A Bismarck Doctor Has Been Fired Because He Had… [Derived Headline]

By TONY SPILDE

By TONY SPILDE

A Bismarck doctor has been fired because he had a sexual relationship with a patient, a breach of ethics his former boss called a cardinal sin.

Dr. Ken Drews admits to having the relationship, but thinks he should be given a second chance.

He plans to contest a formal complaint that calls for the possible termination of his license to practice medicine, and instead will request a suspension. A hearing with the state Board of Medical Examiners and a judge has not been scheduled.

Drews, formerly a third-year resident at the UNDCenter for Family Medicine, was let go Jan. 9 after his supervisor received an anonymous e-mail tip about the relationship. Drews’ boss at the time, Dr. Jeff Hostetter, said Drews was forthcoming about the alleged impropriety. Drews even went to the offices of the Board of Medical Examiners, which acts as the state’s medical watchdog, and confessed to it.

On Tuesday, Drews told the Tribune he had ended the relationship with the woman because he knew it was wrong. He said he knew it was wrong before the relationship started, but couldn’t answer why he went ahead with it anyway.

“I don’t need to hide that it was a sexual relationship,” Drews said. “… I went to the board. Itold them what happened. They said – based on what Isaid – they recommended that my training license be terminated.”

Drews thinks termination is too harsh a punishment.

“I think (the license) should be suspended rather than terminated,”he said. “Termination is too final.”

Either way, it might not make much difference here.

Because he obtained his medical degree from an institution outside the United States or Canada, limitations were put on Drews’ license to practice medicine in North Dakota. For the license to be valid, Drews has to be enrolled in an approved training program in this state. He no longer is, and Hostetter said there’s no way Drews would get his old job back.

“It’s one of the ethical things about all physicians everywhere: You just don’t have a (sexual) relationship with your patients,”Hostetter said. “If you want to have a relationship with someone who was your patient, you need to sever that (doctor- patient) relationship and wait a reasonable amount of time, and even that is frowned upon.”

Hostetter said every resident at the UND Center for Family Medicine is specifically told not to engage in a sexual relationship with their patients.

“We have a training session at the beginning of their residency,” he said. “The first thing they’re told is never, never, never – I think there are about 24 ‘nevers’ – have sex with your patients. It’s so frustrating when something like this happens, because you don’t know how much more you can do (to prevent it).”

After Drews’ dismissal, investigators from the Board of Medical Examiners requested that his license be revoked or some other appropriate action be taken. Drews received a summons to appear and defend the complaint. He said he had responded to the summons, but John M. Olson, attorney for the investigative panel responsible for the complaint, said he hadn’t received Drews’ response.

Drews said he has yet to hire an attorney, but plans to challenge the panel’s recommendation at a hearing with an administrative judge.

Duane Houdek, executive secretary for the Board of Medical Examiners, acknowledged that Drews’ special license to practice medicine has been deactivated. Houdek also supplied a copy of the formal complaint, which is a matter of public record, but would not comment further on the case because he said the investigation was confidential.

Drews earned his medical degree from St. George’s University, which is located on the island of Grenada. He moved to North Dakota about a year and a half ago, and was just six months away from graduating from his residency program.

Hostetter said Drews was a good doctor and a good person when he knew him, but that the doctor-patient relationship is a sacred one that should never be violated.

“It’s really frustrating when someone throws away their career,” Hostetter said. “He was a senior, six months away from graduation. … I’ve gone through my mind thinking what else could we have done. There wasn’t anything. I vacillate between feeling sorry for the guy and being (ticked) off.”

(Reach reporter Tony Spilde at 250-8260 or tony.spilde@bismarcktribune.com.) Doctor dismissed, faces board hearing

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