This week we are happy to partner with ALiEM on their MEdIC Series.  Please find a teaser here and the rest of the case on ALiEM.

The Case Teaser:

Samantha had always been a model student. She was top of her class in medical school and was thrilled when she matched in her top choice of Emergency Medicine residency programs. The city was far away from her family but she felt it was the best fit for her and she knew she would receive quality training.

Shortly after starting residency, Samantha began dating an orthopedic resident. They had a brief, casual relationship and after three months, it ended amicably. A few months into her second year of residency Samantha joined the orthopedic team as a required core rotation. She was excited to start ortho, as it had been one of her favorite rotations in medical school and she knew the experience would enhance her abilities as an EM physician. Her ex-boyfriend was on rotation at a different hospital so she was not concerned about any conflict affecting the team dynamic.

At the start of her third week of the rotation, Samantha was in clinic seeing a patient for follow-up of a fracture reduction in the ED. She asked the attending to come into the room and confirm that the fracture was healing well. As he reviewed the images over Samantha’s shoulder, he hovered close. Closer than he had before. As the patient was in the room, Samantha was certain she was imagining things and decided to think nothing of it. The attending agreed that the patient could be seen again in 2 weeks, and he dismissed the patient to the waiting room to wait for final instructions. As Samantha got up to leave, the attending asked her to stay. There was something he wanted to review with her. Again, slightly out of the norm, but she did as she was told.

He closed the door and stood in front of it. He told Samantha he had noticed her. Noticed how hard she was working on the rotation. “A girl so pretty doesn’t need to work so hard,” he said. He asked if she had dated anyone since breaking up with the orthopedic resident. She was taken aback and hesitated for a moment, then stated that this was not his business and that they should move on to the next patient. But he persisted.

Read the rest of the case here and add your comments.