The Big Event

Every good story has a clear beginning. In order to present the issue in my project, I have to decide was aspects of the beginning I should share.

Altmann, Gerd. "Road Start". 1/17/06 via pixabay. CC0 Public Domain.

During a chilly March night in 1984, patient Libby Zion arrived at the emergency room of a hospital in New York. Residents at the hospital rushed to her aide, probing around to figure out what was wrong with her. They were puzzled, but after some thought and discussion, they produced a treatment plan and prescribed medication. As the temperature outside decreased, Libby's fever increased. It was only a mater of time before she passed away from cardiac arrest in that hospital, surrounded by the sound of rushing physicians and the smell of disinfectant. The cause of death was uncertain, but the exhaustion of the residents could be felt, and the question whether Libby's death occurred due to malpractice from sleep deprivation.

By 1989, the state of New York put into place a law that limited residents' work hours to 80 a week. The hope was to end the sleepless lights and quiet the hum of exhaustion the residents too often felt while working. Unfortunately, the law, like any person, has an Achilles heel. Residents still find themselves working over 80 hours because they are on call or have paperwork and notes to review. In 2012, a resident at Harborview Medical Center named Katie Benziger was forced to leave her job temporarily because she had developed complications in her pregnancy due to the stress of her job. And even before Katie's story was shared, other residents at the University of Washington have been unionizing to ask for better pay and benefits. The University of Washington Houstaff Association (UWHA) has picked up momentum in mid-2015, and continue to strive for change in 2016, with the support of city council members and various other residents.


Do you think this is an effective summary of the big event leading up to my controversy?