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[Replaced_Texan]

Over the weekend, it was reported that three female patients were sexually assaulted last week at one of the big hospitals in the Med Center by a guy who walked into their rooms looking like a medical professional. I know someone who was in the hosptial two days after the last assault having a baby. Another friend is supposed to give birth there sometime in the next three weeks. This whole thing scares the crap out of me.

Patients are already in a pretty vulnerable position, and they have to surrender so much of themselves to their health care practitioners. This guy came in, knew their names, asked a few questions and then told them that he needed to do a pelvic exam. He must have told them that he was a physician, because who else would be doing pelvic exams? He could be anyone, but he looked like he belonged. There's a lot of security in the Med Center, but I know how easy it is to look like you belong, especially since everyone from the janitor to the radiology tech guys to the chief of a clincial department wears scrubs. I have ID badges from four separate institutions in the med center from the various points in my life when I've worked there, and when I was a nurses' aide, I wore the same scrubs as the nurses. The IDs are probably deactivated now, but they still look legitimate. I wouldn't be surprised if he were an ex-employee or even a medical (or nursing or pharmacy or other type of allied health) student or resident. Hell, he could have even been a physician.

So I have a poll question: If someone walked into your hospital room in scrubs with a white coat and a stethescope and said "Hi, I'm Dr. so and so, and I was asked to come in and take a look at you" would you believe them?