Story is coming out of Delta flight 945 from Detroit to Minneapolis a few days ago. There was a medical emergency with an unresponsive passenger. An African-American woman doctor raised her hand to volunteer her services but according to her was rudely dismissed by the flight attendant.
The doctor’s side has been captured on her Facebook post.
Always 2 sides to every story
I always try to remember whenever I hear stories like this that there are usually (at least) 2 sides to every story, and it’s human nature to paint yourself in the best possible light whenever you’re telling a story (I know I do!)
While I can totally believe that the flight attendant judged her as not “looking” like a doctor (or whatever preconceptions this particular flight attendant has of what a doctor “should” look like), I did think later that the flight attendants do probably have to have some sort of proof that the person they ask to help IS an actual doctor (and not just someone who stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night). I could see the airline opening them up to some liability if they just let some random guy (or girl) pretend to be a doctor. I guess I don’t fully know what the law is here though.
Delta has put out a corporate news release responding to the story, which you can find here. It says all the things you would expect a bland corporate news release to say “Blah blah blah we’re investigating blah blah we take this very seriously blah blah we can’t comment because it involves personnel matters blah blah”
Have you ever been involved in a medical emergency onboard a flight? How was it handled?
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Really. If you or a loved one were in need of medical attention, when seconds count for life and death, would you want to wait for the flight attendant or anybody else to obtain credentials!!
I’m a firefighter and have never been asked for credentials when offering to help somebody, In or out of uniform!!
I’ve have also been on flights with medical emergencies and have never seen an emt, paramedic, nurse or doctor asked for credentials.!!
I’m not sure why they would be vetting anyone willing to help, whether or not they were a doctor, nurse, etc… or just someone who watches too much “House”. If my home is on fire and a neighbor is going to dump water on it, I’m not going to stop them and tell them to wait for the fire department. That said, her reaction to this has not the most professional, calling the FA a “heifer”.
They are required to vet people claiming medical credentials.
I’ve seen threads on reddit medicine where the doctor was asked for credentials. It’s a thing, and probably necessary to prevent liability.
I am a paramedic and I have helped on a number of flights where a passenger got sick. I have been asked for my credentials in the past. The most recent time was this past august where I took out my credentials before being asked. To me it makes plenty of sense to ask for credentials. I wouldn’t want to be treated by just anybody. In fact, in this last incident I was asked through ground control to start intravenous in flight to maybe avoid the need to land the plane early. They had all the necessary supplies and because of it we avoided the landing and, more importantly, the patient felt better. The point I’m making is I think credentials are important (I have my ID card). If no one is available on board, perhaps you would want someone to at least help out. If the comment was really made I would be quite upset. But I wasn’t there so can’t say.
A doctor on board who could prove he/she was a doctor attended the patient. Would you rather have him/her treating you or someone who claims to be a doctor? Further, as a psychiatrist she may have been years away from performing any emergency medicine. Lady, take a chill pill!
I did not follow the story 100% but I think I saw she was an OB/GYN not a psychiatrist
This is part of the problem. When there is a clear example of discrimination and instead of acknowledging and working to fix the problem, excuses are made. I am a physician. I have been on a plane with a passenger that needed help. I was not asked to show “credentials”. What credentials do you think physicians carry around? Do you think we just walk around with our medical licenses on us all the time to prove we are physicians? Did you miss the part of the story where a white male came up and he was not asked to show credentials?
There might be a different side to this story but it’s definitely not the attempt to excuse discrimination you just made.
Thanks for sharing your take on it. Always good to hear from people with other experiences. Honestly I did not know whether or not medical professionals typically carry anything or not.
And I’m not necessarily trying to excuse discrimination, but rather share the fact that often th ere are multiple sides to the story
What a ridiculously incorrect headline. It was not Delta the airline that said this. It was one bad flight crew. Has anyone reading this blog never encountered a bad apple stewardess?
Lawsuit? This was a request for a volunteer. This is not a federal case.
What an idiotically juvenile racist headline. How about “Delta to girl that looks like a teenager?” Why is everything about race baiting? You are guilty of a self-perpetuating descent into the PC abyss. Get a life.
It’s never “two sides to every story.” It’s always There’s More to the Story™.
Kudos to you if your own doctor is younger than you, and you intentionally picked a primary care physician for their age.
Otherwise, it’s an extremely hard pill to swallow to expect any doctor to be younger than you. Your expectation of a doctor since childhood is someone older and authoritative than you.
Too bad that a young doctor was brushed off by a Delta flight attendant. Double too bad that the doctor was a woman and black, unless the white doctor they accepted looked like Doogie Howser. And then, discrimination would be valid.
Yeah I know what you mean. My doctor is about the same age as me and in some ways it’s kind of weird
I’ve given in flight aid in the past. I’ve never been asked for credentials. I don’t carry any so if they insisted I would just sit down. Honestly most physicians aren’t great at direct patient care. They are much better at telling someone else what to do. A nurse or paramedic is often a great choice. However, in emergencies a good critical care , ER or anesthesia doc is who you want answering the call.
Black lives matter. Quick call Gloria Allred and Al Sharpton. The stewardess appears ignorant, judgemental probably. I would be pissed but have no sympathy if she tries playing the racist card or tries to take down Delta for one idiot employee who seemingly apologized multiple times anyway. Maybe be the better girl/Dr. and forgive, instead of implying you will rip her head off. Also good advice don’t tweet or facebook when you are boiled over with anger. Wait and something else entirely will come out, usually more prolific. Also don’t be a smart ass and e-mail people at 2am after drinking too much wine and expect that to turn out good. Learned my lesson on that one. LOL.
This response is an example of how deeply attitudes toward women are culturally ingrained. The male gendered expression of the one that Kent C used is: “be the better “man/Dr.” One would never, in American (or any English speaking culture that I can think of) respectfully refer to a male physician one does not know extremely well as a “boy”. Other than perhaps between family members and close friends, an adult woman or man describing (or addressing, for that matter) another adult woman woman or man as a “girl” or “boy” is almost always a way to minimize the other adult’s status. The poster’s use of “girl/Dr. may not have been intentionally disrespectful, but is an example of how words shape and reflect attitudes. How far we yet have to go.
And of course, there is the use of the job title of “stewardess” when both male and female cabin staff have preferred the professional designation “flight attendant” for decades
The FA should welcome any help, especially from the first responder as seems the case here. I am a doctor and have responded to 3 overhead calls for “is there a doctor or medical personnel on board”? For the first 2 by time I arrived there were other respondents there had situation under control; the FA said thanks but these responders have it under control. On a recent MIA-BWI flight the call came out for a medical personnel to come to rear galley. I choose to respond when I hear ’emergency’, so I did not respond to first call. Then a second call this time for ‘medical emergency’, by time I arrived from row 7 there was one responder, a woman – black – said she was a nurse. The FA asked if I was a doctor, I said yes. No one asked for credentials. The person needing assistance was near unconscious, slouched over in a jump seat. The 2 FAs and nurse were trying to talk to her. I said we needed vitals. The FA produced a blood pressure device, I was informed neither nurse of the FAs could get it to work. I take a lot of blood pressures; I got it to work, in putting on the cuff I smelled strong alcohol odor on this person. In the end she was near comotose from a drunk stupor, was hypotensive. FA asked if I thought they should make emergency landing. As a group we decided to make it to BWI and have her seen there. On arrival to BWI passengers asked to stay in seat until the person could be removed from plane, everyone complied. The airline posted 25,000 miles to my account 2 days later.
A few years ago I had a 2nd job working part time at a restaurant. I was serving a group of youngish women all dressed up for a night out, with the clothes, hair and makeup and blingy jewelry you’d expect for a girls night out. Having drinks and generally being (acceptably) rowdy. Completely appropriate for the location, time of night and occasion. It was a while before I realized one was my much younger than me doctor! I was momentarily shocked and confused. Not how I think of MY doctor. It was kind of like being a little kid and seeing your teacher out at the mall eating ice cream and holding hands with her husband.
Not in any way excusing HOW the FA handled the situation (terrible) or that she should have even questioned her credentials but I do believe we tend to think of certain professionals like doctors are always in the doctor mode we personally are used to interacting with and a youngish doctor on leasure time (of any gender or race) may bump against an unconscious expectation of a doctor, especially in a moment of stress and time pressure.
I’m not siding with the FA as I believe she was wrong. I’m just saying her motivation may not have been as nefarious or racist as the doctor herself or others perceive it to be. It could be just a too hastily conceived unconscious judgement delivered with increadibly bad manners. Or she could be a raging racist. The point is we don’t know and don’t have enough facts presented here to make that conclusion.
The fact that a white male doctor wasn’t questioned still doesn’t automatically make it racially motivated. Maybe, maybe not. We don’t have enough facts about that either.
All we can DEFINITELY conclude, if the facts presented so far are true, is that the FA used poor judgment with an inexcusably rude delivery.
“All we can DEFINITELY conclude, if the facts presented so far are true, is that the FA used poor judgment with an inexcusably rude delivery.” Absolutely.
There is also value in the discussion and reflection generated when these stories are made public.
And thank you to the physicians and other medical and first response professionals who volunteer to help in these and similar situations. They are never truly “off the clock”. I know that some would say that “it comes with the job”, but it is my guess that, more than sometimes, when they are in non-work time and just trying to live their lives, it is just hard. Thank you all.