Would you judge me? Was i unprofessional?

[magentapink3]

would you consider this unprofessional/would you be annoyed at this?

if you were in a healthcare appointment (not whilst getting an invasive or risky treatment btw, and during the talking part of the appointment eg whilst explaining things during a podiatrist, audiologist, optician, dietician etc) and the healthcare professional fainted, would you complain or consider it unprofessional? And if you were the collegues of the healthcare professional would you think that person should be embarrassed at all or would you judge them for it?

Just for further context- I’m the healthcare professional and fainted. It was mid conversation and realised I really wasn’t well so I said to the patient excuse me I’m sorry I’m going to go and get someone else (so I could go out quickly and get some air as I thought I was maybe just hot!) and I stood up and whilst walking out I fainted to the floor. I’ve never done it before, the patient was lovely about it and was seen by a different colleague and all was fine but I went home from work afterwards and I’m back tomorrow and I’ve been scheduled a meeting with my slightly scary boss to discuss how unprofessional it was. I just wanted to ask here to gauge some opinions on whether I was unprofessional etc and should prepare for a bollocking or not!

🤣🤣🤣👏👏👏

I voted YABU but didn’t understand the question.

YABU to be embarrassed because you have absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about.

The only thing I would feel as a patient is worry and sympathy for you.

If I had a complaint by another colleague I would take it further because the only thing your colleagues should be doing is checking you’re ok and letting you have a break/telling you to go home.

FWIW i told a colleague I don’t feel well and felt a bit like you did. I went to the toilet and was sick.
I was only a couple of minutes but my colleagues had already packed my bag and decided amongst themselves who’s driving me home and my boss was already on the phone getting cover saying I’m going home.
Their only concern was that I was feeling unwell and shouldn’t be at work. They didn’t make me feel like an inconvenience or like I did something wrong.

Mot unprofessional at all, but if you're worried tall to your trade union before the meeting

Ask him what you should do if it happens again? How does he expect you to stop fainting, when you had no idea that’s what you were about to do.

push the problem back to him and ask for the solution. Hopefully he’ll then realise what a dick he’s being.

I hope you're not just going to nod along and ignore them; I'd be pushing back hard against that. I'd also have someone there from my union; he's a fuckwit and needs to be informed so. Ask him what you should have done. How it could have been prevented. How he would have dealt with it. Push it right back up his sorry HR arse.

Yep do this! Don't sit there and nod and take his bullshit op. If nobody calls him out he'll keep doing it

So he wants to talk about 'how to not do it again'.

Great. So he wants to talk about making sure you have sufficient breaks, time to eat, drink and get some fresh air, and also that your working environment is well ventilated and a comfortable temperature?

Your manager thinks it’s unprofessional?! He’s a proper idiot.

Ah I see. Perhaps ask for training OP 🤔

I would feel nothing but concern for you because I'm not a monster!!!

Honestly how are you meant to control fainting?!

You acted professionally and did everything you could to reduce the risk of any adverse affects.
I can well imagine though the 'gossip' in the staff room. 'OMG how embarrassing!' 'Gosh, did the patient mind? I bet you felt a right idiot'....prep a response. 'Why do you think I should feel embarrassed? What would you have done differently?'

I'm presuming you've recovered and no lasting damage. It'll be yesterday's news soon

So now you’re going to have to drag a crystal ball around with you so you know when you’re going to faint next…

he won’t be making it an official disciplinary situation

Well, that’s jolly big of him. I’d have liked to see how that one panned out TBF. Wilfully and knowingly fainting at work… you should know better OP.

Yeah, even on MN where some of the AIBU questions are utterly ridiculous, I'm really struggling hard with this one

I think it was a combo of all- too hungry, too thirsty, too tired and too hot.
Do not tell him any of this information or he’ll
blame you. Tell him you don’t know why it happened, which to be honest you don’t.

Don’t let him get away with treating you like shit. If he has a go ask him what his idea for a solution is.

Gosh, I can only add to the chorus of how ridiculous!
I recently had to excuse myself from a situation with a patient because like you I felt I was going to go. Just said, really sorry, I’m feeling hot and faint and I’m just going to go and have some fresh air for a minute. Not a problem, and fortunately I made it out in time!
Nit something you can plan not to do again really, hope the meeting goes ok.

Well, fainting could not be helped! You didn't do it on purpose. The only thing that might have been a bit unprofessional would have been if you went in, already knowing that you were too ill to manage; but it doesn't sound as if this was the case!

Frankly, if I were a patient, I'd worry more about the attitude of your boss. If she can be so harsh toward a colleague's health problems, how can she be trusted to be compassionate toward patients' health problems?

I do hope you are better soon.

It is an incident and your manager should have written up an incident report. And it may have shocked and alarmed a vulnerable patient. But that is something that your manager/team/colleagues should have stepped in to deal with.

Not unprofessional at all!!

I had a trainee midwife observe my c section who fainted midway through and took out half the equipment. I didn't think it was unprofessional though may have been an impediment to her career!

Yours sounds like totally out of your control and "one of those things"

It's like asking if sneezing during an appointment is unprofessional. There's not a lot you can do about it.

When I was in labour the anaesthetist fainted midway through putting my epidural in.
I didn't think she was unprofessional just unwell.

I suppose the only way it could be considered unprofessional is if the person fainted because they hadn't bothered to eat or drink enough or had gone to work knowing they didn't feel well.

If I were your patient I’d be concerned about you, and try To help. No way would “unprofessional” be in the top 100 things I thought about it.

hope you feel better now!

I hope the MN community can come up with some suitably passive aggressive responses to your arsehole boss.

You fainted! It's not a choice! How can it be unprofessional?

Yes, the attitude made me think of the Duchess in 'Alice in Wonderland': 'Beat him when he sneezes/ He only does it to annoy/ Because he knows it teases.'

If I was the patient I’d be worried that you were so over worked that you couldn’t look after yourself. If I was your supervisor I’d want to look at how we could make sure all staff are able to take the time to look after themselves.