Master the board step 3

Master the Boards: USMLE Step 3
Gifts
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Ethically acceptable: Gifts from patients that are small and not tied to specific
treatments and tests
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Ethically unacceptable: Gifts given with the intention of getting a specific
prescription
Sexual Contact
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Psychiatrists: Sexual contact between a patient and a psychiatrist is never
acceptable.
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Other physicians: They must end the doctor-patient relationship first.
Elder Abuse
Elder abuse can be reported even against the will of the patient. Elder abuse
does not imply a specific age; it has to do with the fragility of the patient. If
the patient is frail and vulnerable, the abuse can be reported even against the
patient’s will.
Impaired Drivers
Impaired drivers, such as patients suffering from a seizure disorder, cannot have
their license taken away by a physician. Only the department of motor vehicles
can remove or restrict a license. These laws are not clear from state to state.
Torture
Physician participation in torture, on any level, is always wrong. You cannot
even agree to certify the patient dead.
Impaired Physicians
Impaired physicians must be reported to an authority figure:
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For physicians in training, the reporting should be to the program director
or department chair.
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For faculty, reporting is to the department chair or the dean of the medical
school.
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For those in practice, reporting is to the state medical board of the office of
profession medical conduct.
The impairment must involve potential danger to medical care. If you see a
physician stealing a car, his behavior is not reportable to the department chair.
If you see a physician at a bar dancing naked on the table top, but her medical
performance is not impaired, this is not reportable.
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