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Gotta Give ‘Em Points for Chutzpah.

The University of Florida medical school can’t even find and retain forms it’s been sent to complete on conflict of interest.

Because of this pathetic failure, the American Medical Student Association gave the school an F grade on its widely publicized national measurement of how well universities are handling conflict of interest in their med schools. The university had to plead with AMSA to change its grade to in progress,which AMSA graciously allowed.

And now a blowhard UF dean, interviewed by the student newspaper, comes out with this:

[AMSA] is the least knowledgeable [in conflicts of interest policies],” Flynn said, referring to the fact that AMSA is an organization made up of medical students. “[No offense to them, but] they’re not even in the profession yet. We’re doing this because we feel it’s the right thing to do, not because of them.”

Yes, the wee babes of AMSA! We big boys who’ve been at the conflict of interest game for decades know how it’s played. These innocents, these hyper-moral fools, these fanatics, waltz in with their little questionnaires and think we have to notice! No offense, but they don’t know shit. We threw their presumptuous little form in the trash the minute we saw it… Now it turns out people actually pay attention to the fuckers…. We had four secretaries scrounging through garbage to find the thing! But no go. We’ve had to kiss up to the assholes…

Margaret Soltan, June 30, 2009 6:46AM
Posted in: conflict of interest

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4 Responses to “Gotta Give ‘Em Points for Chutzpah.”

  1. Bonzo Says:

    Now who is it that is always telling us to write in a calm and unemotional way?

    Just kidding. If this kind of stuff doesn’t get someone seriously pissed, then they are not awake. At our place one of the medical students who tried to make a serious contribution to the development of a new conflict of interest policy was treated like some sort of naif. The funny thing is that most of the students and younger docs are 180 degrees away from this clown.

    We’re doing it because it is the right thing to do?

    And so why, exactly, did it take the AMSA scorecard and a grade of F to embarrass these clowns into action, even though the foot-dragging is obvious? We’ve supposedly been working on a revised COI policy at our place for several years.

    And so it goes.

  2. Adam Says:

    Shouldn’t we say the AMSA students displayed chutzpah, whereas Dean Flynn should be charged with hubris?

    Which reminds me of the old joke – what is the difference between hubris and chutzpah?
    Answer: hubris from the Greek is the term that applies when a mere mortal presumes to give advice to the gods. Chutzpah from the Yiddish is the term to use when he follows up by sending them a bill.

  3. Margaret Soltan Says:

    The dean displayed both chutzpah and hubris.

    AMSA displayed social responsibility…

  4. Adam Says:

    Yes, but the Dean sees them as uppity students.

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