[**GruntDoc**](http://www.gruntdoc.com/) says:
>[**Consultants and Transfers**](http://www.gruntdoc.com/archives/000833.php)
>If you’re a consultant doc to an ED, and the ED doc gives you a courtesy call that they’ve accepted a very critical patient for you to take care of, because a)you’re a doctor, b)it’s your specialty and c)you’re on call for that specialty, feel free to say “Thanks”, or even “OK”. A two minute tirade on how life is…
Amen to that. Speaking as a consultant, there’s absolutely no reason to be rude and disrespectful to your colleagues. Hell, if you can’t be nice to other docs what’s the point. Don’t take call. Yes, this is possible. Someday I’ll write all about how I got all the ED consultant’s paid to take call and had mandatory call removed from the Medical Staff Bylaws.
Believe it or not. The only problems we’re having is related to the high cost of OB professional liability insurance.
The other thing I’d like to add is it’s really annoying when you/I get called to the ED as a Surgical consultant after the patient has been “admitted” to the Medicine (or other) service and there is nothing on the chart from the doc consulting me, in this case the Medicine doc. Clearly the ED doc didn’t think the patient needed a Surgical consult, otherwise they would have called me directly. Covering your ass and spreading the liability is not an efficient or conscientious way to practice medicine.