Jehovah's Witness nurses in the critical care unit?

Specialties Critical

Published

Hello

This is my first time posting a thread. I was just wondering if anyone is or knows of a Jehovah's Witness nurse who works in a critical care unit. Also if you dont mind can you tell me at which hospital? The reason I am asking is that I am also one of Jehovah's Witnesses and I just passed my NCLEX. Yay :yeah: I really want to work in the critical care unit, specifically the CCU. However, when I explained to the supervisor of the ICU/CCU about the issue with the blood transfusion, she said she couldnt hire me on to the critical care unit. Yes, this hospital is offering critical care positions to new grads. I was really devastated because i wanted to really work in the CCU. :crying2: So I was wondering if it's the same for other hospitals. I explained to the supervisor that I am willing to care for the patient who is receiving the blood transfusion, but that I would need a second nurse(most likely the nurse who would be verifying the blood with me) to spike the blood and press the start button. I do understand why the critical care environment may not want to have a nurse who cannot initiate the blood transfusion. So I was just wondering if I do not have a chance at all in a critical care unit. For now I am orienting in the med-surg floor and I still have lingering feelings for the critical care unit. :sniff:

Thank You

Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

I don't think the OP has revisited.

OP - have we helped?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nursing Education, CVICU, Float Pool.

I apologize about getting off subject. I do that sometimes, and I do need a reminder sometimes . I hope the OP returns with her thoughts. Some of you have given some really good advise.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in None yet but hopefully critical care..

I understand you. When you have a religion, you stick by it regardless of what anyone thinks. If someone doesn't agree with you, they will get over it. Patients are important and deserve the best care but if you don't feel comfortable because of religious belief you shouldn't have to do it or be rejected because of that.

Now to answer your question, are all hospitals like that? No they are not. The hospital I work at loves Jehovah's Witness because they are hard workers, never late, and do as their told. They are some of the nicest people ever. In fact there are a few on my critical care floor and they work with them. I honestly think that's horrible that people are giving JW's flack because they can't preform something for religious beliefs. But don't give up. There will be a CCU floor that will you because of your good work ethic and great beside manor.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
For nurses we do a lot for pts that sometimes we do not personally approve of. Prolonging life for a painful pt, drug addicted pts who come in seeking more, parents who don't believe in proper healthcare for their children. We have to look past issues of this type everyday, and still provide unbiased care. If your religion prevents you from looking beyond your beliefs and giving an ordered treatment than yes, this could be a hindrance to your career on any unit with pts that need blood products.

VERY well said! :yeah:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

You need to research the society's information on this. It is up to your conscious. You are following medical orders. I have been an NICU nurse for many years, following many years in adult ICU. I am in good standing and an active Jehovah's Witness. Also consider speaking with your CO instead of posting on these sites.

You may contact me privately.

Myca

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Isn't there a federal law that states you cannot discriminate based on religious beliefs? If she can be reasonably accommodated her beliefs should not have disqualified her from getting that position. I agree that it will be a pain in the can for every other nurse, and not pressing the button seems like splitting hairs to me. But based on the law she could sue them for discrimination.

Federal and some state laws require employers (including hospitals) to make "reasonable accomodations" for employee's religous views unless this causes "undue hardship" upon the employer.

The following illustrates a common case within nursing: http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-3rd-circuit/1210301.html

Hanging blood, abortion, end of life and other "issues" present all employers with various problems, however hospitals/medical care in particular are different in that there are situations that require urgent intervention, and a facility may not have the luxury of "hunting down" another nurse to step in for the one refusing.

As a nurse one does not have the right to any particular assignment, and if one's religous views are going to cause staffing headaches and or potentially endanger patient care, the hospital is within it's rights to transfer and or perhaps terminate employment as long as they follow proper proceedures and letter/intent of the law. The later is usually where lawsuits stem from, and the chief bone of contention amoung employees.

Recently there was a case here in NYC brought against NYP/Columbia hospital by a Phillipine nurse who was discharged for what she claimed were her RC views against abortion. She lost both at trial, and IIRC appeal.

Most hospitals now ask potential employees including nurses if they hold any particular religous belief that would affect any aspect of performing their duty. This is legal in that one cannot suddenly claim a religous objection unknown to the facility when a patient is going south, and requires urgent intervention.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I tried doing that with a JW classmate, and the conversations kept feeling really convert-y, and she wouldn't give me straight answers to questions I was seriously interested in knowing their perspective on (I've always loved comparative religion). So I used wikipedia instead.

While working on my first degree, I wrote a paper on JWs. I had a really hard time getting any kind of straight answers from any Witnesses so I had to rely on secondary resources.

What I want to know is, WHY can't JWs administer blood? I totally understand that your religion doesn't allow you to receive blood or donation organs but WHY can't you hang it?

I asked a friend of mine but he wouldn't offer an answer. Actually, he seemed to be unsure himself.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
While working on my first degree, I wrote a paper on JWs. I had a really hard time getting any kind of straight answers from any Witnesses so I had to rely on secondary resources.

What I want to know is, WHY can't JWs administer blood? I totally understand that your religion doesn't allow you to receive blood or donation organs but WHY can't you hang it?

I asked a friend of mine but he wouldn't offer an answer. Actually, he seemed to be unsure himself.

There's no rule that says you can't. Some feel they can't because of the prohibition of receiving blood; it bothers their conscience. But there is no official sanction against hanging blood. That's why some will and some won't. Some can hang it because it doesn't bother their conscience to do so, even though they would not receive blood themselves.

I hope that answers your question. Again, it's a conscience matter. If you are looking for something set in stone, you won't find it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
While working on my first degree, I wrote a paper on JWs. I had a really hard time getting any kind of straight answers from any Witnesses so I had to rely on secondary resources.

What I want to know is, WHY can't JWs administer blood? I totally understand that your religion doesn't allow you to receive blood or donation organs but WHY can't you hang it?

I asked a friend of mine but he wouldn't offer an answer. Actually, he seemed to be unsure himself.

It has not just to do with hanging blood per se, but anything that involves this substance being *given* to one person to another. For this reason JW refuse transfusions of blood even in clearly life threatening situations. Indeed often a court order is required for children of JW parents to receive treatment because the hospital/doctor cannot obtain consent.

http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/203576/1/Jehovahs-Witnesses-e28093-Blood-Doctrine-Refutation

Many JWs either will not undergo elective/urgent care or operations if it involves them getting transfusions of blood. One way around this is to *bank* their own, or the new and increasing interest by some in the medical community in not automatically hanging blood after a patient has undergone a loss.

There is allot of research going on the later area not just because of religous objections, but also what appears to be chronic shortages these days of "fresh" blood and plasma supplies. There was a program on PBS (or was it a local network news piece?), about doctors here in NYC *not* giving blood where normally clearly indicated (yes, many of their patients are JW), and the results have been often quite good. According to one physican, patients who by all text book accounts shouldn't survive without transfusions have returned to health quite well.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
There's no rule that says you can't. Some feel they can't because of the prohibition of receiving blood; it bothers their conscience. But there is no official sanction against hanging blood. That's why some will and some won't. Some can hang it because it doesn't bother their conscience to do so, even though they would not receive blood themselves.

I hope that answers your question. Again, it's a conscience matter. If you are looking for something set in stone, you won't find it.

Thanks. That makes more sense.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
There's no rule that says you can't. Some feel they can't because of the prohibition of receiving blood; it bothers their conscience. But there is no official sanction against hanging blood. That's why some will and some won't. Some can hang it because it doesn't bother their conscience to do so, even though they would not receive blood themselves.

I hope that answers your question. Again, it's a conscience matter. If you are looking for something set in stone, you won't find it.

I find this conscious thing curious. So a JW decides that it bothers their conscience to hang a unit of blood as a life saving measure but it won't bother their conscious if patient dies because they failed to hang the blood in a timely manner? Sounds ominous.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
I find this conscious thing curious. So a JW decides that it bothers their conscience to hang a unit of blood as a life saving measure but it won't bother their conscious if patient dies because they failed to hang the blood in a timely manner? Sounds ominous.

You're talking about a scenario that shouldn't even happen. There should be a system in place so that nurses who are willing to hang blood get the blood hung in an expedient manner. I can't imagine any Witness nurse deliberately interfering with the process at the cost of a patient's life. Witness nurses value the lives of their patients just as much as any other nurses do, and to suggest they don't is offensive and has a whiff of bias.

For that matter, most of the Witness nurses I knew who felt that strongly about the blood issue chose to work in areas where transfusions were a rare event.

ETA: It's conscience not conscious. Many people are doing this, and it's starting to drive me a little crazy. It makes us look uneducated.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment