fellowship program appeal hearing attorney

Resident Physicians and Fellows: No, it Is Not Alright to Hug or Touch Others! Important Lessons Regarding Boundaries in the Workplace

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

I am writing to break the news to many of you: No, it is not appropriate to touch any of your co-workers in the workplace, nor to hug them, nor to give them back-rubs or massages, nor to pat them on the butt! I know, breaking news, huh?

The reason that I am writing this blog is that most recently, and I am speaking about within the last two months here in September 2023, we have had calls from three different resident physicians and fellows, getting booted out of their graduate medical education (GME) programs for the unwanted touching of other residents or fellows or hospital employees. And they were not all males.

Nothing Learned from the #MeToo Movement?

Despite all the publicity given to the #MeToo Movement, and […]

Don’t Get Labeled as a “Problem Resident” for Disputes With Your Medical Education Program: Prepare to Identify and Address Problems

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

A resident physician has a tough life while working to become specialized in a medical specialty, especially in the more complex ones. Try to make it less complicated instead of more complicated.

Residents are In Two Different Positions: An Academic Position and an Employee Position.

Residents actually serve in two different positions. One position is as a learner in an academic situation, similar to a student, pursuing post-graduate training and education in an accredited graduate medical education (GME) program. The second position is as a full-time employee, paid to take care of patients in hospitals and other institutions, with a workweek often approaching or exceeding 80 hours a week. Residency training programs may range from three years to six years in length, depending on the medical […]

Medical Residency and Fellowship Program Problems: Do’s and Don’t’s of Dealing with Graduate Medical Education (GME) Programs

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

Medical residents and fellows, often when experiencing problems with their graduate medical education (GME) programs, wait until it is too late to think of consulting with an experienced healthcare attorney regarding possible solutions. Even when it may appear to be too late, it may not actually be too late to recover.

Try to take appropriate actions and make informed decisions at the earliest possible stages; try not to wait until you have received a notice terminating you to consult with an experienced health lawyer.

Medical Residents and Fellows Play Two Different Roles and Have two Different Sets of Rights.

Always remember that, as a resident or fellow, you actually have two different positions and two different sets of rights apply to you.

First, you are a learner (similar […]