It Happened Again. Another Flight Crew Can’t Believe a Black Woman Is Actually a Doctor

[KamaAina]

As if this weren't enough:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028230731

here we go again!

https://www.yahoo.com/beauty/it-happened-again-another-delta-flight-crew-cant-believe-a-black-woman-is-actually-a-doctor-205952003.html

Ashley Denmark, MD, who hails from South Carolina, was on a flight from Seattle to Hawaii. The trip, to attend a good friend’s wedding, was intended as a bit of a rest and relaxation period for the busy doctor, wife, and mother of two. As soon as she heard there was a traveler in need of medical assistance, though, Denmark got up and made her presence known. That’s when everything went awry. Denmark shared her story on her website:

“As I settled in to watch a movie and read a book, about 1 hour into our flight over the intercom, a flight attendant requested a doctor or nurse to report to front of cabin to assist a passenger. When duty calls it calls – even if you are 30,000 feet in air…”...

“The flight attendant didn’t believe I was a doctor and told me to have a seat while 2 nurses provided medical care to the passenger.”...

What exactly is it that inspires seemingly normal people to prevent qualified individuals from offering their professional assistance? In life-or-death situations, do we really have time to be prejudiced?

[jberryhill]

1. Don't doctors have some form of identification?

I'm an attorney, and have a license to that effect in my wallet. Do doctors not have similar things?

Granted, there is no reason to believe that someone who identifies themselves as such in a medical emergency is not a doctor, but I'm curious to know what doctors licensed in various states carry around with them.

[WillowTree]

3. Actually, it would probably be a good idea to get ID verifidation in all such situations.

[Exilednight]

20. Most states only issue a medical license that hangs on a doctor's wall. in some

rare cases, although this may have changed, doctors in the Army did not have to have a medical license - just a medical degree.

[Journeyman]

4. I thought the same thing. And even in a case of momentary doubt (say if the doctor were wearing . .

casual beach clothes, or if a male hadn't shaved in a few days), it wouldn't take very long talking with them to determine their level of education and knowledge. And even if the cabin crew were completely clueless, the two nurses would recognize a doctor's presence and bearing no matter how the doctor appeared. Very parochial, to say the least. . .

[Skittles]

5. the details are often missing

[jberryhill]

6. True

I don't think I've been treated by a doctor that would be considered "white" in... gosh I don't know how long. Ah, wait, I did have some skin tags removed by a dermatologist who was "white".

But my primary care physicians have been Indian and Filipino, and I've been treated by specialists in the last several decades by doctors who were originally from Pakistan, Jamaica and Ghana.

And despite their best efforts I continue to live.

My experience may be limited, but if I were to go on my personal history with physicians a white male would be the person I'd suspect to be least likely to be a doctor.

I find it hard to believe that someone would assume a self-identified physician were not an actual physician based upon appearances. Maybe its a regional thing, but the hospitals where I live are not staffed by some uniform contingent of white people.

[uponit7771]

9. I wore my security badge around my neck for 2 decades in IT, I am big black guy... I don't fit the

... "look" at all and ID doesn't help in those situations because of cognoscente dissidence even with well meaning people.

[TexasProgresive]

21. For those "white" people that don't get it, an example

An African American man who was technically in management at the phone company, but was actually more of a tech support guy, gave me a ride home from a company school. We were in a car painted in the company colors complete with logo. Before we started out he took his company ID card and DL out and put them on the dashboard.

Me, the privileged white guy gave him a questioning look. He said when your skin is a certain color you want you credentials very handy. I was saddened about what this man I considered a friend had to live with everyday. The closest experience that I had was as a teen. If people assume a white teen is up to no good, it must be way worse for teens of color.

[uponit7771]

22. +1

[Skittles]

13. yup

I haven't seen a white male doctor since the 70's although my dentists have long been white males. And no, a female / black dentist would not "shock" me.

[uponit7771]

23. I've been to Montana... The OP doens't sound too.far fetched

[mrmpa]

7. Maybe the airlines.............

could ask for self-identification as meical personnel (and if you're willing to assist in an emergency) when you make your reservation. I know, I know, some asshole who isn't a doctor might so identify him/herself, but there's got to be a way to do this.

Also the stupidity and inherent bias/racism recently shown by airline personnel has got to stop. To be honest, if it had been a relative of mine and I learned there was a doctor on board who was not permitted to help my loved one, I'd sue the airline.

[Sgent]

14. Not really

some states issue business card sized licenses (not all), but they are usually just a business card printer type card, not an ID card.

The reality is that international flights are the only time physicians have to prove identity. A normal DL or passport + internet connection can confirm the id of physicians easily.

https://npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov/ has every physician and other provider which bills any insurance company or medicare listed.

[malaise]

16. Did the two whhite nurses have identification? n/t

[jberryhill]

19. I dunno

[matt819]

2. Thirty years ago

My son's first pediatrician was an African American woman, about five years out of med school. She was wonderful and supportive. Glad to say that I never gave a thought to her race or gender. If she was good enough for Children's hospital in Washington, she was good enough for us. I don't know what her experience was as a young African American woman doctor in the 1980s. But we were happy and I remember her still.

[Princess Turandot]

11. This happened to my friend several years ago...

on Lufthansa, when she responded to an 'is there a doctor on board?' announcement. She told me that the flight attendant was overtly skeptical when she responded and presented herself as a physician. In response, she simply pulled out identification from her wallet, held it up to the attendant's face, then doctor-voice directed the attendant to take her to the patient. (She told me that the man who had taken ill did not seem at all concerned about having her help him.)

She practices in a small city in the PNW, and as it happened, she was interviewed by a local newspaper's travel reporter right after this particular trip. (She's a bit travel-mad!) She made a point of mentioning the incident and the attitude of flight attendant, which she certain was due to her being black and a woman.

[Hugin]

15. A Notice TWIMC: If you ever find me in need of medical care...

I don't care what the color of their skin, gender, and/or religion is, if there is a Doctor available and they think they can help me, get them to me pronto.

Edit to add: This is also true of; CNPs, PAs, RNs, and any other practicing health care professional.

Thanks in advance,

Hugin.

[Hugin]

35. Oh, and Veterinarians... I will accept emergency care from a veterinarian of any creed, too. n/t

[Ilsa]

25. And keep in mind that sometimes the care needed is not for something physical,

but something emotional or psychiatric. In some instances, I'd rather have a nurse that uses noninvasive, proven therapeutic communication skills vs a doctor that says, "give him a valium" or says something condescending (something I've seen with some older white male doctors). The airline probably can't discuss the nature of the emergency.

In any event, I think the attendants should have kept the doctor nearby in case the situation worsened medically. If things were improving with the two nurses attending the problem, it could be unwise inviting another stranger into the patient's situation.

We really don't know enough about the situation to make a judgment beyond the flight attendant's bigotry in refusing to recognize that this minority woman was an M.D.

[cwydro]

26. Odd that they refer to er as an MD when the picture of her in her medical coat shows D.O.

Both a fully qualified doctors, but there is a difference.

And why was this in the "beauty" section of yahoo, instead of in the news section?

[CBGLuthier]

27. I can answer Number 2. Yahoo is shit as a news source.

Worthless. I dropped them from my news rotation months ago.

[cwydro]

28. Yeah, my thought too.

The "writing" is often (usually) very poor.

This story did not belong in the "beauty" section, and it speaks volumes that they put it there.

[heaven05]

31. +100

totally worthless, dropped them during last election.

[heaven05]

29. Delta Airlines employee, again

After the trumpenfuhrer is destroyed, we as americans all, better start working on this ignorance and gross stupidity on display by people with no critical thinking skills. This shit is getting to be very, very old. 350 years old and counting. WTF is wrong with these people?????? Goddamn!!!!!!!!! And to hell with "implicit bias", it's out and out WHITE RACISM, "this n***** can't be a doctor" thinking. Only some white person can be trusted with this.

[heaven05]

34. sounds like a boycott

Last edited Mon Oct 17, 2016, 01:20 PM - Edit history (1)

of this airline is in the planning stage. I think I'll look into that. AA and anyone else if there is any other way to expeditiously reach your destination on another carrier, please do it. If not.....well you got to do what you got to do.

[KamaAina]

36. FSM help anyone trying to get to or from Atlanta

or to a lesser extent, Detroit, the Twin Cities, and Salt Lake City.