17-Year-Old Arrested For Impersonating Physician While Working At Florida Hospital

Matthew Scheidt, 17, was arrested this week when it was discovered that the youngster was impersonating a physician at a Florida hospital emergency room, he filled the position for an entire week before hospital officials caught on.

According to police Scheidt dressed in a lab coat, wore surgical scrubs and even performed physical exams and gave one man who was suffering a heart attack CPR.

Scheidt had convinced hospital officials for a short period of time that he was a 23-year old physician’s assistant from a nearby university and that his mom was an executive for the company that owned the hospital. During his time in the hospital’s emergency room facilities Matthew also claimed to be a surgical assistant.

The boys entire deception took a strange turn when officials confronted him about his lies and he said it was all part of a “top secret” investigation being conducted by the police department.

Matthew can expect a difficult time in the court room for this one, it’s the second time he has attempted to pass himself off as some type of official, the first time came when he tried to play the part of a deputy for the police department when he was entered in a local program for teens interested in law enforcement careers.

One lawyer told the Orlando Sentinel of the hospital’s background policies:

“They’re going to have real problems if somebody got hurt as a result of this kid,” while he went on to add, “There’s being duped and there’s being stupid…If this is their level of competence, God help anybody who goes there for other matters.”

What type of punishment do you think Matthew should be given considering he has put lives at risk on numerous occasions.