January 22, 2003 Originally posted by blike Glider, I take it your a medical student over there in the UK? or already graduated? Either way, how do you become a doctor over there? I'm just interested in comparing how you get into medicine there and how you do it here. No, I'm not a medic. I'm just coming up to my Viva as a Psychologist. How do you become a doctor here? More or less as follows: From school you need good 'A'-levels in maths, chemistry, physics, English and biology to get into medical school. It can be helpful to do a pre-medschool degree in health or clinically related sciences. As an undergraduate medical student you do five years academic training, after which you graduate to become a junior house officer (the start of two years clinical training). You do the rounds, working on different wards (disciplines) for a year gaining general clinical experience for a year as a member of a group of JHOs working under the supervision of a registrar. After that you become a senior house officer and will work in more specialised and acute units (Renal transplant for example...juniors do not work on that unit). Once you are a senior house officer you can apply to take the RCP exams to become FRCP (Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians). You complete your year as a seniour house officer to become a registrar. Then you are a fully qualified doctor. (so, 7 years in all).
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