Teen Poses As A Physician’s Assistant: How Did This Happen?

Did you hear about the 17 year old teen that posed as a physician assistant at a Florida hospital for five days and got away with it? Are you surprised? I’m not.

It seems that Matthew Scheidt, had a summer job working part-time for a surgical supply company. He allegedly went to the Human Resources Department of the Osceola Regional Medical Center (ORMC) and convinced them that he was a Physician Assistant student at Nova Southeastern University and lost his identification badge. This is the hospital where many of my former patients were forced to go for medical care because they were either uninsured or received Medicaid. My former employer had a fiscal relationship with them. The use of the word “forced” is quite appropriate because my uninsured patients had no options. When those who had Medicaid requested to deliver at a women’s hospital in another county they were discouraged to do so by the powers that be. I recall with great pain the memos, reprimands and threats I received from my former employer because I wanted to give my patients the freedom of choice. Oh, the stories I could tell about the numerous altercations I had with certain staff members regarding patient management issues. So the fact that this hospital is now on local and national radar screen does not surprise me at all. The hospital was formerly owned by the organization that Florida’s incumbent governor once worked for and eventually paid fines because of fiscal improprieties. The hospital’s long-standing former administrator resigned once the governor ran for office. Yes, politics indeed can affect patient management. But let us return to the story of Scheidt.

Scheidt allegedly performed CPR, changed IVs, cleaned wounds, performed interviews and physical exams on male patients who were disrobed. He was also in the operating room. He only got caught when he asked permission to go to “restrictive areas” of the hospital and I pray it wasn’t the labor and delivery suite. How did this happen? Because our healthcare system is presently on automatic pilot. There are no checks and balances. No accountability. A 17 year old can show up in the human resources department of the hospital and no one does a background check to verify his credentials. Pity the poor patients. This is one of many reasons why The Smart Mother’s Guide to a Better Pregnancy (TSMG) was written. Patients need to be protected.

Could this happen to you? In a heartbeat if you’re not astute and aware. There is a chapter in TSMG, called Investigating the Places Where You Will Receive Care. I strongly encourage everyone to read it.

*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Linda Burke-Galloway*


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