So here is an ethical one.

I'm trying to buy jelly beans from the pharmacy in the few minutes between a nerve root injection and a biopsy when a patient, who has just had a scan of some variety but not with me (but wool on his arm so very possibly CAT scan as no other out patient scan uses IV), has a 'turn' where he suddenly can't talk, drops his films ect. Wife is going mental. But not my patient. I'm not a physician. And I'm due back with the other patients who I do actually get paid to take care of. And I don't need to be involved in things, its not exciting for me, I've been involved in enough things in my medium sized low trauma private hospital. If anything its a major hassle and I kinda want my jelly beans. And besides, theyre all sick! What is the difference?

But the pharmacists seem confused, and are asian cause its late, I am here and it is technically an xray patient. So I ask if there was an injection for the scan to kind of assess what's going on and that's it; I realise accidentally I'm involved. I can't just then say 'oh shit eh. Well good luck with all of that' and keep walking. I don't know what my legal obligations are, but after he coded in the hallway n came for an inpatient CAT scan in 20mins I would have been recognised for sure. I grab a dr, a new xray dr by chance, in the hall who's on his way home: not interested. Helps me lift him into a wheel chair n leaves. The wife keeps harping about them not missing their specialist appointment 'cause its about cancer', like that means anything, you do not get sudden cancer emergencies n I'm thinking 'its gonna be a short consult if the guy can't speak you dumb mole' but instead I say 'look I'm taking him to emergency, you can call the specialist from there if you like, but that's what we're doing here'. To which she replies 'well, you know what's best'! Total 180! Why do I suddenly know what's best?! Insanity. The whole place is so surreal, none of it flows.

The infection control officer leaves caps off syringes and doesn't swab high risk injection sites or wash his hands but lectures others. There are at least 3 more stories from everyday, but I guess the only point is, for next time in this type of case, surely the pharmacists could have handled it? Maybe not in a timely fashion, but his death\irreparable brain damage risk would have increased only, Idk, 1%? 20%? 50%?who knows. Not by too much. Unless she tried to keep her appointment and the pharmacists where asian. Idk. Idc. Isn't it all just about us wanting to be helped; which is unrelated to anything we do. If it wasn't for the 'he just had his scan and now he can't speak' comment I probably would have just got my jelly beans. Idk.

The point is xray is my department, they did need help, I was there. But was I the only one who could give any kind of hand over? Isn't that what the hysterical wife (but who can't miss her appointment) is for? I'm sure her screeching would have done just fine. I had access to wheelchairs and dr's most quickly n emergency was pretty much on the way back anyway, that is all true. I mean I think we all agree I shouldnt really be working there at the end of the day anyway. But where else. And I know its a hospital but I just want that stuff kept out of my jelly bean runs at the very least, I think that's the crux. Really ali's grandmother had just written to me and I was miles away in thought so being brought back to work jarred me.

Actually, believe it or not, I was thinking of the thousands of dollars bill wise I commit this family to the minute I wheel this fellow thru the staff emergency entrance if I was wrong. The wifes weird reaction was throwing me. But the dr agreed (on the way to his car), I mean the guy lost the power of speech n his movement was going too. Just like that ER dr, george cloony, telling me to start compressions cause a patients not breathing after he's been called because I think the patients not breathing. And then the bill, no longer on ABC. Its all so criminal. Oh I just remembered I forgot to check if a mother can breast feed post injection. I did promise I wouldn't forget, but as with all medicine it changes by what dr is asked anyway.

And no, I never got the jelly beans.