as much as school sucks and the new curriculum is kicking my ass, i have really really really enjoyed studying the heart. i find it fascinating and i can see myself going into cardiology. that all depends on how i do on board exams but who knows, its on the table of future specialties for now:)
Today we had our first lecture from a lawyer in our Physician and Society class. It is the first of 6 lectures we will get from lawyers and boy is it interesting to hear what I will be dealing with in the future (well hopefully not...but depending on what i go into its usually a given that I will be sued). We talked about introductory stuff like why people sue (apparently most are from the feeling that the doctor is 'hiding something') and some law vocabulary. We got a brief rundown of law and then moved on to talk about individual cases. Most medical malpractice suits are held in civil courts because they are disputes over monetary value. The good thing is there is a cap of $250,000 that the plaintiff can win in 'non economic loses' (basically pain and suffering). The bad thing is that a patient can sue you over ANYTHING as long as harm was done. Oh, and most arbitrations take about 18months to resolve. can you say anxiety???
The biggest piece of information we gained after sitting through this 3 hour lecture was DOCUMENT WELL. well that and dont fuck up...and dont leave tools inside someone before suturing them up in surgery. oh, and if a patient says dont touch my ovaries, DONT remove them during surgery even if they are bleeding out and it will KILL them because they will sue you..and that is battery (unlawful touching/procedure of a patient without consent). Battery is a criminal charge....bye bye license and all your money...hello jail.
[the lawyer that lectrued was one that defends doctors and she actually had this case. the women was dyeing in surgery from a hemorrhage in her ovaries and he took them out to save her life. she sued him. he won. damn straight he won.]
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