When generosity comes with a quid pro quo.

Every physical therapist (PT) must consider patients' preferences and requests. But what is the PT's responsibility when 1 patient's requests threaten to interfere with the care of other patients—and those requests are mandated rather than entrusted to the clinician's judgment?

"A Few Small Favors"

To Sandi, Metropolitan General is a community hospital in the truest sense of the word. In an era of hospital acquisitions and mergers, Metropolitan has remained independent thanks to the largesse of a small group of key donors in and around Middletown, the suburb in which the facility is located. Given this support, the hospital offers community residents a high standard of care and is insulated from the types of staffing compromises and service cutbacks that can occur when offsite numbers-crunchers call the financial shots.