The ethics of a sick-day.
Friday, October 30, 2009
This week, several of my colleagues and I had a flu-related sick days. Others decided that they'd bust through the snotty nose, sweats and fatigue and pull regular days on their Clinical Rotation.
Later a debate ensued regarding whether, as a med student, it was ethical NOT to take a sick day. My key point was that as students, we're there to learn, not to work. The learning experience is ostensibly a selfish one; we're not necessarily helping the people we see today, we're studying and experiencing in order to help future patients.
For sure, it's important that med students, and particularly doctors (in this time of shortage), not take frivolous sick days because of either self-induced illness or lack of motivation. It is generally seen as a strength in docs who "take one for the team", and work long shifts, irrespective of their physical health.
Whilst the "80-hour work week" debate rages on, with those who survived their 'trial by fire' with fond memories of comradeship and galvanized experience disagreeing with those whose common-sense and desire for work-life balance is branded as 'soft' and shying away from the vocation, I remain undecided on the issue.
One thing I'm more confident of, however, is that it's not appropriate to make sick people sicker for your own 'selfish' needs. Chances are that if you're sick, you're not going to be particularly focused or absorbing all those clinical pearls anyway. And you're putting your patients at risk.
As students, we have responsibilities to our patients of today; hence, when we come down with a cold, the 'flu or some other contagious URTI, we should steer clear of the hospital, the general practice and other clinical settings. We're far from essential employees; things work just fine without us. Summarily, the risks outweigh the benefits. So take that sick day, sit at home, wait it out; your patients will thank you.
Besides, we can't infect out books.
Later a debate ensued regarding whether, as a med student, it was ethical NOT to take a sick day. My key point was that as students, we're there to learn, not to work. The learning experience is ostensibly a selfish one; we're not necessarily helping the people we see today, we're studying and experiencing in order to help future patients.
For sure, it's important that med students, and particularly doctors (in this time of shortage), not take frivolous sick days because of either self-induced illness or lack of motivation. It is generally seen as a strength in docs who "take one for the team", and work long shifts, irrespective of their physical health.
Whilst the "80-hour work week" debate rages on, with those who survived their 'trial by fire' with fond memories of comradeship and galvanized experience disagreeing with those whose common-sense and desire for work-life balance is branded as 'soft' and shying away from the vocation, I remain undecided on the issue.
One thing I'm more confident of, however, is that it's not appropriate to make sick people sicker for your own 'selfish' needs. Chances are that if you're sick, you're not going to be particularly focused or absorbing all those clinical pearls anyway. And you're putting your patients at risk.
As students, we have responsibilities to our patients of today; hence, when we come down with a cold, the 'flu or some other contagious URTI, we should steer clear of the hospital, the general practice and other clinical settings. We're far from essential employees; things work just fine without us. Summarily, the risks outweigh the benefits. So take that sick day, sit at home, wait it out; your patients will thank you.
Besides, we can't infect out books.
