What if the Boston bomber was your pt

Nurses Relations

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I'm just sitting here listening to the coverage of the terrorist attack.

The suspect is in the hospital, injured, and obviously being cared for by nurses. What if that nurse was me?

Related Article: Life after the Boston Marathon Bombing - Nurses Coping with the Trauma

I'd have to refuse the assignment for reasons I'm not going to list here but are valid given the crimes he committed - it would be in his best interest and mine for me not to be assigned to care for him.

Other posts have posted about him being "a kid" - he is a young man, not a kid and knew exactly what he was doing. It's unfortunate he chose the path he did but he did and he is fortunate he is in America because in other countries, many other countries, he would already be dead, thrown in a cell and tortured etc. Here, even with the evil actions he participated in, he is receiving care and due process of law. He should be grateful though I highly doubt he is.

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

I know that I would care for him like any other patient in my care....and I would respect the nurse who couldn't. I would respect that nurse who would admit that this is not the patient she can give care to ....for whatever reasons...... and I would respect her honesty, integrity, and professionalism to admit it.

I'd allow her/him to graciously bow out.

Specializes in PACU, pre/postoperative, ortho.
Other posts have posted about him being "a kid" - he is a young man, not a kid and knew exactly what he was doing. It's unfortunate he chose the path he did but he did and he is fortunate he is in America because in other countries, many other countries, he would already be dead, thrown in a cell and tortured etc. Here, even with the evil actions he participated in, he is receiving care and due process of law. He should be grateful though I highly doubt he is.

Agreed. My reference to him as a "kid" is in the context that I have a 19 yr old son (a young man but still very much kid) & to think of my son or one of his friends doing something like this is beyond comprehension. I can't help but wonder what his background & influences have been to cause him to take the path he chose.

When contemplating where someone ended up in life, I have a tendency of thinking about the fact that at some point they were someone's beautiful baby, pride & joy. (I tend to do this a lot when taking care of confused elderly pts or comfort care pts.)

Long as this young man accepts the care being given him and or cooperates one assumes those providing simply consider it part of their job and leave personal feelings behind. Don't know what policies Beth Israel Boston has regarding nursing staff wishing to decline a patient assignment based on moral or conscious obections, however one assumes anyone who wanted nothing to do with the pt could or would be allowed to beg out.

My worry is the fact that both federal, state and local LE *want* this kid so badly and are itching to speak with him soon as possible. When and who decides the time that should happen and how long it should continue if the patient is clearly in distress.

The other worry would be if this *kid* begins to refuse treatment, food, etc... and otherwise clearly wants to die. Also what happens if he becomes combative, verbally abusive and or starts sprouting pro-Islamic/anti-American rant and how those who died deserved to and it was a pity he didn't take out more Americans.

Specializes in Med Surg, Specialty.
It is sad that this is even a discussion. When I took my oath it didn't exclude rapists, terrorists, child molesters, thieves, and etc. I would provide the same care I would to any other individual.

No, its not sad that this is a discussion. This is an exceptional case - it is not every day that you have someone responsible for such a magnitude of destruction (4 deaths, 170+ injuries) coming through the doors. Everyone is human and this is a very sensible thread to have on the boards. As Esme wrote, I'd also respect the nurse who refuses the assignment, and, I echo TakeTwoAspirin's post.

Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.

I am so glad you posed this question. I have been asking myself the same question since the kid was apprehended.

Here's my take:

He's a CHILD. Maybe he was brainwashed by his older brother, maybe he was influenced by a culture that we don't even know about. Maybe he is just a lost kid just trying to seek the approval of his older brother...who knows what the real story is. We can make up things from here to next Thursday to try to understand what this kid did.

Back to the question: what would I do if he were my pt?

If he came into my OR, I would comfort him, I would hold his hand while he was induced, and I would make certain that he was warm and as comfortable as possible when he emerged from anesthesia.

That's my role. That's what I expect of myself as a professional.

In the back of my mind, I would know that this would likely be the last kindness that this kid would receive. I hate to sound Polly Anna, but if he took only one moment in time to really feel what it's like to be cared for, perhaps it might change his viewpoint. Maybe he will pay forward the kindness that he received from his health care workers.

It takes one person to dramatically change the lives of thousands of people. We all witnessed how two people changed the lives of an entire nation. Wouldn't it be great if one nurse, one doctor, one health care worker helped this 19 year old to understand what caring actually means?

Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

I once had to care for the man who burned down my church. Lucky me, to be the only Catholic nurse on the floor that night and get assigned to the arsonist! However, he was very soft-spoken and polite, and always apologized when he had to ring his call bell (which happened all of twice during the entire shift). For me, it was an important lesson in Christian charity (now don't anyone get indignant, I know you don't have to be a Christian or even charitable to be a good nurse!) and being the patient's advocate, rather than judge, jury, and executioner.

So yes, I think I could care for this boy if I had to. I wouldn't want to, would never choose to, but I would do it and do a good job of it despite my personal feelings about his alleged crimes.

Here's the thing. At the end of the day he is a kid. And kids are not born evil, they are made that way. His actions and that of his much older brother are reprehensible. He should be punished to the extent of the law. But that would not be my job as a nurse.

Specializes in NICU, PICU, PACU.

I would care for him like any other patient. For those that would refuse...that is your choice, but what if everyone refuses? Tough all the way around.

Specializes in 4.

I have treated rapists, murders, molesters, child abusers, etc....I would treat them as a patient & put all my personal feelings aside. I am not the judge or the jury. I am the nurse. You never know your patients full hx & I am sure we have all treated patients as I mentioned above. When you take the oath as a nurse, all of your personal beliefs go out the window.

I have treated rapists, murders, molesters, child abusers, etc....I would treat them as a patient & put all my personal feelings aside. I am not the judge or the jury. I am the nurse. You never know your patients full hx & I am sure we have all treated patients as I mentioned above. When you take the oath as a nurse, all of your personal beliefs go out the window.

That is all very well and am inclined to agree with you, however in this 24/7 instant media coverage world we live in it can be *very* hard for even seasoned professionals to check their feelings at the hospital door.

The person who took this sweet innocent from this world is now your patient,

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Specializes in Gerontology.

It is a tough one.

I'd like to say I would care for him no matter what. But that is easy for me to say when I am hundreds of miles (or kilometres! ) away and have no chance of caring for him.

I honestly don't know what I would do until faced with the situation.

I still feel sorry for him. I see him as a 19 year frightened boy, in way over his head. He has no one to turn to for help, support, and is sitting in a hospital, hurt, and alone.

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