Doctors Share Pics Of Themselves Sleeping At Work To Defend Med Resident Who Was Caught Asleep
A Mexican blog posted a picture of a medical resident sleeping behind a desk at a hospital in Monterrey, Mexico, and berated her for not doing her job. Doctors from around the world have jumped to her defense by posting images of themselves caught napping during some of their most grueling shifts. These images have gone viral under the hashtag #YoTambienMeDormi (“I’ve also fallen asleep” in Spanish). Doctors work very hard. The question that should arise from all of this is, would you rather your doctor take a nap and be in a better condition to do their job properly? Or should they work when extremely tired and risk making mistakes?
These are the pictures that the blogger snapped at 3 a.m.
The writer criticized the young resident, saying that “doctors are obliged to do their work”
The blogger complained that dozens of patients were in need of care.
Mexican doctor Juan Carlos responded by posting a tweet with the hashtag #YoTambienMeDormi (or “I’ve also fallen asleep”)
It wasn’t long before hundreds of doctors jumped to the defense of the resident.
It’s standard practice for junior doctors in Mexico and most countries in the region to work shifts of up to 36 hours in their final years of training. So far, 17,000 people have declared their support for junior doctors on Twitter along with several thousands more on Facebook
“We are people, not machines” One said
Carlos, the man who started the hashtag, told the BBC. “As a doctor here in Mexico, it’s illegal to take a picture of a patient without their prior consent, even if it’s for medical purposes. But a patient can take a photo of a doctor with the sole purpose of damaging our reputation.”
Fortunately, we don’t face such problems in Europe. In 2009 a new rule came into place meaning that trainee doctors don’t work more than 48 hours per week.
What do you think? Are you on the side of the blogger or the doctors? Tell us in the comments.
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