PTSD, Trauma, & Themes - Betrayal

[Freddyt]

And the lesson is "Don' DO that!"

When you have not been hospitalized and unable to take care of yourself or in an institutional setting where you are conditioned to obey without thinking......I think that is much easier to say.....

In some professions - there is a reason why they call it a ceremony - not a graduation. Because along with moving into that career - you swear an oath, because the people you are dealing with may not be able to take care of themselves. To me - to swear an oath is a serious thing. You are promising EVERYONE not just the people in the room, or your classmates, or your teachers that you will uphold those standards to the best of your ability.

In the same way that your upholding that oath can save the lives of your squad on the battlefield, they can spare an incapacitated patient from trauma or further trauma or prevent you from abusing the trust placed in you not to abuse the power given to you over people who were conditioned to obey.

That's the crux of it to me. If you are in a position where it is easy to abuse or traumatize people, you usually take an oath that governs your actions. To break that oath - is betraying not just your self - but your profession, and the trust placed in you because you swore that oath. When you do break that oath - people get hurt - whether you know it or not.

.....and I pray that if there is a god, you get to live with the hurt you caused others as regret - the rest of your life.

 

[scout86]

When you have not been hospitalized and unable to take care of yourself or in an institutional setting where you are conditioned to obey without thinking......I think that is much easier to say.....

The flip side of that, maybe, is that when you believe that as deeply as I do, being hospitalized etc doesn't seem like an option at all. Which has it's downsides, I know.

Thinking about what you said about people who take oaths.... I get what you mean and tend to agree with you. Except that the more I've thought about it, the few doctors I've known where I totally believed they understood and honored that oath, they'd have been trustworthy anyway just because they are the kind of people they are. The rest? I think they didn't see the oath as anything other than a hoop to jump through.

 

[Freddyt]

Except that the more I've thought about it, the few doctors I've known where I totally believed they understood and honored that oath, they'd have been trustworthy anyway just because they are the kind of people they are. The rest? I think they didn't see the oath as anything other than a hoop to jump through.

I have had a few "I should be dead now" and "in crippling pain" incidents that hospitalized me and for the most part? Wonderful people. for the most part.

Just one band of people who knew they would be disciplined if the truth was known who chose to band together - blame one person for part of what happened and hide the rest - while an 11 year old kid who at that point could do nothing, immediately post trauma(s), to tell anyone what happened.

 

[Freida]

he few doctors I've known where I totally believed they understood and honored that oath, they'd have been trustworthy anyway just because they are the kind of people they are. The rest? I think they didn't see the oath as anything other than a hoop to jump through.

ya -- sadly I've been on both sides of this. On one hand I've had excellent doctors who truly believe in the oath they have taken to do no harm. On the other were doctors who only cared about covering their asses, no matter what the cost was to me.

They both took the same oath - which makes me wonder why the oath is given in the first place. Because when that betrayal comes from people you know were supposed to try to save you? It hurts that much more.

 

[Tinyflame]

Like a friend of mine said @Freida , maybe he's (the Dr.) paying off his pool.. forget about him (as long as you can get away from him).

 

[whiteraven]

They both took the same oath - which makes me wonder why the oath is given in the first place

That's totally a CYA thing. Unfortunately, many healthcare providers break that oath and continue to be backed up by their peers.

I've seen this across both general practitioners and specialists. My dad was a PA that worked in neurosurgery. Their team was sued at some point, because the surgeon made an error that cost the patient his life. When it went to court, my father was threatened by the surgeon. He was told to back him up (essentially lie) or he would pay deeply for it.

My dad, despite his very many flaws, told the truth. I've seen so many situations where backing the providers regardless of their egregious actions is done. Even just not saying anything is understood as support.

 

[Freida]

Like a friend of mine said @Freida , maybe he's (the Dr.) paying off his pool.. forget about him (as long as you can get away from him).

That's awesome!

've seen so many situations where backing the providers regardless of their egregious actions is done. Even just not saying anything is understood as support.

ya -- your dad was pretty brave because I know it can be a career ender to even seem like you are going to dare to speak up. The only reason I even know part of my story is because one of the nurses told me -- as she was shredding my records under "orders" It sucks that they are put in this position.

 

[whiteraven]

your dad was pretty brave

LOL. I had to laugh. My dad was an asshole, and no one told him what to do or say. One of his letters of recommendation (he had many that were glowing) said something about him being blunt and unafraid to say what he thought. That was an understatement.

 

[Freddyt]

It really makes me sad in a lot of ways that medical people behave like that.

My favorite uncle - the one I lived with after my cornea transplant was a doctor. Emergency Medicine specialist who ran his own clinic near LA. The last thing he asked for was insurance. He's gone now, but at his memorial - the people that spoke, you knew that oath and upholding it was important to him.

Weird but i have one thing to remember him - and I lost them for a bit. My wife couldn't understand why those flip flops he bought me at a swap meet were so important.......