#YoTambienMeDormi: Exhausted Doctors Post Pictures of Themselves Asleep at Work Heather Saul - The Independent
go to original May 24, 2015

A picture of a resident asleep in a hospital has sparked a debate about whether trainee doctors should be allowed to nap on the job.

Junior doctors and residents in hospitals are tweeting pictures of themselves asleep while at work to highlight how exhausting their long shifts can be.

The pictures are being posted with the hashtag #YoTambienMeDormi ("I've also fallen asleep") after a patient shared a picture of a resident apparently asleep on her blog.

The patient who posted the picture also criticised the junior doctor for falling asleep during a shift, writing: "We are aware that this is a tiring job but doctors are obliged to do their work. There are dozens of patients in need of attention."

The image and blog post sparked an immediate reaction from doctors across Mexico, who have tweeted #YoTambienMeDormi nearly 18,000 times in solidarity with the resident in the picture. The doctors are not angry about the lengths of their shifts as they believe this is how they will expand their medical expertise, according to the BBC. However, some have said they are not being treated as human beings.

One Mexican doctor said: "As a doctor here in Mexico, it's illegal to take a picture of a patient without their prior consent, even if it's for medical purposes. But a patient can take a photo of a doctor." He also tweeted about falling asleep after operating on a number of patients during a regular shift.

Doctors from across the world also joined in the debate over whether junior doctors should be criticised for sleeping at work.

Read the rest at The Independent

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