Doctor: So, we had this training at my work, right?
Me: k
Doctor: And this crisis management dude came in. He’s this white dude from suburban New Jersey or something
Me: All of New Jersey is a suburb but yeah I’m with you
Doctor: So they come in with a hired actor to simulate a patient who is beyond reason. Maybe they’re having a manic episode, or a panic attack, or whatever the reason is, the patient has lost control and is potentially violent
Me: gotcha
Doctor: So we go through the scenario. The actor was told to never ever calm down no matter what we did to deescalate, to simulate the worst-case scenario. Eventually the trainer cuts off and says, “so, I noticed none of you called the police”
Me: Uh-oh
Doctor: and we’re like “well duh we didn’t call the police” and the dude looks at us like “why not??” and now he’s got, like, 30 doctors with their arms crossed, glaring, and he doesn’t understand why. He’s a white dude who thinks the solution is to call the cops.
Me: Don’t call the cops. You work in Philly.
Doctor: I work in Philly! If I’m not legally obligated to call the cops, I’m not going to. We have had to call the cops before, and it cops are never sensitive to patient needs.
Me: So what did you do with the trainer?
Doctor: We glared at him until he went home.