Medic Attempts Suicide...Lose job or no?

[emt322632]

Recently here we had a medic who is employed by a private agency and a volunteer agency attempt suicide by downing most of her meds for her bipolar disorder and antianxiety.

She was recently dx with bipolar disorder, and has been extremely noncompliant with treatment. She was diagnosed after she was sent to IMHU for depression, they discharged her after 2 days with the dx of bipolar disorder and a prescription.

Recently, she downed most of her meds while at home with her 2 children, and it was the private agency that employed her that picked her up.

I have heard rumors that she is going to be fired, and that she will lose her state certification.

While I personally do not like this woman, I honestly don't know if this is something that can be done or should be done. She has a genuine problem, she just needs time to get her act together.

Any thoughts?

[medic_texas]

The state needs to be notified of her condition and the suicide attempt. In my opinion, she poses a threat to patients, co-workers, and herself (obviously).

[Connie31079]

God, if she isn't depressed enough with whatever is going on in her life to already attempt suicide once, then how do you think she's going to react if they take away her certification and fire her from her job? Don't you think that would just ADD to her depression?

I certainly do.

I think if she's given the option of going into treatment, STAYING THERE until she gets better, or being fired from her job, she just might "wake up".

[MSDeltaFlt]

The phrase I use in dealing with any psych pt is not PC, but it helps me to better grasp the situation: "When faced with a crazy person, you have to ask yourself 2 questions: Are they crazy 'cuz they're sick, or are they crazy 'cuz they're crazy?"

This woman is "crazy" (for lack of a better phrase) because she is sick from a chemical imbalance in her head. She has a chronic condition that requires treatment. And, since she is a proven danger to herself and/or to others, she does not have the right to refuse said treatment.

It sounds as if the events you told us are relatively recent. She needs to be institutionalized until this episode is under control. Ending her career now might be a little premature. It might need to be tabled, but not ignored.

[firedoc5]

There are so many arguments this post can begin, especially the argument whether people who are bi-polar should be allowed to be in EMS. I'm not going to get into any kind of debate about any of that. The only thing I'm going to say is that whether or not bi-polar plays a part in a debate, it should be judged on a case to case basis.

I have a feeling this is going to be a long drawn out topic

[paraloco]

1. She's protected by HIPPA, just like anyone else. 2. If she requests EAP before they take action, they can't fire her. 3. This is one reason it's better not to work in the town where you live. Though I believe she probably should not be on the street, I think she should have someone advocating for her, then let the chips fall where they may.

[JakeEMTP]

I think it maybe premature to fire this medic. It is painfully obvious she is having a difficult time dealing with her recent diagnosis of bipolar disorder. What she requires as stated previously, is to be hospitalised until such a time as she has come to terms with her bipolar and conforms to the regiments of the treatment.

Whether she is able to function as a medic after compliance, I don't know. However, she shouldn't be fired at this time.

Quite obviously, this incident needs to be reported to the State office of EMS. Currently, she is a danger to herself and her patients. Her certification may indeed be suspended until such a time as it can be proven she can function normally.

I wish her the best of luck with coming to terms with her illness, and hope she gets the help she so desperately requires.

[Dustdevil]

1. She's protected by HIPPA, just like anyone else.

Irrelevant. The cat is out of the bag already. There is no protection from that. That's like saying you're "protected" by a bullet proof vest when you've been shot in the head.

2. If she requests EAP before they take action, they can't fire her.

I dunno what perfect world you live in, but how many people in EMS do you really think work for an employer with an EAP? Damn few.

[JPINFV]

I would argue that she should be suspended with pay (full or reduced) or used in some other capacity (e.g. QA) until her condition is stabilized and make being compliant with medications a condition of employment. While, yes, having her job terminated would be bad, it would be worse if her actions secondary to her illness causes her patients or her partner harm. Hopefully she works for a company that will be willing to work with her and are not completely for the bottom line.

[p3medic]

We have an EAP program, with a dedicated off-site in patient facility that would be offered at no cost to the employee. Most likely she would return in a non-patient care role. Obviously not every system has this capability, but at the end of the day, she's your employee, she has a documented illness and should be afforded room for treatment and eventual return to duty, IMHO.