Teen Posed As Doctor But Examined No Patients: Hospital Won’t Press Charges

The doctor is in… high school?

According to the Sun Sentinel, a male teen successfully posed as a physician for what many feel is a startling amount of time for such a baby-faced fraud to go unnoticed. The 17-year-old passed himself off as a doctor at the St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, for nearly a month!

The strange ruse finally came to an end on Tuesday when the unnamed teen was arrested. After the fake doctor was officially busted, the bewildered medical professionals admitted that he did appear just a bit too young to be practicing medicine.

Dr. Sebastian Kent spoke to ABC News about the incident and how young the fraudulent physician struck him.

“The first thing I thought was, ‘I am getting, I am really getting old because these young doctors look younger every year'”

According to Kent, the teen would introduce himself as “Dr. Robinson” to patients, and even stopped in to observe an OB/GYN patient being examined. Multiple security guards saw the teen around the hospital, and one admitted that he’d gained access to the the most secure areas of the building.

In the end, it was reportedly a concerned OB/GYN patient that truly raised the alarm that eventually got the teen doctor busted. The patient complained to medical staff about a young-looking person wearing an “anesthesiology” lab coat.

A short while later, the police were called to the hospital, where the teen was trying to exit the building with his cousin.

Although the fraudulent doctor tried to convince law enforcement he was legitimately able to practice medicine, the troubled teen quite obviously lacked the credentials necessary to prove it.

The young man was taken into police custody. However, the hospital opted not to press charges. A major reason for that is likely that, according to the teen’s mother, he suffers from an unnamed mental illness and refuses to take his medication.

The hospital also insists that the teen doctor had no direct contact with patients, and spent much of his time walking the halls and “shadowing” other doctors.

“The individual never had contact with any hospital patients and did not gain access to any patient care areas of the hospital at any time.

The hospital immediately notified local authorities, who took the individual into custody, and we are cooperating with their ongoing investigation. The safety and security of patients is our highest priority.”

With so many professionals suspicious of the teen who posed as a doctor, why do you think it took so long for him to be exposed?

[Image Credit: WPTV News]