Ebola - do you have the right to walk away?

[rnnina19]

I just want your insight... would you or would you not accept the assignment if they gave you a patient positive for Ebola. Can you or do you have the right to walk away?

[GadgetRN71, ASN, RN]

Give me real protection( either Hazmat or those suits that seal off everything except your face, form fitting goggles and a heavy duty mask) and I would probably do it. Expect me to use the PPE we have now and no, I would not.

I work in the OR so I don't anticipate seeing many cases unless it's a trauma off of the street or an emergency c-section.

I have family that depends on me. They have to come first.

[stablesystole]

You're damn right I have the right to refuse. I am under no obligation to die for my profession. I may suffer career consequences, but I accept that as fair.

[Thimbalina]

nurses are threatening to walk off the job. thats why the second nurse got transferred.

[lee1]

Letter From a Spanish Ebola Expert in Sierra Leone | Jota Echevarría

Watch this,, the Spanish Ebola expert in Africa, they had 2 weeks intensive training BEFORE going in to take care of the patients and complete Hazmat gear. What hospital here is offering intensive training like this with the proper gear??????

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

Letter From a Spanish Ebola Expert in Sierra LeoneÂ*|Â*Jota Echevarría

Watch this,, the Spanish Ebola expert in Africa, they had 2 weeks intensive training BEFORE going in to take care of the patients and complete Hazmat gear. What hospital here is offering intensive training like this with the proper gear??????

The sensible ones.

[sistrmoon, BSN, RN]

I still haven't even seen an email about it at my hospital.

[idialyze, BSN, RN]

Bleach internally,blood does not come in contact with internal machine parts.

A higher level of disinfectant is available if needed if the machine had positive cultures.

If I had to use a machine on an Evola patient, I would trash it before ever using on anyone else!

[BlueDevil, DNP]

Of course you have the right to walk away. Of course, ethically, you could not then ask Somone else to care for you or your loved one in similar circumstNces.

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

Of course you have the right to walk away. Of course, ethically, you could not then ask Somone else to care for you or your loved one in similar circumstNces.

That's crap. Let's talk a little bit about ethics, shall we?

It is unethical for anyone to tell me that my family or someone I love could not get care for Ebola if *I* didn't take care of an Ebola patient. That sounds terribly close to blackmail.

Also, it's unethical to expect people to take care of an Ebola patient when the PPE and procedures that most hospitals have are ineffective. The CDC's reasons for the difference in field PPE and domestic hospital PPE did not make one whit of sense. We all know where those differences got us...two cases out from patient zero.

We have a right to a safe working environment, and we do not have an obligation to martyr ourselves under less-than-safe circumstances.

Don't blame me for that perspective; blame the CDC and their incompetent response to this whole debacle.

[BlueDevil, DNP]

One cannot ask someone else to do for them what they themselves are unwilling to do for another. It is that simple.

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

One cannot ask someone else to do for them what they themselves are unwilling to do for another. It is that simple.

Ethics is never that simple, but I wouldn't expect you to recognize that when you are--in two separate comments--advocating refusing treatment to people that nurses love if the nurses don't do what they are told under unsafe conditions.

[BlueDevil, DNP]

Not at all. I was clear that no ethical person would ever refuse to treat anyone in need for any reason. I just don't think anyone who does refuse should have the audacity to turn around and expect others to do for them what they refused to do for someone else in need.