Even in their current practice, they still have an obligation to not abandon their patients. If a patient who is not stable comes into their office, they have an obligation to attend to that person until someone else assumes the care. If they have a religious prohibition against, say, working after sundown on Fridays, and the sun sets on Friday and the patient still isn’t in an ER due to transportation or other similar problems, then they are obligated to remain in attendance.

Also, the way that a doctor structures his practice at any particular time is not guranteed to continue. What if there is a natural disaster and he is the Johnny on the Spot and the usual array or protective mechanism that keep him living an ordered controlled life collapse–well then he has to do what he must do for his patients, and not compromise their health and safety for his idiosyncratic notions whatever their origins.

The PCP with that phone message is limiting his role as a physician, but can assume the full mantle if circumstances dictate. The same must apply to handwashing. One might, say, go into psychiatry where it is not such a big deal on a daily basis. But before they can limit their role by specialization they must master the basic clinical skills by doing–and do that without putting patients at risk. Then, even if it isn’t a daily routine, they still must be prepared when clinical care demanads it to examine patients more fully and do so with full safety for the patients–meaning touch them with properly washed hands

If they can’t or won’t do that, they they should not enter the medical profession. It is that simple. It doesn’t matter what the reason is. Religion is not an adequate reason to put patients at risk. It doesn’t matter whether it is sincere religious belief, mere custom, or a misunderstanding. Science is science and germs are real and have no religion.

The same is true to a degree with being able to work at any time. A doctor cannot abandon their patients. While we can make arrangements for coverage that suit our preferences/requirements/needs most of the time, we don’t own other people and cant’ force them to accommodate us all the time, and besides, they may be ill or otherwise unavailable. An absolute rigid prohibition on working certain days or times that one would no be willing to alter when patient care requires it is a disabling disqualification for the medical profession. It doesn’t matter why–religion, preference, whatever.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/02/15/nterror115.xml

If Brit Commie Care recruits terror doctors to replace their own English surgeons, demanding a raise to ridiculously low $90K a year, they deserve their terror attacks.

If they accommodate religious extremists, and suffer adverse patient outcomes, these PC twits deserve to be sued into oblivion. To deter their accommodationist delusions.

All PC is case, trumped up, phony pretext to generate lawyer enrichment. In the US, any judge permitting any tort or civil rights claim from these extremists to intimidate any institution should be immediately removed by the administrative judge of the jurisdiction. Any administrative judge failing to remove these PC traitors from the bench, should face defunding of the entire court. All traitor lover judges should be shunned, boycotted by all service and product providers, and driven from their communities.

As a devout Muslim female in the medical profession, I routinely wash up to my elbows when I scrub in.

Religion is a personal matter, so ultimately, it is up to these women to choose how to interpret religion, BUT for health’s sake and for working in the hospital setting, I don’t really buy their arguments.

Islam is not a rigid, unyielding religion, and definitely allows “exceptions” in matters of health!

On a side note, I certainly hope Michael Rack MD was being VERY sarcastic with his comments, as many devout/religious Muslim females are happily working in the medical profession.

For opposing argument, see this loud dissent by a Commie, criminal lover Justice, to a decision allowing the military to impose uniform standards on a military psychologist wishing to wear a skull cap.

http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0475_0503_ZD.html

In Judaism, all rules but 3 rules and regulations are suspended when someone’s life or health is at stake.

The 3 exceptions are murder, idolotry, and sex with animals. Anything else is fair game.

Um – how can medical student pass surgery rotation if they don’t scrub?

There comes a point in every medical students’ life when they must choose between career and lifestyle. If you are so devout that scrubbing in the surgery rotation is forbidden, you either need to become more liberal or get out of med school.

Once you graduate, you can decide to be a radiologist and never scrub again, but you have to get through med school first – we all did it.

Besides, one has to proceed from the wash sink into the OR with bare hands before drying and gowning.

Choose what you want to do. Work in the hospital and perform to the standards expected of everyone vis a vis infection control, or quit and go live and work somewhere where the safety requirements aren’t in conflict with your beliefs.