I'm wondering-can the government force nurses to work during an emergency outbreak su

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Specializes in ICU,ER,med-Surg,Geri,Correctional.

This was a topic in 2009 during the possible pending Flu pandemic. Still interesting how 5 years can change things...

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I don't think they can. Most of us work for private companies.

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Specializes in Pedi.

I don't work for the government. So I don't know how they would go about forcing me to work.

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Military nurses work through a crisis or conflict, but that is a function of being military, not of being a nurse.

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Health care in our country is for profit.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

As I recall, health care workers could be drafted up to age 44. Now, we have an all-volunteer military, but it probably wouldn't take long to push legislation through Congress allowing health care workers to be drafted again if an epidemic (ebola?) scared them all enough. Once you're in the military, you can be forced to do whatever they choose.

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Specializes in Pedi.

Lucky for me that I'm medically ineligible to serve in the military then. ;)

I seriously doubt that Congress is going to authorize a draft of healthcare professionals and send them to Africa to fight Ebola. Africa doesn't have oil, nothing in it for us.

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Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.

No, they can't force you to work...but then quality of care will plummet...people will die... & they can fire you.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Lucky for me that I'm medically ineligible to serve in the military then. ;)

I seriously doubt that Congress is going to authorize a draft of healthcare professionals and send them to Africa to fight Ebola. Africa doesn't have oil, nothing in it for us.

Probably not, but Texas has oil, doesn't it?

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Specializes in ICU.

I would think that's unnecessary - there are volunteers for that.

When I endorsed to FL, they asked me on my application if I wanted to be part of a pool of emergency first responders if some disaster was to happen in FL. I said no, just because I was living in Georgia at the time and was intending to commute to a very small part of FL for a second job. I have no clue how many other states have pools of emergency volunteers, but if there aren't any, I don't see why these sorts of pools couldn't be created so that if the government needed nurses, they'd have a list ready if something were to happen. Drafting people seems pretty ridiculous when they could just have a volunteer list ready.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Right after Sept 11 many cites and states set up emergency response team sign up....however it was not for Ebola. I see to remember nurses can be drafted like Ruby said...I'll that is a little small print somewhere that has not been removed.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

No, I don't think the government can force you to work. If you are on duty with a patient assignment and a disaster happens, you're required to stay until relief arrives though.

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