Was watching "Downton Abbey" Sunday night and it got to where the great Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-1919 hit.
Program seemed to get much of the details down right; healthy young persons were fine one minute, greatly ill the next and often dead within 24-48 hours.
From one's own (limited) research on the matter found out that many nurses and other medical persons came down with and subsequently died from being exposed to the flu whilst caring for patients. Of course many knew they shouldn't have been anywhere near such sick persons but "duty" kept nurses on the wards and in the cases of public health nursing going from house to house caring for the stricken.
With almost one hundred years of hindsight and modern adances in medical care one would think if such a thing hit again things would be different. However one does wonder if a bulk of nurses today have the "self sacrificing" gene.
Say this because clearly remember what things were like during the 1980's when AIDS began to appear. Was working as a CNA and often it wasn't the most shining hour for some nursing staff. Indeed on more than several occasions it came down to threats of being written up for insubordination to get some nurses anywhere near afflicted patients.
If there was a major outbreak of unknown or serious disease such as another major flu outbreak would *you* go in? If the hospital was going on lock-down for the duration would you stay or bolt for the door before it's locked?
I would stay at the hospital until my NM complained that I did not fill out my hourly rounding sheets, my heparins were not cosigned and my navy uniform was not "navy" enough. Then I would leave.
As I see it, my family's health and safety are my first priority and responsibility and work is most definitely second! I have no desire to be a hero and do not believe that being a nurse should ever require you to sacrifice the health and safety of your family or yourself.
As much as I would feel for the victims, in all honesty, I would only report if I could be assured of my family's safety as well as my own. Like someone else said, my kids don't need a dead mother!
Like someone else said, my kids don't need a dead mother!
How about the kids who have Mothers that require health care? And don't get the care they need because of a lack of Health Care personal? Its OK for them to have Dead Mothers?
Interesting question. Also interesting for me to read posts from people who say things like duty, responsibility, sacrifice, etc would just MAKE them go into the middle of that mess.
I have a primary duty, responsibility, and would gladly sacrifice for my FAMILY. It sounds all kinds of glorious to say that the greater community is where you should place your sacrifice, but the hardass reality of life is that my children are everything to me, far and above anyone ELSE's mother, you can be sure. Sucks for them that they're ill, no doubt at all, but I don't believe I have to throw myself on a funeral pyre simply because I work as a nurse for a living. And if push came to shove, y'know I bet some of those saying they'd do just that would be running out the door right behind me.
So no, if the risks were that dire, I would be bunking down at home, or possibly taking the family out of the area entirely.
Thankfully, I no longer work in a hospital, so it's now a non-issue for me. When I *did* work in the hospital, though, my position is as stated.
Interesting question. Also interesting for me to read posts from people who say things like duty, responsibility, sacrifice, etc would just MAKE them go into the middle of that mess.
I have a primary duty, responsibility, and would gladly sacrifice for my FAMILY. It sounds all kinds of glorious to say that the greater community is where you should place your sacrifice, but the hardass reality of life is that my children are everything to me, far and above anyone ELSE's mother, you can be sure. Sucks for them that they're ill, no doubt at all, but I don't believe I have to throw myself on a funeral pyre simply because I work as a nurse for a living. And if push came to shove, y'know I bet some of those saying they'd do just that would be running out the door right behind me.
So no, if the risks were that dire, I would be bunking down at home, or possibly taking the family out of the area entirely.
Thankfully, I no longer work in a hospital, so it's now a non-issue for me. When I *did* work in the hospital, though, my position is as stated.
Like I said, I would feel for such people immensely and if caring for them did not require me to sacrifice my own or my family's health and safety, I would very gladly do so.
But does it make any sense for the children of those mothers AND my children to have dead mothers? I hope I never have to make such a heart-wrenching decision in real life, because it would be horrible.
It's easy to get on an anonymous internet message board and say you'd be a hero under such circumstances, but I really doubt that half of you would ever abandon your own families if/when worst comes to worst.
How about the kids who have Mothers that require health care? And don't get the care they need because of a lack of Health Care personal? Its OK for them to have Dead Mothers?
The thing that scares me most about this topic is -- just because we're having an outbreak of Mad Tsars disease or what ever the crisis du jour is, it doesn't stop the MI/CVA/GI bleed/DKA/OD/ETOH folks from coming in. Plus, you'd have the "worried well" 6 deep in the ER. We have almost no "surge capacity" that we can maintain for a period of weeks. Plus, if transport shuts down, how do we get meds and supplies? There are things already in place for that, remember how the FAA could clear the skies on 9/11? They've got plans for a SARS outbreak, and they included putting a Q on anything from the affected area in the Far East -- and look around your unit and see where most of your supplies, your gloves, your PPE comes from. It's not made here. Can you imagine Cavi-wiping and reusing gloves?
So here's my personal nightmare. I have one -- ONE -- bottle of regular insulin left. I have 2 DKAs, and a host of diabetics, some with the contagion, some who are in with other things. Who gets the insulin, and who doesn't? What about IV amiodarone for someone with a potentially fatal arrhythmia? You have 4 folks who need it, 2 bags left. Who lives, who dies, just because of "just in time inventory."
That's the kind of stuff that keeps me awake at night.
I would definitely not go in if I thought I was probably going to die by doing so. It doesn't matter if you have kids, I don't need to risk my life to save someone else or even help them die comfortably. I like living and there is no way I would risk my life for anyone else life, except family. It is not even a hard decision for me to make.
I would not leave if the place was being locked down, but I don't think I'd go if I had a choice.
I would place myself in harms way for fire, tornado, disruptive visitors, to protect my pt on my watch. For the 12 hrs I'm at work I take my responsibility seriously. But there are others who rely on me too.
When I did HH private duty, one of the questions on a pre-employment test asked "If there were a fire, and you were unable to get your pt out, what would you do?" The correct answer was save yourself. As awful as that sounds.
barbyann
337 Posts
I would stay at the hospital until my NM complained that I did not fill out my hourly rounding sheets, my heparins were not cosigned and my navy uniform was not "navy" enough. Then I would leave.