I'm interested in your opinions about an incident at my workplace a while ago. Although I felt outraged, my response was apparently in the significant minority.
The patient was a 17 year-old street kid who had come in with cellulitis of the foot for IV anti's. I looked after him overnight and, as it was quiet and I had the time, we talked a bit. I found him to be polite, co-operative and surprisingly well-adjusted given his social and family situation (abusive/neglectful parents, foster care issues etc); no criminal history, no IVDU history, working part time with an eye to going back to school.
I came on duty the following night to a furore. About ten minutes before I arrived, a courier had delivered an envelope to the ward. It was addressed to the patient, and sealed.
One of the nurses (who, I think, wasn't actually looking after the patient) had assumed that the envelope contained dope and - after drawing the rest of the shift's attention to it - opened it. It did indeed contain a bag of fragrant, grass-like substance - about enough for two (not particularly generous) joints.
The nurse locked the bag up in the DD cupboard, and when I arrived was holding forth about the inappropriateness of the delivery.
I have two issues here - the first is that (as far as I know) opening another person's mail is an offence. I don't believe that she had any right to take that action, at least in this case. Had the courier arrived fifteen minutes later, I believe I would have taken the envelope into the patient and said "If this is what I think it is, be discreet." It's not like marijuana is going to interfere with his antibiotic therapy. In fact (and I think this may lead to some strong disagreement), I advised the patient to contact the hospital's patient advocate to make a complaint, which he decided not to do.
My second issue with this incident is what really interests me, though. I may have felt less indignant if the nurse involved had a moral objection to drug use, or some concern about an interaction with his meds/impact on his medical treatment.
However Jane (as I'll call the nurse) was not opposed to recreational drug use. Although I knew this because we were friends, she was quite open about her own recreational drug use. In fact, she had only the previous week had a planned "Ecky weekend" - taking ecstasy one night and coming down over the next two days.
I was therefore very taken aback by this hypocrisy on her part. So my questions are these:
What would you have done if the courier gave you the package?
Was Jane being a hypocrite, or am I too judgemental?
Am I being a hypocrite by having different standards of appropriate response for drug-partaking and non-drug-partaking nurses? I, incidentally, am one of the latter :)
Uhm, I guess my question is, then what? Was it turned over to police and how was it explained? Or, did it go home with her later???
The pharmacist retrieved the bag from the DD cupboard and - I assume - disposed of it. Certainly the police were never called in, and there was never any question that Jane would have taken the bag herself. I mean, aside from the fact that I know she didn't, stealing from a patient would be incompatible with her own ethics. Which, on re-read, makes it sound as though Jane would be comfortable with stealing from non-patients, which isn't the case at all.
Roseyposey
394 Posts
"The nurse locked the bag up in the DD cupboard, and when I arrived was holding forth about the inappropriateness of the delivery."
Uhm, I guess my question is, then what? Was it turned over to police and how was it explained? Or, did it go home with her later???