When you got the meningioma, you better hope that your surgeon will work until the work is done, instead of delaying it because somebody's unable to find a babysitter.
Medicine was always about putting the patients' needs above your own, and I sure hope it stays that way for the foreseeable future.
I agree. It's a little frustrating to see so many argue so fervently of favor of work life balance literally at all costs.
Professionals in western society don't just magically find themselves in the position of regularly making life and death decisions. Those who do are there by choice. At least some tolerance of discomfort is both expected and required.
Well, when you pit "brain surgery" against "babysitter", it seems pretty clear cut. But imagine if you're that anesthesiologist, or one of a half dozen nurses required for the surgery, or whatever, and you've had to ask your parents to pick your kid up from school for the 12th time this semester because you won't be home before bedtime. Kids tend to not understand these kinds of things, parents know that, and they're rightly frustrated when their job unreasonably demands that their kids get short shrift.
That said, this sounds like a hospital procedure/scheduling fuck up. I don't think the anesthesiologist should be blamed at all, she stood up to unreasonable demands just as she should have. The hospital failed the staff and the patient here.
Would you be happy to be handled by an anesthesiologist who's in a hurry to get out as soon as possible, because they don't know what's happening with their children? Yeah, it's a bad choice, or a bad choice.
I'm not sure why you think "Medicine was always about putting the patients' needs above your own". Many hospital employees do. But I've never heard of medicine as a whole having that rule.
If you expect doctors to act like everyone's needs are above theirs, you'll end up with a current situation in the UK. Junior doctors who are overworked, hate the situation, government that wants to pay them even less for more hours (they've got patients to see, right?), and are more and more likely to move abroad - rather than just treat with respect like any other normal employee. And that's not even mentioning the dangerous situations created by tired doctors.
"the dangerous situations created by tired doctors."
These concerns are seriously overblown. Most errors from fatigue occurs on routine, non critical tasks, whereas I have never seen any evidence of a significant increase in critical errors.
A well-fed, rested doctors who abides by regulation is way more dangerous than a tired, hungry one who puts patients first.
"you'll end up with a current situation in the UK"
Poor remuneration is in no way related to great bedside skills, but is due to poor negotiation skills and State control.
> I have never seen any evidence of a significant increase in critical errors.
Google: study fatigue doctors. It's literally there on the first page.
> Poor remuneration is in no way related to great bedside skills
I'm not sure you're familiar with the issue in the UK. It's both about extra work and what counts as "unsocial hours". Considering the first to emigrate will be (were, actually) the doctors with better skills... yes, all skills are very related to how they're treated.
> all skills are very related to how they're treated.
Of course not, and that's my point.
Doctors are all paid the same in the UK, without any consideration for skills. Those who emigrate and get better pay, are paid better because they emigrate, and not because they do or do not put patients first.
Medicine was always about putting the patients' needs above your own, and I sure hope it stays that way for the foreseeable future.