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.
Some of you will notice that there are many posts removed, 14 in fact.
These posts were off topic, argumentative and some were just downright rude.
This will not be tolerated
I'm going to leave this thread closed for cooling off overnight, it will reopen tomorrow. When it does, be warned if things continue as they have done today then it will be closed permanently and members who post off topic, rude or argumentative posts will have formal warnings.
I don't know about you, but at our hospital, whenever a code is called there is no less than 15 people to assist.
You are not going to walk away from a patient to order blood and call the blood bank while a patient is sitting there coding.
Airway, Breathing, Circulation...all the blood in the world isn't going to do you any good if the patient has no heartbeat.
So no, you are not going to be by yourself.
I work nights and never seen anywhere close to 15 people at a code. I would assume that's totally possible at a teaching hospital.
Just the other night there was a rapid response and our unit census was low so we only had 4 nurses on the floor including the charge. While the patient was transferred to the unit to receive massive amounts of blood products, the point is our resources were and can be spread very thin.
ETA: for a nurse with limitations on a unit with low staffing it could be detrimental to a pt needing blood products in a timely manner. Now if you work on a unit with great teamwork than it shouldn't be an issue since it takes 2 to verify anyway. But the world is not perfect, interpret however you wish.
Unfortunately I do not believe ICU would be a good option for someone who cannot give blood. Even if the only issue is pressing the "start" button. Many nurses are overworked, and have their own critical patients and even stepping away for a minute to press start or spike a bag takes away from their ability to finish their load.
The other issue as many have said is that in a critical situation (which often happens in critical care) many blood products can be given quickly and there is not time to have two nurses switch back and forth.
My opinion has always been that regardless of my personal choice and religious beliefs, in order to provide good patient care, I put those aside and remain objective. I am not religious and while uncomfortable with religion, I put my patients needs first.
I have:
prayed with families who fear the worse.
placed a bible on the bedside table open to the desired page of a patient who had a massive brain hemorrhage.
replaced rosemary beads in a dying patients hand.
Regardless of what I do with my patient, for a bath, etc. I return them to the spiritual state they or their family desire. Because to me, a part of nursing is trying to keep them in their best health state in all fields. I would not let my personal beliefs influence their needs.
Unfortunately, not every nurse can be this objective, because their beliefs and values directly interfere with a portion of patient care. In my opinion, they should attempt to avoid such environments. It sounds like med-surg could potentially be alright. But I would avoid areas such as NICU, PICU, ICU, CCU, PACU, ER, DOU. Because you cannot provide to all of the needs of a patient in these areas.
Specializes in acute care med/surg, LTC, orthopedics.
Bottom line for me is if someone is willing to put their religious beliefs ahead of optimum patient care, then they have no business being a nurse, doctor or in any other medical field dealing with the human condition. Religious beliefs are a personal choice and should be practiced/adhered to on personal time, not impeding on professional time. If one is unable to make that distinction or believes it is somehow acceptable to allow their beliefs to prevail over what it is the best interest of the patient, then I'm sorry but you're not committed enough to be a nurse and should consider another line of work.
Someone else brought up the scenario of what would happen in a code situation where the JW nurse may be required to "push a button" or whatever but would have to find someone else to do it. Seriously? In an emergency things move very quickly and if the JW nurse dropped the ball would s/he be cited for malpractice charges for not performing a crucial task based on religious reasons? I sure as heck wouldn't want to be the one coding if I can't trust implicitly and unconditionally the very people who have sworn on their licenses to look after me to the best of their abilities. It seems like a pretty selfish reason to put your own convictions/beliefs ahead of the person you swore to protect. Sorry but that just doesn't fly with me; pick another career.
To the OP: Some of these opinions may seem harsh, to the point of having the thread closed temporarily.
Realize that these are "potential coworkers" posting and that you will face some of the same attitudes in asking for accomodations at work. Some will be willing/able to provide the help you need, others will resent what they see as an extra burden on them. Some are correct in pointing out situations where accomodation would be impossible (ever seen a hospital with a total of 4 nurses on night shift? I have been there).
The best use you can make of this thread is to consider how you will deal with these issues when you do start a position and what you would do in a "worst case" scenario.
Discussing this with your religious leaders might be a good way of clarifying your position.
I work nights and never seen anywhere close to 15 people at a code. I would assume that's totally possible at a teaching hospital.
Just the other night there was a rapid response and our unit census was low so we only had 4 nurses on the floor including the charge. While the patient was transferred to the unit to receive massive amounts of blood products, the point is our resources were and can be spread very thin.
I was thinking of posting this also, but you beat me to it Tittytat! I have been in
on codes with just me and another nurse - no doctor showed up at all. The rest of
the unit was too busy to come to the code.
I also have been in on codes where the patient was exsanguinating. You can bet your
butt somebody called the blood bank and ran down and was given all the O- PRBC
they could carry. Forget touching start on the IV pump, 3 of us were manually pumping
blood in as fast as we could.
I think the bottom line is there is no way to escape giving blood products in ICU.
You probably won't have 15 people in a code to help, sometimes you won't even have
a doctor. Codes aren't pretty and can be very bloody.
I was thinking of posting this also, but you beat me to it Tittytat! I have been in
on codes with just me and another nurse - no doctor showed up at all. The rest of
the unit was too busy to come to the code.
I also have been in on codes where the patient was exsanguinating. You can bet your
butt somebody called the blood bank and ran down and was given all the O- PRBC
they could carry. Forget touching start on the IV pump, 3 of us were manually pumping
blood in as fast as we could.
I think the bottom line is there is no way to escape giving blood products in ICU.
You probably won't have 15 people in a code to help, sometimes you won't even have
a doctor. Codes aren't pretty and can be very bloody.
Do I work at the only hospital that doesn't put blood on pumps? I wonder if a JW nurse can titrate blood?
Thank you Hoozdo for responding some ppl have acted like I'm blowing smoke up their rears when I hinted the above circumstances and previous scenarios. I could see in a code where sometimes it could all fly out the window to save a life. You do what you have to.
To the OP: Realize that these are "potential coworkers" posting and that you will face some of the same attitudes in asking for accomodations at work. Some will be willing/able to provide the help you need, others will resent what they see as an extra burden on them. Some are correct in pointing out situations where accomodation would be impossible (ever seen a hospital with a total of 4 nurses on night shift? I have been there).
The best use you can make of this thread is to consider how you will deal with these issues when you do start a position and what you would do in a "worst case" scenario.
Discussing this with your religious leaders might be a good way of clarifying your position.
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. 
XB9S, BSN, MSN, EdD, RN, APN
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Thread closed for time out and staff review