I'm stuck trying to figure out how to make the 'kicker' of my plot work. Without getting into the story, I need a way for someone with a multiple personality disorder to pose as a doctor during a traumatic accident. This person A ends up saving person B's life. Though it at least needs to sell a little bit as realistic. Person B will end up with complications from person A's help however. I'm stuck. I can't figure out a way to go around it while not completely relying on an insane amount of suspension of disbelief. I hope this makes sense. If not I'll try to provide further clarification. Best, Whiskey
if you're not a doctor, or a shrink who treats patients with mpd, you're going to have to do a whole heck of a lot of research to make both aspects of this story be believable... and asking for a magical solution here won't do you any good, because the devil's in the details... the best places for you to start are the DSM IV [for clinical info on the disorder, to make your mc's behavior realistic] and googling for emergency first responder medical techniques, for whatever the trauma is that the victim has suffered...
Well I am majoring in Psychology and the DSM IV is my close friend so I'm ok in that aspect. Hmm. Well thanks for the response. Best, Whiskey
i don't think i quite understand, but perhaps during some kinda catastrophe (earth-quake, 10 car pile-up, ect) the hospital becomes overwhelmed enough for a person to slip in & pose as a doctor w/o being noticed/questioned? you mean something like that, or am i way off..?
Yes that's pretty much right. What I'm shooting for in the situation was hard for me to describe (why I asked for help) lol. But yes that is what I meant. Hmm...your suggestions have helped a bit. Thank you! Best, Whiskey
Watch house. It might sound stupid. But most of that is garbage. Some of their results are flawed and improvable. I mean, sure, they could happen. But the chances. But all aside. If you aren't an actual doctor or microbiologist (grandmother) you aren't going to catch the holes and loops. So what i'm saying is that if you use big words in dramatic moments. You can pretty much pass the inspection of reality and create something believable.
Maybe, at the hospital, he doesn't actually do anything extraordinary to save the person but is simply next to them at a critical moment. For instance, the emergency room could be in a state of panic and the doctor is called away to see to another patient (perhaps from the same mass accident) and nobody takes real notice of your mental character staying by the bedside. As the patient's condition suddenly worsens, he performs an action that requires minimum level of skill, or perhaps he just calls a doctor in.
You have an interesting idea HorusEye. Thanks to everyone so far with the help. My brain was running in circles and these fresh thoughts have provided me with a little something to work with. It's not that I couldn't have just made up something super elaborate, but this is scene is just a spark for the fire. Thanks again for the help so far. Best, Whiskey
Ah, i'm glad i understood you right. You're welcome, glad to have helped As others have stated, it seems like you're biggest problems are making the fake doctor's medical prowess believable, but also getting him in a position to impersonate a doctor, right? First off, is the personality impersonating primary(his real self) or auxilary(the split personality)? Secondly, you mean medical complications? Unless person B's condition is relatively easy to remedy (which most life-threatening occurances usually aren't), i think you're character needs to have a pretty impressive understanding of medicine (emergency med, specifically) to pull off any kind of dramatic procedure, which might concievably be possible of someone w/ an extensive but strictly amatuer interest in medicine, which could easily lead to complications. Like me: my mom's a nurse, & i like to think i have a pretty good secondhand medical knowledge, & i could maybe pull off a relatively simple but professional procedure well enough. but if all precautions aren't taken it can be extremely easy to develop complications, esp infection and the like. SO - if that's what you're talking about - that sounds relatively plausible, otherwise, sorry for misunderstandering you, lol The other thing i can think of is the issue of impersonating a doctor at a hospital, which may well require some research on hospital security protocols & the like. The 2 factors i can think of is some kind of disaster, like i said, & that there might be more anonymity & lack of familiarity among staff at a larger, inner-city hospital, which also are often under-funded & overwhelmed normally. worth thinking about. small scenes are small, but a rushed or inaccurate one can detriment the overall story. any scene can for that matter. yeah [/ramble]
Exactly right. Unless person B's condition is relatively easy to remedy (which most life-threatening occurances usually aren't), i think you're character needs to have a pretty impressive understanding of medicine (emergency med, specifically) to pull off any kind of dramatic procedure, which might concievably be possible of someone w/ an extensive but strictly amatuer interest in medicine, which could easily lead to complications. Yeah bingo. The wrench tossed into my engine lol. But this has given me a lot to work with. Problem 1 is getting him into the position. Problem 2 is figuring out how he can "save" her life. I mean the guy isn't slipping into an OR and magically performing neuro surgery. I haven't decided whether it's the primary or a secondary personality. There seems to be pros and cons to both as far as I'm thinking down the road in the story. And yes, medical complications. Fortunately my mother has been working in a hospital for a while so the technical aspects as far as security/ procedure during emergencies shouldn't be hard to come by and I have a family member in medical school. And yes I didn't mean to sound like this scene wasn't relevant lol...the story hinges on it, I just need to make it past!
Cool. Again, I'm glad I understood you, except for the small scene part, lol Actually getting him in the room & able to do anything unquestioned seemed like the hardest part to me, so that's perfect if you've you got a first-hand, familial source of info. i can't think of a better combination
Maybe he could be posing as a student doctor in a big teaching hospital? And then if he made any small goofs it wouldn't be so unusual.
i wouldn't advise trying that!... big words alone won't do it... and if you don't know how to use those big words properly, it'll just be gibberish and not fool anyone with a modicum of intelligence...
Thank you for your contribution. And don't worry maia, I wasn't planning on it, lol. I've gotten a lot of great feedback. Thank you all. Best, Whiskey
