Williams v. Reynolds

HEDRICK, Judge.

Medical practitioners in North Carolina “must possess the degree of learning, skill and ability which others similarly situated ordinarily possess.” Dickens v. Everhart, 284 N.C. 95, 101, 199 S.E. 2d 440, 443 (1973) [emphasis in original]. See also Wiggins v. Piver, 276 N.C. 134, 171 S.E. 2d 393 (1970). What “similarly situated” means is not defined with precision. It envisions a standard of professional competence and care customary in the field of practice among practitioners in similar communities which, in turn, suggests a consideration of such factors as the nature of the…