Blood transfusions??? just say no...

[macgirl]

I would like to become a nurse, but I don't believe in blood transfusions, getting them or giving them. That said I would never tell anyone not to get one, or say anything against the doctors order, I believe it is a personnal choice but I don't want to have to give them. I'm in nursing school now. Do you or anyone you know have this issue and if so how do they deal with it and what areas or floors can they work on? I know oncology and ortho are poor choices. I was hoping for a job where It wouldn't come up often and if it did I could get the supervisor or another nurse to do that. while I did all other care.

[ShannonRN2010, BSN, RN]

Some hospitals will make arrangements for religious beliefs....

I don't believe in transfusions for myself, but I am not going to refuse to do my job.

[ShannonRN2010, BSN, RN]

Ok now that I read this entire thread, I don't personally have a problem hanging blood. Same as when I worked at a store that sold cigarrettes, I am not making the decision for the patient, they are. They can chose to do whatever they want, I wil, be there to care for the best of my ability, even if I don't support their choices.

[AZO49008]

We discussed this in nursing school. From what I remember JW physicians would not be permitted to "order" a blood transfusion for a patient. However, a JW nurse - since they are not participating in the decision-making between the physician and the patient (or their proxy) - could, in good conscience, administer a blood transfusion. BTW, physicians don't usually do the "administering" of a blood transfusion. They write the order and the nurse administers it.

I think it's appalling that someone would knowingly embark on a profession that would put them in situations that create such an unprofessional level of conflict. It's not a huge deal to administer certain blood fractions (like WinRho or RhoGam for new mothers) but to pawn off a blood transfusion to another colleague (which requires HOURS of monitoring and follow-up) and not offer to take on an equivalent workload in exchange is expecting a little too much. Nurses are already running their butts off with the level of care that patients require, and to dump at least 4 extra hours worth of assessments and monitoring that administering a blood transfusion entails on your colleagues is going to go over like a lead balloon. Especially when the patient's informed choice to accept a blood transfusion is none of the nurse's personal "religious" business.

That being said, if you are still gung ho about not administering blood transfusions could you consider becoming a dialysis nurse? The blood isn't being transfused, just "cleaned" and put back in the body. It seems like that wouldn't be a prohibition.

[chicookie, BSN, RN]

*sigh* I don't understand why everyone gets their undies in a bunch.

Its not that big of a deal. I am a JW and a nurse and before this job I worked on a regular 'ol Med-Surg floor and it was NEVER an issue.

When people would get blood, I wouldn't hang it. I would do all the paper work and monitor the patient and the second nurse that should be with you when you hang it anyway hung the bag. One nurse did the paper work, the other hung the bag. It didn't bother me, and when I asked nicely if the other nurse could hang it they never gave me any problems at all. They would rather hang the bag then do all the paperwork. They all knew that was my little hang up and they were all ok with that. Its called team work and honesty! At the same time I always made sure I was available for them.

NO ONE can accuse me of not taking care of my patient if they accepted blood.

[carolmaccas66, BSN, RN]

You're probably a Jehovah's Witness. I have them in my family and I'm not getting into this - there are heaps of contentious threads re this issue. Most agencies/employers and other nurses try hard to accommodate such beliefs. But I pesonally think it's like this: if you are a surgeon, you do surgery - you even specialise. You do not do half of a surgery, then leave - it's unthinkable (barring illness etc). If you are a mechanic, you fix all cars or you specialise in a certain car or model. So to me, do NOT go into nursing, then whine and whinge to colleagues - as I've seen some JWs and other people do - that you can't and won't do such-and-such, then come on blogs or tell other staff that 'everyone is mean and does not want to understand my beliefs, etc, etc'. I for one will say this out loud: I'm tired of hearing it. We do understand beliefs of all peoples, but I'm tired of the 'you don't believe me or don't want to understand me' attitude.

Either go into your job and DO ALL YOUR JOB, or don't do it - to me, it's a simple and obvious choice.

And don't complain when you are asked to do things that you don't want to do. Or use religion as a convenient excuse.

[talaxandra]

That being said, if you are still gung ho about not administering blood transfusions could you consider becoming a dialysis nurse? The blood isn't being transfused, just "cleaned" and put back in the body. It seems like that wouldn't be a prohibition.

I'm going to leave aside my responses to the rest of your post and just say that, at least in acute dialysis, transfusion's far from uncommon, especially considering the anemia so common to ESRD.

[cherrybreeze, ADN, RN]

I'm going to leave aside my responses to the rest of your post and just say that, at least in acute dialysis, transfusion's far from uncommon, especially considering the anemia so common to ESRD.

I was going to say this same thing....I wouldn't have suggested dialysis as a potential area where transfusions wouldn't be a concern. I didn't work IN dialysis, but I've sent plenty of patients TO dialysis, and regularly was told in report when the patient returned that they received blood during their run.

[MomRN0913]

Youa renot going to be able to skip out on giving a patient a blood transfusion if it is required on your patient. Another nurse is not going to become responsible for your patient during a 2-4 hr transfusion. Perhaps LTC or non-bedside is the way to go.

[MomRN0913]

and oh yeah, they give blood in HD all the time. And you as the HD nurse is the one to give it.

[AZO49008]

*sigh* I don't understand why everyone gets their undies in a bunch.

Its not that big of a deal. I am a JW and a nurse and before this job I worked on a regular 'ol Med-Surg floor and it was NEVER an issue.

Everyone gets their panties in a bunch because when you look at the ethical requirements of those working in the medical profession where you have another person's health and life in your hands, you give the damned blood. I'm gay, and when the patient I was caring for the other night launched into a crude, anti-gay screde when he saw on the evening news that a gay marriage law had passed in NY, I didn't refuse to treat him. I said nothing in reply to his comments, and went on providing care for him in the same capacity as I do for all my patients. My obligation to ethically care for this patient overrides the fact that I was deeply angered and insulted by his comments. Another patient kept complaining about "that negro nurses aide" I didn't correct his obvious racial prejudice. I simply reminded him that she had a name and continued to treat him no differently than I did any other patient.

And, when I once had to perform CPR on a patient who was a prisoner serving time for murdering three people who was transferred from the prison for care, I was ethically required to try to save the life of a man who had taken three people's lives because he was a full-code status. I'm not saying it was easy to reconcile my ethical responsibilities with my emotions and belief system in that situation, because it wasn't. But my profession requires me to set my personal beliefs and biases aside and let ethics guide me in treating all of my patients.

So, if I and other nurses and doctors don't get to pass on treating patients with whom we have some pretty significant philosophical and ethical differences, you shouldn't get to pass on hanging a couple bags of blood. If you aren't prepared to make that sort of ethical distinction and understand the ethical requirements required of those in a medical profession I suggest an alternative career choice.

[carolmaccas66, BSN, RN]

There *are* bloodless hospitals.

Where are you located? Several regions have hospitals with at least a designated "bloodless medicine" program.

Check out Bloodless Healthcare International...a google search turns up a wealth of information!

Yes, there is a bloodless hospital in Fremantle, Australia who apparently have great success not using blood (I think it's a private hospital).

The OP should check with her elders, that's if she IS a JW and take it from there.

[carolmaccas66, BSN, RN]

There is another aspect here everyone seems to be forgetting:

What if you are the only RN on duty and the blood must be hung by a RN? Some places in outback Australia only have one RN for the whole facility/clinic and you may have to check it off with an EN/carer say, but they cannot hang it. I even heard of an on duty Dr hanging blood because the RN refused to do it (though I can't remember the specific details- I think it was a legal case I read about).

Would the OP put herself in that position? Something to think about.

And at one of my last interviews not long ago, I was asked if I had a problem working along side gay staff members - I don't, but if I had, I bet I wouldn't have got the job. I was also asked if religious or other beliefs precluded me from working in certain areas.

So these sorts of questions do come up at interviews to.