An ethical question about closeted gay providers and patient requests

[ChrisA]

I got asked a question by a lawyer friend today. If a patient requests only female staff, and male staff is provided against that request, he says the law states that it could be grounds for treatment without consent.

If one were gay, and not out about it, and a patient requested that no gay staff treated them, would that staff member be required to sign himself or herself off the case? What happens if they treated anyway, and then it later came out that they're gay? Does the patient have grounds for a suit?

[wooh, BSN, RN]

I'm quickly becoming of the jaded opinion that if you don't like the care you're getting for a reason other than the quality of care, then that door you walked in you're more than welcome to walk out. Perhaps when people come into the hospital we should set them in a room and do a "line-up" a la the brothels of Nevada? Do I get your meds on time? Do I keep you clean and dry? Do I keep you from dying? If I'm doing my job, it shouldn't matter if I'm black or white or green, and it certainly shouldn't matter who I'm going home to. If you're well enough to be choosy about who's taking care of you, you're well enough to go home.

[barefootlady, ADN, RN]

I guess my tag line says it all. I will attempt to respect your culture while I am assigned to care for you, but in the end, this is the USA and we often don't understand why these mandates exist, so if you want care, take it as you get it, or go home to wherever and get care there. We had to discharge a female recently because her son would not allow a male nurse to draw her blood, no other nurse could arrange the schedule to go when he was there and besides that, we had accomandated so many demands from this son this was the last straw. I guess he is having to take Mom to OP, weekly, and have this done. He was very rude to the female nurses who did go into his home to check on Mom, he told one her job was "unnatural" and required her to do things he would not permit his wife to do. No wonder he is 45 and unmarried.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

i guess my tag line says it all. i will attempt to respect your culture while i am assigned to care for you, but in the end, this is the usa and we often don't understand why these mandates exist, so if you want care, take it as you get it, or go home to wherever and get care there. we had to discharge a female recently because her son would not allow a male nurse to draw her blood, no other nurse could arrange the schedule to go when he was there and besides that, we had accomandated so many demands from this son this was the last straw. i guess he is having to take mom to op, weekly, and have this done. he was very rude to the female nurses who did go into his home to check on mom, he told one her job was "unnatural" and required her to do things he would not permit his wife to do. no wonder he is 45 and unmarried.

i like your tag line: i'll try to respect your culture, but you're in the usa and you need to respect our culture as well! and when it comes right down to it, you're in our country, and if accomodations can't be worked out to suit you, our culture prevails. if you're so strongly against our culture, perhaps you shouldn't be living here?

[color=#4b0082]

[color=#4b0082]ruby, whose ancestors moved here, learned the language and bent over backwards to fit in.

[rngreenhorn]

Just curious--- do you have a definition of "OUR" culture?

We have the hispanics, European immagrants, Chinese, Japanese, East Indians, Native Americans, Jews, Catholics, Episcopalian, Baptists, Mormons, Pagans, agnostics, atheists, wealthy, working class, poor, homeless, heterosexuals, homosexuals, nuns, preists, city dwellers, suburbanites, rural dwellers.... etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.

Which of these groups are not Americans? So who so you think should leave?