Doing good while doing wrong...done that?

[mycrofft]

A couple of times I pulled a fast one which was against the rules (not medical protocol, against the company's rules or the law) which resulted in a greater good and no victims. Our biggest one: diagnosed a broken arm on a young single mom about to get arrested for arguing with a police officer evicting her and her two toddlers from their motel room when she had at most a sprain, whisked her away and dropped her at a shelter. We called it a code 4.
Anyone else do the Lone Ranger/Robin Hood bit?

 

[Veneficus]

I can neither confirm nor deny any alleged rule breaking.

 

[BossyCow]

Nope, never, ever.. strictly by the book on all calls. And if it did happen, it wasn't me. I wasn't even there.. didn't run on that call and I got witnesses who will swear I was somewhere else.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

[karaya]

I'm perfect.

 

[Vizior]

Our biggest one: diagnosed a broken arm on a young single mom about to get arrested for arguing with a police officer evicting her and her two toddlers from their motel room when she had at most a sprain, whisked her away and dropped her at a shelter. We called it a code 4.

So what you're saying is that the police officer was trying to do his job, so that those children may grow up in a healthy environment, and instead moved the mother(or entire family) to a shelter, in hopes that the situation will magically resolve itself?

If you have a problem with a policy or a specific situation, why not go through the proper channels to resolve the issue? Protocols and policies are in place for a reason, and that's because as streets medics we really don't know it all. If you think that an action against the current protocol is going to benefit the patient, why not just call medical control and get permission?

 

[mycrofft]

Vizior, some more background:

1. This was 1981 in Nebraska, no one had invented "medical control" yet, but I'm sure they would have said to let her be arrested.
2. The issue was that the mother and the kids needed to move, the cop was rude, the mother started arguing, and instead of her being in jail and the kids who knows where, they were able to make it through one more night and ended up in a controlled safe environment. The action required was immediate. It was like breaking up an argument about to turn into a fight.
3. What policy?
4. No issue of drugs or alcohol, just busted broke and insolvent.
5. The company paid us for an hour we would otherwise have spent playing Missile Command or sleeping.