Cook County ICU: 30 Years of Unforgettable Patients and Odd Cases by Cory Franklin MD

Author:Cory Franklin MD [Franklin MD, Cory]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Published: 2015-08-31T16:00:00+00:00

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When it comes to embarrassment in the hospital, no one can humiliate like a bullying, aggressive attending physician, especially if he is pitted against a timid resident who has little confidence. This time it was in July, when the new residents were assuming their duties for the first time. A shy new resident was called on to present his first case to one of the dinosaur attendings, a veteran of decades of case presentations. This dinosaur was notorious for giving newbies a hard time. Nothing good will come of this, I thought.

The resident started his presentation calmly. He discussed the patient’s case, which was terminal cancer in an elderly man. When he was done presenting, the attending physician eyed him suspiciously. “Dr. Harris, how is the patient doing this morning?”

“He died last night, sir.”

“He what?”

“He died, sir.”

The attending physician exploded: “HARRIS, WE GIVE YOU AN EDUCATION. WE GIVE YOU TRAINING. WE GIVE YOU THE RESPONSIBILITY OF TAKING CARE OF OUR PATIENTS. AND AS SOON AS WE DO, WHAT DO YOU DO? YOU LET THEM DIE? IS THAT WHAT YOU DO? WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?”

It was all an act designed to embarrass the poor resident. I saw him do that—or something close to it—a hundred times to intimidate young doctors. The patient was terminal and he knew it, so his death really wasn’t an issue. The resident hadn’t done anything wrong. But he turned red as the attending continued his tirade. “WELL, HARRIS? I’M WAITING. THE FIRST TIME WE GIVE YOU SOME RESPONSIBILITY AND YOU LET YOUR PATIENTS DIE? YOU CALL YOURSELF A DOCTOR? WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?”

The embarrassed resident looked at him sheepishly and stammered, “S-S-S-S-Sir, I’m w-w-w-w-wondering if I c-c-c-c-can have an-n-n-n-nother chance.”

The room grew silent. Nobody laughed out loud, but everyone smiled. Even the attending physician, who thought he’d heard everything, was suppressing a laugh. He just grinned, shook his head, and said, “OK. Next case.”

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