A Nurses Duty to act

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I'm looking for opinions for a situation.

Is it a nurses duty to get immediate medical treatment ( I'm meaning call 911 ) for a person in their home who has a medical emergency?

I'm not asking if he / she should give medical treatment, but I'm saying get EMS to a person with a life or death situation?

Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.
Yeah, that's a new one on me. Of course, it doesn't apply to me because I pay a bundle for cable + Internet, but it's good to know.

My guess is...and this is just a guess...that a majority of adult Americans have, at one point or another, joined an unsure WiFi network. Then again, more Americans would report obvious child abuse than worry about WiFi rules, which is not really a bad thing.

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Specializes in ICU/community health/school nursing.
Do all adults know that they are mandated reporters? Again, just curious.

All adults who work in social services likely do. All adults in the giant state of Texas? Probably not.

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Interesting question.

A nurse Educator ( with questionable abilities ) at my former workplace , told us that if we see an auto accident , and stop to look at it but do not go to help i.e.: I'm a nurse can I do anything??-

we can be held liable if anyone subsequently " finds out " that we were a licensed nurse and watching ,but not offering help

I actually don't know if she's right. But I never looked anything up to find out

I don't mean don't call 911. I mean if we did t step in under the so - called Good Samaritan Law.

The way she said it , it was almost like she was advising us that if we were ever going to be rubber- necking at an accident , DONT LET THEM KNOW you're a nurse

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Rubber neckers cause even more accidents. I really make a conscious effort to 'not look' if help has already arrived. It's so dangerous and just to be nosy. It's even more life endangering and just for one's own curiosity. Move on people! Save lives! :eek:

Seems like anyone seeing it needs to report abuse. Isn't that a given as a human being regardless of the law? It does make for a discussion though. :down:

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This is a question for an attorney in OP's state where he/she works and maybe resides (if different).

An attorney where I live once stated that there is no duty to act if we see someone drowning,

even if we could help from the shore/side of the pool, not have to dive in. Who knew?

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

Nurse or not why would you hesitate to call 911 in an emergency? Maybe you truly hate the person that is having the emergency? Maybe then you still call 911, but slowly....and don't do anything to alleviate the emergency while waiting for them to get there. Probably better than explaining a dead body in your presence when you didn't call. Then again maybe you still have to explain to the police or appear in court someday and tell them why you did nothing to help including not even calling 911, nurse or not. Good luck with that conversation.

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Methinks the OP, whose first and only post is about an RN's duty to act, is looking for some info to get someone in "trouble". Anywho...it is the duty of everyone to get someone help if they need medical help and you are able to obtain it by calling 911 or by another means. Is it a legal or ethical duty or requirement? Depends on the circumstances. I have an idea. How about you consult with a lawyer or the state BON that you live in.

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Infection Control/Geriatrics.
Are you the nurse for the person in your home? Or just a prudent layperson? You don't necessarily have a "duty" unless you've accepted assignment. That being said, I agree with per diem....why wouldn't you call EMS?

I must respectfully disagree with this. If she can see a true emergency, she is morally obligated to respond. You need to ask yourself: "Is this what a good and prudent nurse would do?" We don't hang up our nursing license when we go home at night. She may not have been the one assigned, but if she's the only one around, she had better do it.

And even if she were "just a prudent lay person," the Good Samaritan Law would protect her.

Play with the politics later. Safety first, always.

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Infection Control/Geriatrics.
As stated above...if you're working, yes...otherwise it would be according to if you like or dislike the person experiencing the emergency...:roflmao:

Stop that! LOL

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Infection Control/Geriatrics.
hi,

1) You are not being specific enough. Was the nurse working on behalf of the patient or was the nurse off duty and it was just a social visit?

2) Was the person alert and oriented x 4 , if so did they request 911 be called and the nurse refused?

You need to be more specific about the situation.

Annie

I must respectfully disagree with this. A nurse is a nurse both on or off duty. If there is a true medical emergency, and he/she could see that, she is morally and professionally obligated to respond.

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I must respectfully disagree with this. A nurse is a nurse both on or off duty. If there is a true medical emergency, and he/she could see that, she is morally and professionally obligated to respond.

Is she legally obligated, though? She needs to ask a lawyer what her state laws are and she needs to be specific here so we can understand what she's really asking.

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I must respectfully disagree with this. A nurse is a nurse both on or off duty. If there is a true medical emergency, and he/she could see that, she is morally and professionally obligated to respond.

Is she legally obligated, though? She needs to ask a lawyer what her state laws are and she needs to be specific here so we can understand what she's really asking.

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