Doctor offering mid-flight medical help is stunned as airline staff question his legitimacy

Doctors are very important when medical emergencies occur in the air, which often make the difference between life and death. But on September 16, one doctor’s attempt to help turned into a hurtful ordeal when he faced skepticism and denial from the airline staff, reportedly because of the color of his skin, creating an uproar online.

Resident Physician Dr. Jordan, who goes by the handle @jordankenfackmd on TikTok, took to his social media page to share a bizarre ordeal he faced during a flight from Istanbul to San Francisco. The doctor revealed that the flight was approximately 3 hours in when the staff called for a doctor to assist. After realizing that he was the only doctor on the flight, he quickly stood up to help. However, instead of taking him to the patient, the staff appeared to question his legitimacy. In the video, Jordan can be heard saying, "The first thing the flight attendant says to me as he comes over, he’s like, ‘Wait, are you a doctor?’ He asked again, ‘Are you sure you’re a doctor?’ Then he asked for a medical ID. I don’t even know what that is. I gave him my NPI number and showed him my hospital badge, which clearly says doctor."

While the doctor assumed that he may have quelled any doubts the staff had, they continued to question his qualifications. He was then rushed to the patient, a 6-year-old boy who had been vomiting for hours. But even as the doctor examined the patient, the airline staff kept interrupting his examination to interject their own opinion. When Jordan stated that the child's symptoms were not of any serious concern and may require just some anti-nausea medication, the staff expressed skepticism over his diagnosis.

The flight staff then refused to open the secured medical kit box for medication and kept pressing to know if he was a legitimate physician. Jordan, after reassuring the parent and the child, went back to his seat, frustrated over the behaviour. Some time later, another passenger required medical assistance. But despite his previous negative experience, Dr. Jordan offered to help the patient. But yet again, he was met with the same dubiousness from another set of flight attendants. However, Jordan, who wanted to maintain his professionalism and respect for his job, followed up with his patients he attended after the flight to make sure they were alright.

In a study co-authored by Kelly Serafini, Caitlin Coyer, Joedrecka Brown Speights, Dennis Donovan, Jessica Guh, Judy Washington, Carla Ainsworth in 2020, found that physicians of color routinely face racism from patients, colleagues, and institutions. 23% reported that patients had directly refused their care because of race. The study also explored the microaggressions correlated with higher stress and lower professional well-being.

After Dr Jordan's video became viral, users called out the airline staff for their racism and praised Jordan for maintaining his professionalism. A user named @champion wrote, "Racism can cost someone's life, yet people never learn."

Another user named @alison&pepper wrote, "Y'all, if you check his first pinned video, it shows he is a HARVARD doctor!!!" User @Everydaymoneyhacks wrote, "I wouldn't even be volunteering anymore."

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