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Medical Doctorate? Register with Lufthansa and get free miles
The safest flight on which I have ever flown was between Minneapolis and Honolulu on a Northwest 757. On my way to a wedding in Maui, I happened to be on the exact same flight as 40 surgeons bound for a conference on the island. Imagine my comfort in knowing that if I choked on a mai thai there would be someone to resuscitate me.Airlines often give an unofficial token of thanks to medical professionals who help on board a flight during an emergency. Stories range from upgrades to first class to vouchers for the in flight duty-free store to a bottle of Champagne, all small thanks for helping a fellow passenger in need.
German based Lufthansa is now making the process more official in their Doctors on Board program. MDs in the Miles and More program can register prior to departure to be "of use" during a medical emergency, and in return, Lufthansa will deposit 5,000 miles into the doctor's account.
Note, while it does not say "medical" doctor on the proper site, the registration form does require credentials to be faxed in, so doctors of Mechanical Engineering or Judeo-Christian history need not apply, unless, perhaps, a passenger is having trouble falling asleep.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Marshall Feb 3rd 2010 8:13PM
Great concept.....go for it.
hg Feb 3rd 2010 9:15PM
I am an E.R. Doc...
Maybe I fly too much but have assisted/volunteered a number of times as a doc on flights. These episodes have included two cardiac arrests on cross country flights. And Medical -Malpractice is a major issue for me.....
Good Samaritan laws suggest that if you do not expect/demand compensation for medical care, then you are helping in good faith and will not be held liable.
If Lufthansa is offering miles up front - then this is compensation and I don't want it. American and United have given me miles as a 'gesture of good will' in the past -- but miles up front puts a doc at risk. Just another example of our broken med-mal system. Keep your 5,000 miles and I will help if I can..................
Whiskey Feb 3rd 2010 9:25PM
Don't worry HG. If you're helping for free, you don't have to act in a competent manner. That should make you feel at ease.
EJH Feb 4th 2010 12:26AM
I am also an E.R. Physician, as well as a former paramedic of 8 years. This program has lawsuit written all over it. If you pre-register with the knowledge you are getting a benefit from it, you have given yourself a duty-to-act in that situation, and good samaritan laws are not likely to protect you, so I would be practicing medicine with no coverage.
It is not accurate that if they don't pay me, then I don't have to meet a standard of care. I can very easily be sued by a patient for a bad outcome even if they never paid for the help I gave them, in fact they may be more likely to sue me since they have no money and are looking for a fast buck.
To the RN's and paramedic/EMT's out there, I understand your point and I would certainly use your assistance during a in-flight code situation. However, you don't have a licence as an independent practitioner, and you still need to operate under a physicians license to practice medicine like this. Hence the need to have a physician on board to take responsibility. That being said, if the 80-yr old psychiatrist did not listen to the ER/ICU nurse or the paramedic....they are a moron...since they have not coded someone in probably 50 years.
I have helped in the past, and will help again, but WITHOUT any promise for a benefit for the service I will give.
Mike Feb 3rd 2010 9:16PM
I'm a firefighter,/paramedic, and even most doctors would tell you that those are the guys to call in an emergency. I've been called to lots of doctors offices for cardiac and respiratory problems, so just having a medical degree doesn't mean they can save people.
I've often thought that if there was some way to alert the flight crew that I was trained for medical emergencies, it would be a good idea. I actually did help a patient on a flight a few years ago, and did indeed get a bottle of wine and a couple of dates later with one of the flight attendants.
Also, I've thought that it would be a good idea to give emergency trained personnel first shot at the exit row seats.
Robert Morris Feb 3rd 2010 9:17PM
When will AOL stop being so Liberal slanted. In almost all of your surveys, the greatest number of replies are way off pf your liberal positions. You are almost as biased as ABC, CBS, and NBC. And, you know where they are headed. I do not want to lose or change servers. Please try and be more objective.
phil Feb 3rd 2010 9:52PM
Why should austomers have to pay higher general fares that include docter perks when they pay doctors enough (too much?)for their own treatment?
celeste Feb 4th 2010 7:53AM
Docs get enough perks....free room and board to first class resorts paid for by pharmaceutical companies( well, at least they did up until a few years ago)....now free miles????geez...let's hope other airlines dont get word of this and follow suit.
mnv Feb 3rd 2010 10:03PM
considering that they sacrafice so much of their time for the sake of keeping others well and considering that they spent so much time in school they really do deserve that discount
gs Feb 3rd 2010 11:00PM
doctors are so poor they can't make their mortgage payments on their million dollar homes and their country club memberships, etc - why do you make gods out of people that do their jobs - only doctors that do 30% pro bono should get the program
Stacy Feb 3rd 2010 11:07PM
Wow, I am a highly trained ER Registered Nurse. I have a Master Degree and have worked in ICU/CCU units in the past. I can put an IV in your vein faster than most doctors can. I am able to use the crash carts and paddles with ease. I can read the monitors and have my ACLS...Advanced Cardiac Life Support certificate. MOST doctors do NOT, unless they are in the ER/ICU/CCU.
How about us getting perks..LOL. I am trained to assist in life saving treatments. Lets see, you could get ME assisting you or you could end up with Dr. Conrad Murry....Michael Jacksons doctor...Which would you prefer? How about doctors who are like 80 years old but STILL have their medical license? I would be scared having them care for me. Airlines need to consider the experienced RN.
Rosie Feb 3rd 2010 11:57PM
Stacy,
I rather have that 80year old dr than you working on me, but of course I would have you working on me before noone did. Those 80year old dr have a lot more expierence and know of all those old fashioned ways that are not tought anymore in modern medicine
Stacy Feb 4th 2010 12:53AM
Yes Rosie those old doctors DO know much...BUT remember technology has changed. These very old docs do NOT know how to use the newest defibulators. They have no clue. I see these olds docs with their hands shaking and they need extensions that amplify sound on the stethescope just to be able to hear....They get confused and are NOT able to think fast enough to safe YOUR life.... I am just saying there are MANY very experienced RN's who are much better and more in tune with todays technologies than many of the doctors are...Sad but true.....I am NOT talking about an ER doc....or surgeons....they are the best of the best...most of the time...But I have seen some quacks with them as well...as I have seen terrible RN's. None of this will even matter if the plane crashes...LOL.....
marjorum Feb 3rd 2010 11:34PM
Worked with an advanced life support instructor, who was also a flight paramedic, who responded to an inflight emergency on a commercial aircraft, for a person with chest pain. When the person coded, the flight attendants would not allow the paramedic to treat the patient because "you are not a doctor." These same flight attendants applied and used an AED with a monitor screen, but would not allow the paramedic to administer any of their onboard medications despite return of spontaneous circulation. With no effort expended toward maintaining an acceptable heart rhythm, the patient coded again to a non-schockable rhythm. There was an MD on the aircraft---a very gray-haired psychiatrist. The paramedic was sure this MD went thru medical school before there were paramedics. The patient died.
KB Feb 3rd 2010 11:33PM
What's up with all the doctor bashing? Do any of you know the time, training and sacrifice it takes to become a doctor? You guys are just another bunch of "know-it-alls" who think you have it all figured out. While you and I are playing around on the internet, most of those guys are actually working, at all hours of the day, and by the way, night too, while the rest of us are sleeping. If any of you think all doctors are rich, you are surely mis-informed. when was the last time a plumber did work for you, and didn't get paid for it? How about your auto mechanic, oh no, they get paid up-front, but not the Doc, he does the job, oh and by the way, it better be perfect, or he will get sued, and then, good luck collecting the actually less than reasonable fee the insurance company allows! After all your bashing, I bet you'd still be glad to see one sitting next to you on a plane when you get sick, and you won't care what kind of house he lives in then.
Jean Feb 3rd 2010 11:39PM
My husband helped on 2 flights A Southwest and US Airlines and they gave him nothing,lol
carlplanecrazy Feb 4th 2010 4:11AM
Hey Jean,
It doesn't surprise me that USAirways didn't do anything for your husband. I worked for them for 12 years, and now I won't even get my retirement that I was fully vested to recieve.
Robert Feb 3rd 2010 11:50PM
Thank your lucky stars that the Doctors that repair your aircraft are a self reliant group that asks for little. The majority of aircraft mechanics in this country make less than the Porter who checked your baggage! They { porters } make on average about 250.00 -300.00 a day with tips. Mechanics average about 19.00-23.00 an hour with the burden of responsibility of knowing many different types of aircraft systems and FAA regulations. Any delays are looked at under a microscope, and dealt with harshly. Having to put up with poeple wondering why you aren't a piliot really puts icing on the cake. We work outside under adverse weather conditions, often at night, during holidays, weekends, under intense responsibility and scrutiny. Thank a mechanic next time you fly... this industry would shut down without us. Everybody wants to be a pilot.... getting your hands dirty and working for a living is not cool in America.......shameful!.
robert Feb 4th 2010 12:06AM
Hey Rob, you forgot that you have no job security, or retirement benifits. OSHA, another big government joke, has NO oversite on working conditions. Ego's run aviation, not common sense, and this Industry cannot see further than its nose. Shame, as this industry was invented here... but buisness is buisness...regardless!!?
michael gardner Feb 4th 2010 12:11AM
I did see a patient on a Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to NYC and he had an appendicitis. We we about an hour past England. I said that he needed immediate attention and could not wait until we got all of the way to NYC. I went back to my seat. The next thing I knew, the pland was banking to right and landed in Iceland and off loaded the man. I never even got a thank you. I was flying in business class at the time. This perk is silly.