How common is it for a doctor to hit on his or her patients?

I realize doctors have ethical rules against dating patients, but just how common is it for a doctor to flirt, hit on, and ask out a patient? How common is it for a doctor to date medical staff? Which medical staff tends to date doctors most often (ex, other doctors, RN's, medical assistants, phlebotomists...). Can the relationship between a doctor and a patient ever work out? If you are a doctor, what is your experience with this and what are the stories you have heard and can share here. Thanks.|||Harmless flirting is part of life. I routinely do so with nurses, some of whom are my kids' ages, and nobody takes that seriously. I even joke that my goal in life is to become a dirty old man. Neither is dating strictly prohibited, else doctors in remote areas would have to be celibate. A lot of doctors date nurses, because there's a large pool, and those who are busy may very well not meet much of anybody else. But Zoltan has a point, and it would be very easy for a doctor to take advantage of a situation, so it would be inappropriate to hit on a patient while in the office, for instance, and I know of few who've ever done so.


And yes, living in a rural area, I've known a few doctors who first met their wives in a different role, but their dates were generated from social meetings later, not in the office setting. That would be plain creepy in addition to having its ethical problems.|||It doesn't work because work gets in the way, my uncle is a doctor and he just recently divorce her wife because he was working 18-20 hours a day and he says that she didn't liked that, you know not enough time together I guess. Anyways doesn't work unless there's commitment from both parties involved.|||When my handsome doctor went out of his way to tell me he just got divorced then just stared at me not saying anything for a minute, I thought did he just offer himself...sure seemed like it. My dentist tried to date me for many years but I am really good friends with his assistant so she told him that I liked him also and I think that is why he had the guts to do it, he was shy. Sad part of the story is when my dumb but was single I didn't scoop him up because I am also shy, too late now!|||The issue of physicians dating current patients or patients with whom they'd previously had a clinical relationship with is a really touchy matter. The issues of transference and counter-transference may be a huge impediment to the physician's judgment and to the best outcome for the patient. It's something that is strictly forbidden by medical ethics.





In terms of dating other workers in the health professions, this is something that occurs all the time and is not regarded as a breach of medical ethics.|||there would be so many professional issues that it would be really out of place btn a doctor and patient, at least from the doctor;s end.. i have seen patients who were more 'aggressive' at initiated contact with a doctor, resident, medical student





most doctors that i know are married to other doctors(usually their classmates) or an undergraduate classmate, i have seen one resident date a nurse, residents dating medical students, attendings date fellows/residents/other attendings. doctors hooking up with the other groups u mentioned, i have not seen, but that isnt to say it doesnt happen