'I'm not on duty, back off': Doctor refuses to provide medical care on flight, passenger tries forcing him to do so anyway

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    "Listen lady, just because I'm a doctor doesn't mean I'm on call 24/7""
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    AITA for refusing to volunteer as a doctor on a flight?
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    I'm (M, mid 30s) a medical doctor working as an internal medicine hospitalist at a major hospital. Recently I was on a long haul international flight. Usually I sleep on flights but this was during my waking hours so I
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    decided to spend my time enjoying the inflight entertainment and free drinks. I had already been drinking even before the flight while I was in the lounge. I was not slurring or excessively drunk but I was feeling a
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    my strong buzz. Usually I don't chat with co-passengers, I just sleep or do my own thing. On this flight the configuration of the business class cabin was such that the passengers in the middle row were practically just
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    small barrier separating me and my co-passenger (F, mid 30s) that could be raised but it still didn't do much to separate us. She started up a conversation and being a little inticated, I was also feeling chatty.
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    When she asked what I do I mentioned I'm a doctor and I work at such and such hospital. After some more small talk we both started doing our own thing.
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    I was trying to watch my movie and enjoy my drinks when an announcement was made asking if there was a doctor on flight. Normally I would present myself to the cabin crew and help out but after several
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    hours of on flight boozing, I was pretty dank. I was not able to think clearly and probably would have done more harm than good in such a situation. I didn't react to the announcement at all. I continued
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    watching my movie and drinking my drink. My co-passenger tapped me and said they just announced they need a doctor. I replied that someone else would help or they would get instructions from the medical team on the ground. She tried convincing me
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    to go help but I refused. She then said I was an unbelievable AH and if the passenger died it was my fault. I said listen lady, just because I'm a doctor doesn't mean I'm not on call 24/7 to provide medical care on demand. I
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    listen lady, just because I'm a doctor doesn't mean I'm not on call 24/7 to provide medical care on demand. I work when I'm at the hospital, outside I'm just like everyone else and I'm entitled to drink and relax. She had a
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    disgusted look on her face but didn't talk to me after that. I didn't want to engage with her either. I'm not sure what happened to the passenger who needed medical
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    assistance but since I didn't hear any more announcements I assumed all was well. While exiting the aircraft this lady called me an AH again.
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    In my mind, I'm very clear that since I was intricated I could not provide medical assistance. I was drinking on my own time and there was no expectation that I would need to be sober. Doctors get to enjoy life too, I
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    can't stay sober on every flight just in case there's an emergency. I don't think AITA, but I thought I'd get external opinions. AITA?
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    Mountain_Cat_cold · 5 days ago Partassipant [1] NAH. You are N T A for not volunteering after you'd been drinking. But why TF did you not just tell your co-passenger that? The way you describe it you have
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    appeared to just not want to help, and that comes across as really cold and callous. In her situation I would have thought you a huge AH, and you really did nothing to let her know you weren't.
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    512 PaddyCow 5 days ago Partassipant [1] OP could have avoided an unpleasant scene I agree. All op had to do was say that he had been drinking so wasn't in a fit state to treat anyone and
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    could potentially make the situation worse. Instead he went on a bizarre rant about how he's not on call so it's not his responsibility.
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    This smells like rage bait. Why all the unnecessary details about how it's a business class flight and all the perks that come with it?
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    simulet 5 days ago Partassipant [1] Yeah, it turns out that "I'm incapacitated" and "I don't want to" are sentences that come across very differently.
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    OP isn't T A for not helping, but at least created some of his own problem by the way he spoke to the other passenger.
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    ThrowAwayFoodie22 OP. 5 days ago After she called me an AH I didn't feel like owed her an explanation or a polite response. Also I mean, I was sorta dronk so even less likely to be nice to someone who called me an AH.
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    GiraffeThoughts 5 days ago Partassipant [1] This is a bad take. The other passenger was the AH for assuming the worst about Op. if I was sitting next to a doctor on a
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    flight (who had spent 10+ years getting a medical degree and racking up $$$$$$ massive debt - just to help people) and he/she didn't immediately presumably
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    volunteer to assist, I'd assume they had a good reason that was absolutely none of my business. Op is NTA.
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    People need to not assume the worst about each other. Calling Op an AH multiple times shows a complete lack of emotional regulation and manners.
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    wavinsnail. 5 days ago Partassipant [2] I think their initial reply is what caused that saying "oh someone else will help" is kinda a bleish. He could have said "I've had too much to drink and I can't provide
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    care". Then the whole situation could be avoided. I don't think he's and a hole, and I do think the lady is. But he put himself in that situation by not just saying WHY he couldn't help initially.
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    Majikkani_Hand. 5 days ago Some doctors go through all that school and take those loans to help people. Some do it for the money and social cachet. I would also have
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    assumed OP was in the second camp without receiving an explanation with more substance than "I'm allowed to relax too."

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