Sleepy Residents

[nacholibre]

Sorry that I have started the last 3 threads in a row. But not sorry enough apparently to not post this.

HEARSAY WARNING: So I just found out that an ENT resident at a hospital that my medical school is affiliated with was fired for taking "some medication" (presumably a stimulant) because he was too tired.

A penny for your thoughts here...

Anyone feel like this is common problem (i.e. taking stims / being too tired to provide good care)?

This goes back to the ongoing polarized discussion about hours in residency on this forum. Frankly, this scares me a little bit. I knew this guy and he was a fantastic resident, someone who I consider much more capable than myself and apparently he didn't feel like he was cutting it.

I have heard opinions that my school's program is quite demanding and even "malignant", but still...residents are already under-qualified (simply as a result of their inexperience) in caring for patients are the main source of care for patients in a hospital and need every ounce of concentration and brain power they can muster even before they're tired, especially when it seems that an alarming percentage of attendings are quite happy with a diluted over the phone assessment of the patient's condition.

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[DrBodacious]

I wonder if the "stimulant" was cocaine or methohetamine? If someone was self prescribing adderal, that is obviously concerning and dangerous, but I would feel like it would be within the realm of remediation and monitoring, unless there are other concerns also

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[Fah-Q]

HEARSAY WARNING: So I just found out that an ENT resident at a hospital that my medical school is affiliated with was fired for taking "some medication" (presumably a stimulant) because he was too tired.

That's not why he was fired. I suspect there is much more to the story.

 

[resxn]

That's not why he was fired. I suspect there is much more to the story.

Agree. And you say "presumably." By whom was it presumed? That's not grounds for firing. In fact, most states have very strict laws for "impaired physicians" which protect them from firing if they agree to a rehab program.

This guy was fired for something far more illicit.

As far as sleepiness goes for residents, Provigil or its other competitors are great options to obtain through a legit prescription that can help quite a bit when used appropriately.