Am I allowed to start a donation to help deceased pt funeral funds??

[LbyNrs]

I had the pleasure of caring for a very kind young gentleman who was in the hospital for an extended time and we were all rooting for him to get better. Unfortunately he did not make it and the staff on our floor felt pretty bummed. I have always been able to separate myself from these types of things just because as a Nurse that's what one has to do. This just was very abrupt, sudden and sad when it happened. We talked about what he would do when he got out and how he was feeling better just the evening before this happened. I know he had his mom and sister and not sure if he worked. Would it be against some nursing rules I can't think of in the State of Texas to reach out to the family and see if we can make a donation for his funeral expenses? At the least I want to send a card from the unit to his mother.... Any help is much appreciated.

[SmilingBluEyes]

Your heart is in the right place, however professional boundaries prevent you from being able to do this. A card from the unit is appropriate.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Raising money for the funeral expenses of a deceased patient definitely crosses professional boundaries. A sympathy card for his surviving family members should be more than enough of an outreach to suffice.

[amoLucia]

I know this may be a bit late, but OP might want to check with her facility's EAP program to see if the unit can better decompress with the loss of this pt.

Sometimes it helps.