"They Don’t Believe Me?" — Physician Says Flight Crew Ignored Him During Emergency

A doctor says his attempts at trying to help a sick passenger on a long flight was met with both doubt and hostility from the airline's crew. Resident Physician Dr. Jordan (@jordankenfackmd) says the frustrating encounter happened on a recent flight from Istanbul to San Francisco.

He delineated his disbelief and shock with the incident in a recent TikTok video recounting the ordeal, which has been viewed more than 2.5 million times as of this writing.

In the clip, Dr. Jordan recounted that approximately three hours into the flight, staff put out a call for a doctor.

Upon hearing the call, he says he sprang into action, standing up, eager and ready to help. However, instead of being rushed towards the patients, the healthcare professional says an attendant immediately accosted him with suspicion.

“The first thing the flight attendant says to me as he comes over, he’s like, ‘Wait, are you a doctor?’ He asked again, ‘Are you sure you’re a doctor?’ Then he asked for a medical ID. I don’t even know what that is. I gave him my NPI number and showed him my hospital badge, which clearly says doctor," Dr. Jordan states.

While one may assume that presenting these credentials would instantly quell any doubts as to the validity of his claims, the TikTok user said that this wasn't the case.

Even with the necessary proof, Jordan says the crew dragged their feet. When he reached the patient, a 6-year-old boy who had been vomiting for hours, a flight attendant repeatedly interrupted his exam to interject her own questions and opinions.

Dr. Jordan went on to state that the disruptions were so incessant that he needed to address them in the moment while simultaneously attempting to ascertain what was wrong with the visibly sick child aboard the airplane.

"I looked back at her and said, ‘Can I just talk to the patient, please?'" Dr. Jordan told his viewers.

Thankfully, he was able to ascertain that the child's symptoms didn't indicate there was anything seriously wrong with the kid. However, he did inform flight crew members that anti-nausea medication could help settle the child's stomach.

Although upon recommending that they take medication from the plane's locked medical kit, the crew continued to express their dubiousness as to his doctoral credentials.

Ultimately, flight staff refused to open the secured medical kit box and persisted in expressing that they didn't believe he was a legitimate physician.

Dr. Jordan reassured the child’s mother and left the attendants to monitor the situation, but was frustrated that his medical expertise had been questioned.

As the flight progressed, it turned out that another passenger needed medical assistance. Despite his previous negative experience with crew, Dr. Jordan offered up his assistance yet again.

Here, he was met with skepticism again, but from an entirely different group of attendants. Like the situation with the previous passenger, Dr. Jordan said the repeated skepticism took its toll.

Maintaining his professionalism and dedication to the Hippocratic oath he took upon becoming a doctor, the physician followed up with the passengers after the flight to ensure they were feeling OK.

Users in the comments expressed sympathy towards Dr. Jordan's in-flight ordeal. Many encouraged him to report the airline, with one person urging, “Please report the airline… I also suggest if they ask for a doctor and you have to go through all of that, just leave them be.”

Another wrote, “Sir. They don’t deserve you. Sit down. Enjoy the flight next time.” A third echoed the sentiment directly: “It’s racism, put the airline on blast, that’s unacceptable.”

And as it turns out, another user on the application said that their father has experienced similar situations.

In fact, they went on to state that their dad's previous negative encounters have prompted him to keep quiet during in-flight medical emergencies.

“My Dad, who is a Doctor, always says never volunteer. You want to help, but it can end up being your worst nightmare. As a Black doctor, he says he knows better," they penned.

This begs the question: is the above-referenced "nightmare" the TikTok user wrote about referencing possible legal ramifications doctors can face in helping someone on a flight?

I.e., when a doctor steps up on a plane, are they putting their license on the line?

This might not exactly be the case, however, according to the U.S. Aviation Medical Assistance Act of 1998.

This act offers Good Samaritan-style protections. If a doctor acts in good faith and without gross negligence, they are shielded from civil lawsuits.

Licensing boards, which oversee physicians on a state-by-state basis, could, in theory, investigate a complaint. But experts say this almost never happens.

Boards recognize that doctors on flights are working without equipment, without support staff, and often under pressure. Unless their conduct is reckless or intentionally harmful, their license is solid.

Matters can be muddied due to the involvement of airline staff, too. Flight attendants are trained in first aid and control access to the locked kit of medications.

Additionally, they are also often required to consult with ground-based medical services before dispensing any medication. So even when a doctor volunteers, their recommendations can be overruled.

Basically, if a patient’s condition worsens, the doctor is not automatically at risk. What matters is whether they acted as a reasonably prudent physician would in such circumstances. A plane at 35,000 feet is not a hospital, and both courts and boards recognize that.