Just a few questions...I'm a pre-nursing school student and just curious...have any of you ladies ever had to do, in your job, something you felt morally wrong and unnacceptable? What about illegal?
More and more I am leaning toward becoming more natural. Like if you are having a normal pregnancy, there is no need to give birth in a hospital. I believe it's in the best interest to have assistance and ideal to me is a midwife, with no drugs. Hospital's, for the most part, are for sick people IMO. Just curious for some nurses opinions on this..
My son has been vaccinated on time til 12 months, I don't think I want him recieving anymore for a few years and he is now 18 months. With my next child, they definitely won't be receiving any until around 3 or 4, then they will be spaced out. Do alot of other nurses feel this way?
What are your thoughts on co-sleeping?
Sorry for all the random questions, thanks for reading!
i have done things i have disagreed with a doc on their decision and voiced my opinion ( opened my big yap) ... but it always seems to work out hopefully for the best,,,
it would never occur to me to do anything illegal ... i've worked to hard to sign RN after my name and not giving it up that easy...lol
Co-bedding. Did it with my three natural children with nary a problem. My youngest DD is still co-bedding with her child, as is my youngest DS with his child. He had let his wife tell him it wasn't going to happen, blah blah blah, but there it is. I am a hearty fan of it. Although I will co-bed with the grandchildren when they are with me, I do NOT do it with my DH in the bed, only because he is a HUGE man and is terrified he would roll on a baby and not know it. I respect his wishes and put the babes on a pallet nearby. (He obviously was not the daddy of my 3 natural kids, I adopted his 2 when they were 5 & 3).
Natural childbirth, if that's something somebody else wants to do, more power to them I say. I'm a wuss, and I wanted all the epidural I could get and more too!!!!
Immoral things in nursing? What I hate is the patient who will TELL you they are ready to go, but the kids don't want to let Grandma or Uncle Fred go, please do everything for him/her, and the patient doesn't want to rock the boat and tolerates all the misery we are heaping on them. THAT's immoral to me.
Other things such as people asking me to co-sign for a "wasted" narc that I didn't see, I just don't do. Some people get mad. Oh well. I come to work to make money, not to make friends with people who might get me dragged into their own little mess! I don't want to even get close to anything illegal!!
So far as I know, I've never done anything illegal in my nursing career. I do tend to speed and roll stop signs sometimes though!
As far as immoral goes...I too feel that it is immoral to keep Grandma Jane alive against her wishes just b/c her family wants to drag out the dying process for whatever reasons. Her suffering for three more days is not going to resolve any issues you have, get over yourself and let her go like she wants to. Makes me mad that there's such a big deal over the abortion issue but for mainstream America the whole issue of whether or not how you die is a personal choice isn't even considered. Probably b/c I deal with cancer patients all the time at work.
I had both sons in a hospital. I could not do it without an epidural, not my bag baby! Also, I went through both pregnancies with flying colors, worked up until a week before delivery both times, babies were in good shape on all u/s, etc...but almost had to have a crash section w/youngest son. Plus he was a big baby and it took them nearly five hours to get his blood sugar stabilized...I can't imagine going through that at home. If I would have had the option for a birthing center with medical care available in case of emergency I may have gone that route however.
Personally, I'd rather get a couple of days of possible pain/side effects out of the way in as condensed a way as possible; both of my boys have gotten their vaccines as per recommended schedule (up to three shots at once) except when I forgot to make appointments for them and had to play catch up. Luckily both boys have tolerated all of theirs well and rarely even needed Tylenol afterwards (I always premedicate with Tylenol right before leaving for the doctors office if I know there are shots coming). Their doc does offer delayed scheduling, actually requests if parents prefer it before they start getting vaccinations.
I coslept with my stepson (I've been around since before he was born...long story) until he was three. I actually had my son sleeping on his own before I had stepson doing so (they are a little less than two years apart)! I breastfed both of my boys, so I kinda coslept...we'd fall asleep while nursing then hubby would move them to their beds when he came in to sleep, or we'd snooze on the couch together (with the back cushions removed) during the day. I worked full time while exclusively breastfeeding, so it helped to keep my milk supply up. I also am a light sleeper in general, and don't move around much in my sleep.
As far as you wanting to be more natural and simpler - what you do at home is fine but as a nurse instructing the public - this doesn't fly.
Hospitals practice Western medicine. Most doctors are not interested in anything other than "scientific" treatments, etc. You will be putting your job and license on the line if you make any attempt to share your thoughts on more natural/homeopathic lifestyles with patients. It isn't about you, it is about the generally accepted way of caring for patients in this country.
I have been asked numerous times to do things I considered unethical and illegal. Did I do them? NO! Did it cost me jobs? YES! Would I do the same things again? Absolutely! Unfotunately, these issues are coming up more and more often.
As far as people believing that keeping little old people alive being immoral...I don't consider it necessarily immoral. I don't like it but it isn't about what I like or want, it is about what the patient or their next of kin wants. That doesn't mean that I won't try to show them that quality and quantity of life are vastly different, it just means that I am caring for a person that has different views that I have and must respect their desires, even when I think they are wrong.
I don't quite get the connection between the original post and morality. If you want to have a home birth or not vaccinate your children, that seems more in the realm of preferences.
I agree with SICU, I have done things to extend the life in a hopeless situation that I disagreed with and thought of more as 'end of life crucifixion' than compassionate care. But, since we are all individually responsible to make our wishes for these situations known in advance, then I don't feel individually morally responsible. I do think that our society as a whole hasn't properly addressed many aspects of medical ethics however.
I'd answer your question but you addressed it to the "ladies" sorry
I'm so sorry! The only other forum I'm part of is for mothers and I am so used to adressing things that way! I truly am sorry and I would really love your response!
Truthfully it sounds like you should post these questions on a parenting forum, not a nursing one.
I have lol..but I really wanted some nurses opinions because I would assume most nurses were very pro-vaccination and against co-sleeping, and very for hospital births..plus there are alot of nurses who have children!
I don't quite get the connection between the original post and morality. If you want to have a home birth or not vaccinate your children, that seems more in the realm of preferences.
The OP did mention that she was throwing out a bunch of random questions, so maybe she didn't intend for there to be a connection. I do think it's important to distinguish between the preferential aspect of making choices for yourself and your family and the question of morality.
Again, it may well be that the OP didn't mean to imply that her inquiries about natural birth, vaccination, and co-sleeping were moral issues.
I don't quite get the connection between the original post and morality. If you want to have a home birth or not vaccinate your children, that seems more in the realm of preferences.
I agree with SICU, I have done things to extend the life in a hopeless situation that I disagreed with and thought of more as 'end of life crucifixion' than compassionate care. But, since we are all individually responsible to make our wishes for these situations known in advance, then I don't feel individually morally responsible. I do think that our society as a whole hasn't properly addressed many aspects of medical ethics however.
Sorry only the first question was reguarding morality..the others were just completely random and wanted nurses opinions on lol. I'm all for choice! I birthed my son in a hospital, IV's, my heavenly epidural lol, I just think I'm starting to want to go more natural..
Just a few questions...I'm a pre-nursing school student and just curious...have any of you ladies ever had to do, in your job, something you felt morally wrong and unnacceptable? What about illegal?
More and more I am leaning toward becoming more natural. Like if you are having a normal pregnancy, there is no need to give birth in a hospital. I believe it's in the best interest to have assistance and ideal to me is a midwife, with no drugs. Hospital's, for the most part, are for sick people IMO. Just curious for some nurses opinions on this..
My son has been vaccinated on time til 12 months, I don't think I want him recieving anymore for a few years and he is now 18 months. With my next child, they definitely won't be receiving any until around 3 or 4, then they will be spaced out. Do alot of other nurses feel this way?
What are your thoughts on co-sleeping?
Sorry for all the random questions, thanks for reading!
Sometimes I feel heroic measures on micropreemies is not in their best interest, but I do not feel it is morally wrong to try to save a baby.
I've known about possibly illegal things going on by hearsay, but have no evidence.
Being a NICU nurse, I would hope that every pregnant woman gets an US to see if anything is wrong that might need intervention in a hospital...and honestly, I wouldn't want to deliver at home..failure to progress scares me.
I'm all for spacing out.
Co-bedding - my NICU does this but DO NOT do it when you go home! Our kids are on monitors.
Co bedding depends on what kind of sleeper you are. I would wake up before I made any shift in position but i did not trust dh! I ended up wiring the crib to the bed frame leaving NO gap, with the rail off that side. That gave our babies a sleeping porch off the main bed because I was so stiff and tired from waking up every time I wanted to move an ankle.
I'm a nursing student, but I thought I'd throw my opinion out there for a few of your questions.
I too believe in birthing at home, with assistance from a midwife, if you have a low risk pregnancy. I would have given birth at home with both my childen had I not had placenta previa. I do not like the medicalization of labor and delivery, and because of that, will never be a L&D nurse.
I also co-slept with both my boys from the time they were newborns until about 4 years of age. Me, hubby, and child(ren) shared a queen bed, and never was there an issue with rolling over onto baby. We all slept terrific and my babies were right there with me so I knew they were safe and secure. I wouldn't do it any other way.
As for vaccines, I personally am for delayed schedules and fewer shots at a time. My first son was vaccinated on schedule until 12 months of age, then never received another vaccination until 4 years old. He will be 7 soon and we are still playing catch-up, but that is fine with me. My youngest son never received a vaccine until 3 years of age. He is now almost 5 and we are playing catch-up with him as well. My kids receive only the vaccines they need to attend public school. Nothing more.
While on the subject of "naturalness". I also do not believe in male circumcision. Neither of my kids are circumcised, and I don't think it should be done to any male newborn. To me it is morally wrong. As a nurse, I would not participate in the circumcision of an newborn. To me it is flat out wrong, and I would not participate.
ohmeowzer RN, RN
2,306 Posts
i've never done anything illegal ...
i have done things i have disagreed with a doc on their decision and voiced my opinion ( opened my big yap) ... but it always seems to work out hopefully for the best,,,
it would never occur to me to do anything illegal ... i've worked to hard to sign RN after my name and not giving it up that easy...lol