Can I refuse a medical student from performing an exam on me?

[u/ManyAcanthaceae6916]

I had a horrible experience with a medical student (under the supervision of a doctor) a while ago attempting to do a medical exam on me that ended up being unsuccessful for them and very painful for me. Can I refuse a medical student from doing an exam on me if I’m not comfortable with it?

[u/WhichButterscotch456]

You are completely within your rights as a patient to refuse care from anyone, this includes but is not limited to medical students, residents, and attending physicians. 

That being said, I would at the very least state to staff that you are just not okay with receiving the exam from the student. If you are okay with other aspects of care (interview, observation of exam, etc) it is incredibly helpful for medical education. Medical students have such a short time on each rotation that they are on and getting face time with patients is how we get better.

I am sorry you had such a poor experience in the past, but hope this doesn’t tarnish future experiences with medical students. 

[u/LacrimaNymphae → u/WhichButterscotch456]

i wish i'd known this when i had an appointment made with a neurosurgeon to get evaluated for something potentially hereditary and i got stuck with the PA who pinned most of it as mental and due to worrying. i told her i had numbness in various limbs plus my back itself and she said i'd need a 'psych eval' to even be considered to be opened up or presumably genuinely looked at with a consult by the surgeon

i just wanted answers and that was the bullshit 'consult' i got, with them making me have to jump through a hoop i already had when i was age 8 for chronic UTIs by saying i'd have to repeat a UDS (VERY PAINFUL) and then again if it was inconclusive, which they usually are. needless to say it was during covid and knowing how i had trouble peeing afterward for DAYS and repeated infections, i said fuck that

i actually cried because i was reminded of the stupid inconclusive one they did back when i was a kid. like 6 people held me down and no one even thought of any spinal etiology back then even with the frequency of recurring UTIs. just shrugged their shoulders at my constipation and urinary issues and forced me to drink miralax, repeated antibiotics, and some bladder-cleaning drug by mylan which i couldn't swallow. i didn't know when i fully needed to go and they blamed it on me holding it in like i was developmentally disabled or something. even gave me a bathroom pass for school

so anyway, fast forward to 2021 or 2022 - it was my mom's surgeon's office where i had to deal with this PA. she tried to say my advanced degenerative discs and protrusions were nothing, then when my mom called and questioned it they referred me for intrathecal steroid injections without even telling me and i only found out when i got the call from another office

i have the disc issues (and have for presumably for a long time like since puberty), bladder and bowel/sexual involvement, spasms, numbness, bilateral sciatica, high inflammation levels, burning joints and like 8 spinal protrusions. the reason i was seen is due to my mom having tethered cord, adhesive arachnoiditis, brain cysts and EDS symptoms we now know of which i also seem to have feats of too but no one even brought that possibility up or offered her/us genetic testing or further evaluation upon discovery of her issues. her concerns about her csf flow and brain cysts/visual issues were also pinned as aging and after the detether it was like they dropped her like a hot potato once she didn't want more surgery, age being a factor and her just not being able to tolerate most things. she had it her whole life apparently and we found out in her late 50s... this was supposedly the best doctor in the country

i was 22 then and i'm 26 now and i can definitely say it hasn't gotten better. my gp has me down as somatoform and thinks i'm striving to become tethered so i can probably ask for more meds/get taken more seriously. they act like there's no possibility it could have already happened and i had a basic mri at 22 with no contrast despite having back issues since puberty and kyphosis. they don't want to order any more testing because the CT scan i had last year which didn't show the nerves in discs just showed most of the inflammation/arthritis spread down to my lumbar area which it previously had not, and they didn't bat an eyelash

i now have it in every level along with systemic symptoms and they're not even concerned with my bladder issues i've had since i was like 8. they just tell me to lose weight and i understand i've been hormonally obese for years, even having a nearly 30lb mucinous borderline tumor my pediatrician failed to diagnose at age 16 which caused me to LOSE AN OVARY when they sucked it out and to never be the same as i was before, but they literally don't look for answers or try different kinds of treatment. my mom and i see the same primary care because that pediatrician literally wouldn't touch me or even see me for an infected surgical wound (that would eventually turn into a keloid) post-op after that ordeal

[u/Woodland_elf_cleric → u/LacrimaNymphae]

This was a simple yes or no question about med students. Not an invite to trauma dump your whole medical history

[u/nmarie1996]

Yes. Usually they will ask first if it’s okay - you can simply say “no”.

[u/Nursejones2]

Yes

[u/jkdess]

yes you can

[u/bendable_girder]

Yes

[u/Idobeleiveinkarma]

Yes. You can refuse anybody from touching you for any reason. Or for no reason at all.

[u/Soft-Two-7227]

Yes. If you're uncomfortable with a med student, you can refuse. Stay calm. If they pressure you, say "I do not consent to being examined by a medical student."

It's unlikely that the staff will try to convince you to see a medical student when they know that you don't consent. If they try to change your mind, ask for a copy of the facility's "Informed consent form" so the limits to your consent will be part of your medical records. Fill out the form and add " I do not consent to care by medical students." Sign and date. Request a copy.

[u/Purple-Boss-5776]

Yes! Normally, they ask and sometimes have you sign paperwork. You can always refuse

[u/Ashamed_Ad_8820]

Yes

[u/Imarni24]

Yeah I had to as having a D&C and exam for meno bleeding, my son was a med student at the hospital, I did not want him traumatised and neither did he! 😵 A boy should only see the inside of his mums uterus as a fetus not an adult!

[u/BitePersonal2359]

100%! I refused a medical student from doing a breast exam on me. I actually asked him to step outside of the room!

[u/AmIInsane12]

Yes!

[u/Professional-Row-605]

Everytime it’s a student they always ask if it’s ok. Depending on what I am there for I will either agree or ask for the teacher to do it instead.

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[u/DirectAccountant3253]

When I was in the hospital for cancer surgery I was taken care of primarily by a medical student. It was the best experience. He was patient, friendly, excited to be on the road to becoming a doctor.

[u/goldstandardalmonds → u/DirectAccountant3253]

How does that answer the question?

[u/EasyTune1196]

My dr said no. I have to let them. They’ve also screw up my med renewal pretty much every other time. They don’t listen either. I will tell them something then right after they say something or ask a dumb question that shows they didn’t listen to a god damn thing I just said