Prominent pilot lied about being an M.D.

[Newsjock]

Source: Associated Press

He seemed like Superman, able to guide jumbo jets through perilous skies and tiny tubes through blocked arteries. As a cardiologist and United Airlines captain, William Hamman taught doctors and pilots ways to keep hearts and planes from crashing.

He shared millions in grants, had university and hospital posts, and bragged of work for prestigious medical groups. An Associated Press story featured him leading a teamwork training session at an American College of Cardiology convention last spring.

But it turns out Hamman isn't a cardiologist or even a doctor. The AP found he had no medical residency, fellowship, doctoral degree or the 15 years of clinical experience he claimed. He attended medical school for a few years but withdrew and didn't graduate.

... Even after learning of Hamman's deception, the American Medical Association was going to let him lead a seminar that had been in the works, altering his biography and switching his title from "Dr." to "Captain" on course materials. It was canceled after top officials found out.

Now, groups that Hamman worked for are red-faced that they hadn't checked out the tall, sandy-haired man who impressed many with his commanding manner and simple insights like not taking your eyes off a patient while talking with other team members about what to do.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/12/12/national/a100322S82.DTL&tsp=1

[Whoa_Nelly]

1. okay..I find this a bit disturbing n/t

[thunder rising]

2. It might be a problem if I had insurance. As it is, I GAS.

[Angry Dragon]

3. I really do not know why

Look at how many people call themselves Senator, Representative, President and numerous other titles of politicians when they are not qualified to take out your garbage

[Whoa_Nelly]

5. +1 n/t

[unblock]

7. but those are jobs where a lack of credentials and an ability to commit fraud is an advantage

m.d., not so much.

[Lucian]

4. Don't people bother looking into one's credentials?

Geez.

[unblock]

6. apparently not. i guess they figure it would be rather hard to fake.

i understand how some charlatans are able to project confidence, but to be able to convey or fake the actual knowledge, that's beyond me. i can imagine some ways that might work 9 times out of 10, but on the 10th time you're totally exposed. how some people manage to continue a fraud like this for any great length is mind-boggling.

[tblue37]

9. Well, he attended med school for a bit, and probably learned some stuff.

He is perhaps very bright, and therefore picked up even more while "practicing." My daughter is a doctor, so I am fully aware that rigorous taining is necessary to produce a qualified, competent, doctor. Yet a very bright person who attended med school could pick up quite a bit of knowledge, and if he read a lot and "practiced" in situations where he got a lot of practical experience but was not always under pressure to help people in crisis, he might have actually become quite skilled in some aspects of medicine, and as long as he avoided the more difficult situations, he could pass for a long time--as he did.

[Canuckistanian]

8. Similar to Frank Abagnale's story

Frank William Abagnale, Jr. (born April 27, 1948) is an American security consultant best known for his history as a former confidence trickster, cheque forger, skilled impostor, and escape artist. He became notorious in the 1960s for successfully passing US$2.5 million worth of meticulously forged checks across 26 countries over the course of five years, beginning when he was 16-years-old.

In the process, he claimed to have assumed no fewer than eight separate identities, successfully impersonating an airline pilot, a doctor, a Bureau of Prisons agent and a lawyer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Abagnale

They made the movie, "Catch Me If You Can" based on his "adventures".

[kath]

10. Note these important lines from article in the OP: "There is no indication Hamman ever treated a

patient."
He did "teamwork training", and "He seemed to understand the jobs of the EMS, emergency room and cardiac catheterization lab staffs and how they needed to work together, Mehta said."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/12/12/national/a100322S82.DTL&ao=2#ixzz17y5X4QOw