"I Perform Surgery Better when I've had a Few!": and Other Phrases You should never Hear from a Surgeon.

I have often find myself wondering what exactly would posses an individual from becoming a physician. The only one that I know by name is my father, there are no physician trading cards, and for the most part each of them are not "rolling in dough". I have often found myself asking friends or peers who are in medical school or planning to attend medical school why they would put themselves through such torture? Not surprisingly many give the same answer: "because it is the ultimate sacrifice I can make to help my fellow man". With such a valiant belief it's not hard to see why so many within our society respect and admire physicians.

While I will be the first in line to congratulate and thank any physician for making this sacrifice the reality is simple: they are still people. This means they are going to make mistakes, act rude, say weird things, or even wear weird clothing. Some physicians are pretty normal, some are eccentric, some are boring, and some are very interesting. However, when they day begins they "put their pants on one leg at a time" like everyone else. This means that while a talented physician may be desired by many different healthcare organizations, they still must be willing or at least able to adhere to the culture of the organization they are joining (Valentine, Godkin, and Lucero, 2002). This means that while they are highly valued, they must be disciplined in the same manner as anyone else.

Recently, I have encountered a case study where a respected doctor fails to keep to his commitment as the on call surgeon and shows up intoxicated to surgery. This, in my opinion, is unacceptable for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, doctors are people and this surgeon could have easily "called in sick" allowing the facility to call another surgeon to replace him. Secondly, the surgeon has gone directly against the Hippocratic Oath by putting himself, others, and the patient due to his drunk driving and possible treatment of the patient while impaired. At the end of the case study the text asks simply: what would you do? The answer is simple: release him immediately. It's one thing to make a mistake, but to act so bold is simply unacceptable. No one individual is greater than the organization and a doctor, by this point, should realize that.

References:

Valentine, S., Godkin, L., and Lucero, M. (2002). Ethical Context, Organizational Commitment, and Person-Organization Fit. Journal of Business Ethics, 41(4), pp. 349-360.