A Moral Community
October 26, 2006
In this weeks (October 26, 2006) New England Journal of Medicine, there is an article-“The Developing Physician—Becoming a Professional”. The authors, Stern and Papadakis, focus on developing professionalism in the young medical student and physician.
“Students need to see that professionalism is articulated throughout the system in which they work and learn. In our academic medical center, this means providing an environment that is consistently and clearly professional not only in medical school but throughout the entire system of care….
Some of the most powerful and important interventions can be made at the administrative level: remaining barriers to compassionate care, ensuring access to care, designing efficient health care delivery systems, and acknowledging teamwork as a fundamental principle of health care. Improving the health care system will go a long way toward promoting the professionalism of students and trainees”.
Keith Steffen is not providing compassionate care to Haitian kids that are dying and need further treatment at OSF. And when he told me that fear amongst OSF employees is a good thing...that doesn't seem professional or like it would promote good teamwork. And he and Dr. Hevesy in the Emergency Department at OSF are not ensuring access to state-of-the-art prehospital care in the Peoria area. These points are not lost on medical students at the University of Illinois and resident physicians in Peoria.
An editorial in the same Journal, written by Frederic, continues—
“There is as meaningful (and measurable difference) between being a professional and acting professionally….Medicine is a moral community, the practice of medicine a moral understanding, and professionalism a moral commitment.”
The medical community can build incredible physical complexes in Peoria, but until its leaders act professionally and morally, patients, medical students, and physicians will all suffer the consequences.
The medical community can build incredible physical complexes in Peoria, but until its leaders act professionally and morally, patients, medical students, and physicians will all suffer the consequences.
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My comments in 2021---
Both Steffen and Hevesy are now gone from OSF. Hopefully, OSF will head in a new and better direction.
Recently the New England Journal of Medicine had two articles on teaching young doctors professionalism. A point emphasized in the Journal is that professionalism needs to occur everywhere in the medical center---even at the administrative level. OSF’s resident physicians and the young medical students at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria are witnessing OSF’s administrative and institutional negligence of Haitian children. They are being taught the wrong lesson.
Peoria will have incredible medical buildings with robotic surgery performed inside but can still lack professionalism. Until this problem is solved, medical students, resident physicians, and most importantly, Haitian children will suffer the consequences.
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December 2006
JS Forum Article
OSF Ignoring Need to Care for Former Haitian Patients
OSF ignoring need to care for former Haitian patients
Author: Dr. John A. Carroll
OSF’s 234 million dollar campus expansion in Peoria will include a new independent eight story children’s hospital. This is good for central Illinois children. All children deserve the best medical technology that exists; however, most children in the world come from areas where there is no access to any medical technology.
Unfortunately, OSF has rejected six former Haitian Hearts patients that were operated at OSF. One of these patients died this year and two others are critical now and need surgery very soon.
Haitian Hearts was happy to have donated over 1.1 million dollars to OSF-Children’s Hospital of Illinois for the care of Haitian kids, and we have offered OSF tens of thousands of dollars for the follow-up surgery that these patients desperately need.
The Haitian kids and their families that are being neglected by OSF are devastated that they cannot return for the care they need in Peoria. Who would have believed that these children would be denied follow up care from a medical center that says they refuse no one?
Recently the New England Journal of Medicine had two articles on teaching young doctors professionalism. A point emphasized in the Journal is that professionalism needs to occur everywhere in the medical center—even at the administrative level.
OSF’s resident physicians and the young medical students at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria are witnessing OSF’s administrative and institutional negligence of Haitian children. They are being taught the wrong lesson.
Author: Dr. John A. Carroll
OSF’s 234 million dollar campus expansion in Peoria will include a new independent eight story children’s hospital. This is good for central Illinois children. All children deserve the best medical technology that exists; however, most children in the world come from areas where there is no access to any medical technology.
Unfortunately, OSF has rejected six former Haitian Hearts patients that were operated at OSF. One of these patients died this year and two others are critical now and need surgery very soon.
Haitian Hearts was happy to have donated over 1.1 million dollars to OSF-Children’s Hospital of Illinois for the care of Haitian kids, and we have offered OSF tens of thousands of dollars for the follow-up surgery that these patients desperately need.
The Haitian kids and their families that are being neglected by OSF are devastated that they cannot return for the care they need in Peoria. Who would have believed that these children would be denied follow up care from a medical center that says they refuse no one?
Recently the New England Journal of Medicine had two articles on teaching young doctors professionalism. A point emphasized in the Journal is that professionalism needs to occur everywhere in the medical center—even at the administrative level.
OSF’s resident physicians and the young medical students at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria are witnessing OSF’s administrative and institutional negligence of Haitian children. They are being taught the wrong lesson.
Peoria will have incredible medical buildings with robotic surgery performed inside but can still lack professionalism. Until this problem is solved, medical students, resident physicians, and most importantly, Haitian children will suffer the consequences.
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