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?
Tokmom you are so right... Since 9-11 was also mentioned you can tie that in to what you're saying. Look at the way we treat the people that risk everything, in the case of 9-11 we can't even agree to pay for all of their medical expenses.
Report to work?? DH and I have plans to steal an ambulance loaded with supplies and high-tail it to the middle of nowhere if the you know what ever hits the fan!
I kid.
Sorta.
I'm not sure what I'd do- I wonder if we'd really know the seriousness of the situation until it was too late, you know? I had a work situation recently where I acted to try to help a patient automatically, without thinking, and after the fact realized that the situation I'd been in could have involved serious dangers to myself and my coworkers. As healthcare workers, we'd be so close to ground zero it's pretty likely we might not know that it's an epidemic happening until we're already been exposed and leaving (and going home) might just expose our families.
Given the current state of the healthcare system in the USA, god help us if something major epidemic hits.
Numerous beds have been lost since the 1980s and 1990's and many of those were in charity care/last resort hospitals. Quite a few of the remaining charity care hospitals remaining are sitting quite close to the window's edge as it tis. Now we're going to trust the federal government to come through with some sort of funding?
Consider also how polarised and segreated by wealth this country has become and that includes the healthcare system. Those with decent to excellent private insurance probably would see their GP the first something doesn't feel right, from there they will have access to TOL hospitals loaded with state of the art equipment. Those not so lucky probably will show up at the ER of local general or community hospital who may or may not be ready to handle a mass influx of patients, much less those in the grip of an epidemic
According to the movies and TV, only doctors do patient care during important events like epidemics and pandemics.
Yeah like those Porsche driving, loft in Tribeca (current HOT NYC area to live in), St. Bart's vacationing, have a wife and a mistress (or two) doctors won't be on the first thing smoking out of the area.
seriously, though. I had a nightmare last week where all our patients were on paralytics because they had the zombie bug, but we ran out of the drug so they started chasing me and then the badge reader wouldn't work and I got into the locked room just in the nick of time. scary stuff man.
Can we *please* stay off zombies! *LOL*
Just started sleeping well again after a late night viewing of the original "Night of the Living Dead" film. *LOL*
You'd think I'd learn by now to switch the darn TV off, but nooooo
Specializes in Med-Surg; Telemetry; School Nurse pk-8.
First of all, I think this has been the most interesting thread posted on AN in a long time. Kudos to the OP for starting such a thought provoking discussion. I pass no judgement on anyone's reply; they have all been enlightening.
You can see from my user name that I have kids. I am also part of that sandwich generation, and I have aging parents for whom I also care. Because I could not make the full commitment to acute care/hospital nursing (I am at that point in life where my family's needs are many), I left the hospital setting. I tend to look at the job description v. my home commitments. If I can't commit 100% to the job requirements, I don't sign on for that job. In an epidemic, I would continue my job in the community as needed.
Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.
First of all, I think this has been the most interesting thread posted on AN in a long time. Kudos to the OP for starting such a thought provoking discussion. I pass no judgement on anyone's reply; they have all been enlightening.
You can see from my user name that I have kids. I am also part of that sandwich generation, and I have aging parents for whom I also care. Because I could not make the full commitment to acute care/hospital nursing (I am at that point in life where my family's needs are many), I left the hospital setting. I tend to look at the job description v. my home commitments. If I can't commit 100% to the job requirements, I don't sign on for that job. In an epidemic, I would continue my job in the community as needed.
Thanks again for starting the thread!
Some of us don't have a choice on where we work. I need to work in a hospital setting because I'm a primary bread winner and I need a higher income than a clinic would provide. I would jump on that chance if I could. Sadly, the wages are not enough to pay for my daughters medical bills.
For the record, when I signed on the dotted line at my current place of employment, it did not say that I had to give my LIFE in order to work there....
First of all, I think this has been the most interesting thread posted on AN in a long time. Kudos to the OP for starting such a thought provoking discussion. I pass no judgement on anyone's reply; they have all been enlightening.
You can see from my user name that I have kids. I am also part of that sandwich generation, and I have aging parents for whom I also care. Because I could not make the full commitment to acute care/hospital nursing (I am at that point in life where my family's needs are many), I left the hospital setting. I tend to look at the job description v. my home commitments. If I can't commit 100% to the job requirements, I don't sign on for that job. In an epidemic, I would continue my job in the community as needed.
Thanks again for starting the thread!
You're welcome. No problem!
It was an interesting experiment on my behalf to see just within the microcosm of AN how a small sampling of nurses felt on the matter.
Nurses by and large are no longer young single women fresh out of high school then to diploma or college nursing programs. Instead the profession/workforce is made up of a diverse range of age groups and personal situations.
Today's nurse is likely to be married with a husband (or wife) and children, single parent, a single parent also caring for parents or any wide variety of family situations. Thus he or she really has to take account of the entire picture. I'm sorry but life isn't a 1940's film where the dedicated nurse who dies of some illness contracted whilst on duty becomes a martyr and has a statue erected in her name, or the same etched into some plaque. Those nurses were by and large single females with no one to miss them but parents and or their peers. And besides a monument is cold comfort to a spouse that has lost his mate or children crying for their mother.
I wonder if many of you outside of New York City know that there are still persons who worked at "Ground Zero" that are suffering from various diseases and dying. Many were LE and NYFD that worked in the days/weeks following the event, but guess what? While there has been some compensation it varies and many were left out. Even today the second batch of workers are dying of cancer which is *not* covered under the most recent compensation bill approved by Washington D.C. And you want me to trust my soul with that lot? *LOL*
Being as all this may, and keeping with the 9/11/01 theme, on the day/night of that horrible event and for days afterwards NYC hospitals and Internet postings were filled with nurses from the tri-state area and beyond offering their services. They came from all experiences and ages even offering to pay their own way and make their own accomodation arrangements.
That to me says despite the good natured back and forth here the nursing profession as a whole will respond the way it always has in times of crisis; nurses *will* report for duty and even if their numbers aren't great patients will be cared for.
It is a job for me that i do for money not to live out my hero fantasies. I would go in depending on what is the outbreak, prognosis, how fast from time of onset of symptoms to death. What is the disease process, what are the symptoms, is the hospital total chaos?. etc.
very interesting thread. this question is like that show in abc channel 7 titled "what would you do?". i like watching that show because it explores how humans react to certain situations. i learned a lot about myself just watching that show.
back to the topic, if i know that i will die when i get infected, i will not go to work. i am not a martyr and will not sacrifice my life for my "job". if it's a natural disaster and they need nurses to come in, sure i will come even if it means walking or jumping through hoops to get there.
Morainey, BSN, RN
831 Posts
You bet I would go to work.