A Florida teen successfully posed as a doctor in a hospital gynaecology department for over a month, and was only caught out when he tried to sit in on an examination.
The 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named due to his age, fooled staff at St Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach for 'weeks', strolling around the gynaecology department in a lab coat and surgical mask.
His ruse was only discovered when he sat in on an exam being conducted by (real) doctor Sebastian Kent, who became suspicious and contacted security.
"He presented himself with a patient of our practice and introduced himself as Dr. Robinson. The first thing I thought was, 'I am really getting old because these young doctors look younger every year," Dr Kent recalled to news station WSB-TV.
Hospital security alerted the police, who arrived to put an end to the young imposter's Catch Me If You Can-style escapade.
According to the police report, when questioned by officers the teen insisted that he had been a doctor 'for years', and kept a lab coat hung up in the back of his car, parked in the hospital car park (presumably in a reserved staff parking space).
When the police investigated, they found that hospital staff reported seeing the teenager, who they all assumed was a doctor, wandering the corridors for 'weeks'.
Despite a concerned patient reporting that the 'doctor' clearly 'appeared to be a child', workers at the centre had apparently been fooled by his white coat, complete with St Mary's logo, and stethoscope.
No motive has been released to explain the teenager's bizarre stint as a medical professional, but his mother explained that her son was suffering from an undisclosed illness and had refused to take his prescribed medication.
St Mary's Medical Center agreed not to press charges against the boy. The hospital was quick to emphasise that the Doogie Howser wannabe never examined or treated any patients, or had access to patient care areas.
"The individual never had contact with any hospital patients and did not gain access to any patient care areas of the hospital at any time," read an official statement from the centre.
"The hospital immediately notified local authorities, who took the individual into custody, and we are cooperating with their ongoing investigation."