Jury Duty vs Duty to Hospital

[transkat]

I recently received a jury summons. Although my hospital will pay me for the days I will be fulfulling my civic duty, my nurse mgr. strongly encouraged me to write a financial hardship letter requesting to be excused. I am a 7p-7a nurse and have worked on the unit for over a year. I suggested that if it was a hardship on the department that perhaps she could write a letter to explain why my absence would create a hardship. It was suggested that people get out of this all the time and that it would be easier if I would write a letter. This is a large hospital with a large pool of nurses. I want to serve but fear possible repercussions. Does anyone have any experience with this issue?

[oramar]

From time to time we get a post here about this same situation. Someone needs to remind these managment people that it is illegal to do what they are doing. A person has a legal and moral rersponsibility to serve when called to Jury duty. There employer has a legal and moral responsibility to be supportive.

[widi96]

Okay - someone posted that active military personal, police and firemen were the only ones allowed out of jury duty. Active military I completely understand because our country is shipping them all over the world. What makes police and firemen more special than us though. We are all providing potentially life and death services to our community. No, I do not believe we should get out of jury duty, but neither should they.

As for the original poster - my suggestion would be as you said - say you feel it is unethical for you to lie and claim financial hardship, but if she feels that strongly about it, you would gladly submit a letter from her to the judge. That way you do not have to lie and are still making an attempt on behalf of the hospital. You'll probably still get to do the jury duty, but if your manager tries to give you a hard time you can say 'I turned that letter in, the judge denied it'.

[SchnauzersRock]

I want to serve on the jury I just don't want to face repercussions from my nurse manager for being absent from work.

Your manager cannot harass you in any way just because you are trying to do your civic duty. I would venture a guess that it would be illegal to do so.

[tntrn, ASN, RN]

Do you have a contract? Make sure you know what it says about jury duty. As a per diem nurse, I was not paid for my jury duty, but I was released from work in order to serve. So, no pay for the time I missed, but I truly couldn't claim hardship either. Now if it had stretched to more than just a few days, that would have been a different story.

My husband was called once when he was actually working outside the US as a pilot. They excused him, and I was excused one other time when I had prior plans to be on vacation.

Do you duty: go to jury duty, it's very interesting. You manager is asking you to lie, and that is wrong on so many levels.

[bethin]

Most hospitals have it in their employee handbook that jury duty is excusable (work wise) and you cannot be fired, reprimanded, etc for it. I would suggest looking that up.

Jury duty is one of those things most people hate (I'd love to be on a jury though but my mom works for the prosecutor's office) but it's our civic duty.

[mpccrn, BSN, RN]

there is nothing a manager can do to you. you were summoned, you must appear, if you're picked, so be it. trust me, the hospital will survive without you.

[Atheos]

No one told her to lie. Lying is not necessary. You can get out of jury duty without lying. As for police, fireman and military there jobs are civic ones. Nursing isn't a civic job. People already serving their country and not just the people should get a pass IMHO. There is also no MORAL obligation to serve. Only a legal one.

[vashtee, RN]

Jury duty is one of those things most people hate (I'd love to be on a jury though but my mom works for the prosecutor's office) but it's our civic duty.

I wouldn't count on that saving you... My husband works in the courts (professional expert), and when I was called up, the judge, the court reporter, and one of the lawyers knew him. I told them I have BIG issues with gun crimes since we are friends with three families who children were shot by a single gunman, and that I was inclined to believe prosecutor's witnesses because of my husband's line of work.

Yes, I was put on the jury. It was a gun crime.

I do believe a person is obligated if they are called up, though. I don't care what they have done in the past.

[Atheos]

Sometimes having a bias won't bar you from serving. Sometimes it will. Depends on the attorneys involved. In a gun crime the prosecutor wants you if you are biased against criminals that use guns. The defense may or may not want you. Depends on how they perceive your bias.

[vashtee, RN]

True... I expected the defense attorney to object to my serving, but she didn't.

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

I want to serve on the jury I just don't want to face repercussions from my nurse manager for being absent from work.

I just had jury duty and there is a video we must watch where it is explained to us that our employers CANNOT make us "face repercussions" by serving and if they do, let the court know and the employer will be in big trouble.

Your nurse manager is wrong, in many ways.

steph

[SEENIT]

I know how you feel. Last year I was scheduled for Jury duty, I arranged with my manager to have the time off, I was ready to serve, actually looking forward to it. My manager was'nt happy about it ,the unit was already short staffed and my being of would further escalate the problem. The morning I was scheduled to work I got a phone call , they were desperate their had been two call ins and they had only 2 nurses to care for 30 patients, the nursing office had no one to send could I please work. I felt obligated to work. I felt the hospital needed me more than the court system, they had hundreds of potential jurors. When I called to tell them I would not be able to serve they were not very sympathetic. I few weeks later I recieved a letter threatening a hefty fine if I did not call to schedule a date to serve. I was able to serve but it was a hardship to my unit. I felt guilty about not being their.