help advice needed about blood issue

saskrn · Feb 13, 2005

Isn't it actually illegal for her to give you a hard time over this, since it's based on religion?

nessa1982 · Feb 13, 2005

Isn't it actually illegal for her to give you a hard time over this, since it's based on religion?

But I dont know how to prove its illegal. I think techinically in our religion its a conscience issue. I just feeel very uncomfortable with it. Bascially I don't think I should have to do it. I feel it violates my beliefs but I'm hoping that teling her if I was the OLY one who could I would has not put me in a hole. She bascially said it was part of my job description and that sking another nurse to help me out would be asking him/her to do my job for me. How do I prove I can legally ask someone to do it because of my religios beliefs?

Maxs · Feb 13, 2005

If it's against your religion then that's not helping your patients much. You knew about the responsibilities before you became a nurse. Perhaps you should look into a career that does not violate your religion's rules. I am sorry to say this, but there aren't a lot of pleasant things to say about this. And I can see why your manager is upset. Anyhow, I wish you the best luck.

Maxs

saskrn · Feb 13, 2005

I think showing her any religion oriented documentation regarding the subject, from any religion related source, should be proof. Please forgive me, I am not familiar with your religion, but if this is an issue, it must be documented somewhere - whether it's conscious related or not. Alot of religious aspects are strongly related to conscious, I think.

If this is something you strongly believe in, then I think you should stand your ground. If it is not inconveniencing other staff, and you told her that you would do it in emergent situations, I don't really understand why she is so passionate about this.

saskrn · Feb 13, 2005

I will never understand...nursing is a caring profession, but we cannot be caring towards each other.

Dixielee, BSN, RN · Feb 13, 2005

Would you be OK with monitoring a patient who was receiving blood? I have always worked in a facility where 2 licenced personal had to verify the identity and the blood. If you were OK with taking care of someone receiving blood, could not the other nurse actually spike the bag and begin the transfusion?

I would not knowingly participate in an abortion, but I would care for someone who was having complications from one and came to our ER.

Would you in good conscience be able to let another person die who would have benefitted from a transfusion just because you did not want to take one, but the patient did. I think we must sometimes separate what is good for us from what is good for our patients. I have to take care of patients all the time who engage in behavior I do not approve of, and would never condone for my self. If I were to avoid every drunk, overdose, drug user, unmarried pregnant female, STD patient.....I would have a very limited list of people I could care for. I am not intimately aware of what your beliefs are but I know that I did work with a dialysis nurse who was Jehovah's Witness, and she was involved in blood exchangs daily.

Ultimately it is a personal decision, but I implore you to make your decision well before you are put into a position that may jepordize a patients life. YOU must answer to your God for your personal decisions. You may be willing to die rather than take a transfusion, but please do not make that decision for someone else who make have very different views.

cursenurse · Feb 13, 2005

nessa, i felt the same way you did when i was in school. the idea of hanging blood was repugnant to me because of my religious beliefs. however, after giving the matter much thought, i reasoned that it was alright for me to hang blood. it is my own personal decision not to take blood. it is the pt's right to any treatment that they and the healthcare team feel would be beneficial. just like i have a right to dictate what treatment i will or will not receive, so do they. i remember the scripture that tells us that we cannot be the masters over anothers faith. another way that i look at it is that a dr's order is a dr's order. if it is not overtly harmful, i.e. pt's allergic, inappraopriate dose, etc, who am i to say that the treatment is not right. as another poster said, we all have to answer to our own God. give the matter serious, prayerful thought.

if you still believe that you could not in good conscience hang blood, DO NOT work in the kind of setting where you would encounter this issue with any sort of regularity. it would not be fair to the pt, or the other nurses you work with. there are plenty of places for a JW to work where you would not have to face this.

cursenurse · Feb 13, 2005

But I dont know how to prove its illegal. I think techinically in our religion its a conscience issue. I just feeel very uncomfortable with it. Bascially I don't think I should have to do it. I feel it violates my beliefs but I'm hoping that teling her if I was the OLY one who could I would has not put me in a hole. She bascially said it was part of my job description and that sking another nurse to help me out would be asking him/her to do my job for me. How do I prove I can legally ask someone to do it because of my religios beliefs?

check the web site for the legislature in your state to see if they have any laws regarding conscientious objecting. in michigan someone drafted legislation that would protect a healthcare pro. from being fired or sued by the hosp or pt because of refusing to participate in treatment that offended the professionals' moral conscience. i wrote my senator asking her to support the bill. if there is no such law, or bill in the works, i urge you to write a professional letter to your senator and state rep. telling them why that kind of legislation is necessary.

Dixiecup · Feb 13, 2005

I am taking a human resources class at the present time and we just went over this. Your employer has to offer you 'reasonable accomodation' regarding religious beliefs. Personally, I don't feel like this fits into that catagory.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Feb 13, 2005

I will never understand...nursing is a caring profession, but we cannot be caring towards each other.

:yeahthat:

I work with a JW nurse and the charge nurses simply don't assign her patients who will be recieving blood, or if it occurs then we hang the blood for her. It's called "respect" and "teamwork". Perhaps a concept your manager isn't aware of.

Sorry, I can't help with the legalities of it.

jeepgirl, LPN, NP · Feb 13, 2005

just see if you can switch assignments around. if you are unable to, maybe the other nurse will actually hang the blood, push the pump etc and you can just "Watch" the patient instead of initiating treatment. i would ask your minister, etc what they think. in the end though, it is up to you.

most of the time you will find people will want to respect your wishes and help you out. however, i would probably not go someplace where you would be soley responsible for some parts of care... like, we were told in nursing school that if we don't want to participate in abortions, you might want to consider not working in some ORs or clinics. or, if you do make it known. but know that if you're the only RN and you're having assist (which, i can't think of a situation where you'd be the only RN... but still) then you need to know you have to care for that patient until you can hand them over or it is abandonment.

i'd would stay away from Hematology and Oncology units. They do a lot of blood. But, then again, so do a lot of specialties, such as trauma ICU... ER...