[blindlaw] medmical practice suts against interns

[Mike Gilmore]

This question is mainly for those of you who practice in Illinois; but, everyone else feel free to chime in.
 
On last night's ER, Dr. Raskotra was sued for medical malpractice. The real person who botched the surgery was her intern. Granted, she was probably being sued because she's a surgeon and has deep pockets (so to speak) and was responsible for teaching her intern how to perform the surgery; so, she's somehow liable. Even so, it was the intern who performed the actual surgery. How come he's just not sued outright or joined as a party to the suit? Granted, interns aren't real doctors yet and probably aren't making as much as a full surgeon; but, in the end, is it all about which potential defendant has the most money in their pocket or is it under a respondeat superior theory under which they're suing Raskotra and not her intern? Of course, County General would probably be gone after, too, right?
 
Mike