Exhausted doctors post pictures of themselves asleep at work to highlight how tiring shifts are
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Version 0 of 1. Junior doctors and residents in hospitals are tweeting pictures of themselves asleep while at work to highlight how exhausting their long shifts can be. The pictures are being posted with the hashtag #YoTambienMeDormi ("I've also fallen asleep") after a patient shared a picture of a resident apparently asleep on her blog. The patient who posted the picture also criticised the junior doctor for falling asleep during a shift, writing: "We are aware that this is a tiring job but doctors are obliged to do their work. There are dozens of patients in need of attention." The image and blog post sparked an immediate reaction from doctors across Mexico, who have tweeted #YoTambienMeDormi nearly 18,000 times in solidarity with the resident in the picture. The doctors are not angry about the lengths of their shifts as they believe this is how they will expand their medical expertise, according to the BBC. However, some have said they are not being treated as human beings. #yotambienmedormi Guardias de 36 Hrs, sin postguardia, preparar actividades académicas,sin poder alimentarnos. pic.twitter.com/1PJYZXHVS2 #YoTambiénMeDormí Porque el camino es largo. Pacientes entiendan a sus médicos, se esfuerzan día a día para ayudarles pic.twitter.com/LHCL7Fd7V3 #yotambienmedormi después de una jornada de guardia de 24h estudiantes de medicina pic.twitter.com/BCpnPl8kvb One Mexican doctor said: "As a doctor here in Mexico, it's illegal to take a picture of a patient without their prior consent, even if it's for medical purposes. But a patient can take a photo of a doctor." He also tweeted about falling asleep after operating on a number of patients during a regular shift. Doctors from across the world also joined in the debate over whether junior doctors should be criticised for sleeping at work. I guess,mostly people think that to be a doc or med student is really easy,so we dont deserve sleep #YoTambienMeDormi pic.twitter.com/c291anRtqB #YoTambienMeDormi I've also fallen asleep as a junior doctor without harming a single patient. Try working an 80 hr shift with no break. Hour 20ish of 28 #YoTambienMeDormi pic.twitter.com/YstVkz85Cy As a resident routinely worked 30hr shifts, 80hr weeks. Now I can sleep anywhere. Drs are people #YoTambienMeDormi New rules were implemented in Europe to prevent trainee doctors from working more than 48 hours a week in 2009, although individuals can choose to work more hours if they wish. However, doctors in Latin America and elsewhere can be expected to work shifts of up to 36 hours. The BBC reports that the resident shown in the first picture is still working at the hospital and has not faced disciplinary action. |