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 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. 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.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Many of you say you wouldn't have a problem spiking and hanging the products for someone else. I think that also in theory but as an oncology nurse, having to hang chemo for non-chemo certified nurses can be a TREMENDOUS burden. The checking process for blood and chemo are nearly identical at my facility, and it can be very difficult to manage chemo administration for another nurse while you're trying to manage your own patients needs. Also, where I work, if you administer, you are responsible for monitoring. If I hang a bag of platelets for a nurse who is drowning, monitoring vitals for reactions and adverse events is on ME. Same goes for chemo, blood, plasma, drugs, etc. So in theory I would totally help out the OP, but in reality I totally wouldn't. As I'm not going to do all of the monitoring associated with the blood products they won't/can't give.[/quote']
If you have a religious reason NOT to hang blood, please seek employment somewhere that hanging blood is a rare thing. Don't look to oncology, SICU or CTICU for employment as we hang LOTS of blood, and no one is going to want to check, hang and monitor all of your transfusions.
If you REALLY want to work in one of those locations, you're going to have to make up your mind to hang the danged blood.
I say "you" meaning the OP (and anyone with similar biases), and not the poster I quoted. I'm agreeing with the poster I quoted.
Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
If you have a religious reason NOT to hang blood, please seek employment somewhere that hanging blood is a rare thing. Don't look to oncology, SICU or CTICU for employment as we hang LOTS of blood, and no one is going to want to check, hang and monitor all of your transfusions.
If you REALLY want to work in one of those locations, you're going to have to make up your mind to hang the danged blood.
Well said. Look if you can't administer blood products then you are simply NOT qualified to be an SICU nurse, period. Get a job someplace else where administering blood is rare or never happens. Plenty of those jobs around.
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. 
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. 
Ruby Vee, BSN
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