I think I might have wiped the smile off his face Simon! I'm afraid that in
the UK it wouldn't matter if you possessed every qualification known to man,
you'll still come across the occasional [or not so occasional!] smartarse
who thinks it clever to demean your position as a "casualty" doctor -
unfortunately it goes with the territory.
Chin up! Cheers Bill
----- Original Message -----
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: "Bill Bailey" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2003 7:10 PM
Subject: Are we Clinicians?
> I've just had the most staggering conversation with a radiologist. I was
requesting an urgent CT scan on a young patient with acute onset of
headache, left sided hemiplegia and a history of previous SAH secondary to
an AVM. The radiologist smiled and said:
>
> "Has this lady been seen by a clinician yet?"
>
> When I suggested that I was the clinician dealing with this patient (and
to imply I was not a clinician was somewhat insulting) he refused to accept
my standing and insisted that she be seen by "a clinician".
>
> It would appear that five years of general training, five years of
specialist training, three postgraduate exams and a consultant job in
waiting is not enough to be classed as a clinician.
>
> Besides this general insult was the opinion that a CT for a ?sub arachnoid
was urgent and not an emergency as it would make no difference to the
immediate outcome. Now within reason I can just about understand this. I
don't request CT scans at 5am for 95 year olds with acute hemiplegias but at
16.35 for a lady in her 30s?
>
> Am I completely out of touch with reality?
>
> Dr Simon McCormick
> SpR Emergency Medicine (on of the last clinical specialties left)
>
>
> __________________________________________________________________________
> Join Freeserve http://www.freeserve.com/time/
>
> Winner of the 2003 Internet Service Providers' Association awards for Best
Unmetered ISP and Best Consumer Application.
>
|