Some follow up questions:
- What if Mark told you that he wasn't really sick, but he really really needed your note?
- What if Mark was your son? What must you consider in this case?
Saturday, January 16, 2010
[MMI prompt] Doctor's note
You are a family physician. One of your patients, Mark, did not attend one of his classes and missed an important exam. He told you that his teacher would like a doctor's note explaining his absence from class; otherwise, he will receive zero, and all hell will break loose. He wants to you write a note for him, indicating that he was not feeling well enough to write the exam. Not able to find any physical symptoms, explain how you would deal with this.
Some follow up questions:
Some follow up questions:
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I as a pyhsician would have to understand my responsibility as someone who should be honest and promote trust and integrity not only to the patients but to the community as a whole. I would respect and value patient's choices. In this scenario, before jumping to conclusion, I would have to assess Mark's situation. I would ask him questions about his health, it is important to know that not all health problems give rise to symptoms right away and thus if I don't find any physical symptoms such as high fever, red eyes, paleness, I would still do further tests to confirm his health. If I don't find anything, and I suspect that Mark is a healthy person, I would then ask him the reason that he missed his exam. If I find out that it is due to a family problem but not his health, then I would advice him to talk with his professor and explain him the situation. At the end, I would feel sorry for his situation and that I was not able to help him but I hope he understands that it is not ethical to give a fake note as well which would prove my dishonesty to the community and I hope that Mark is able to resolve his problem and is given a chance to write his exam.
ReplyDeleteJust based off of not finding any physical symptoms, I would not write Mark a fake doctors note as this would be considered unprofessional and unethical as a physician. I would tell Mark that he should have been more responsible and aware of the consequences of skipping class. I’d also ask if what “all hell will break lose” means and if his parents are aware of what he did. I’m not sure how old Mark is but I’m assuming Mark is in elementary school or high school, so missing an exam should negligible in the grand scheme of things.
ReplyDeleteI’d tell Mark that I’m a physician and it is not my job to help Mark with school related problems. It would be irresponsible for me to write a fake note and violating the integrity of the profession. If I do write a fake note he might just keep coming back for fake notes and will never learn. I’d advise Mark to talk to the teacher and to see if he can get a make-up date for the exam.
If Mark told me he wasn’t really sick I’d politely ask him to leave as he’s wasting both our time.
If Mark was my son I’d probably be even more disappointed and definitely would not write him a fake note. In this case, I may go to the teacher myself and explain the situation to see if a make-up exam is possible.