Jury Duty vs Duty to Hospital

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I recently received a jury summons. Although my hospital will pay me for the days I will be fulfulling my civic duty, my nurse mgr. strongly encouraged me to write a financial hardship letter requesting to be excused. I am a 7p-7a nurse and have worked on the unit for over a year. I suggested that if it was a hardship on the department that perhaps she could write a letter to explain why my absence would create a hardship. It was suggested that people get out of this all the time and that it would be easier if I would write a letter. This is a large hospital with a large pool of nurses. I want to serve but fear possible repercussions. Does anyone have any experience with this issue?

Specializes in ER, IICU, PCU, PACU, EMS.
Civic - some nurses work for government entities. Is their Nursing, therefore, civic?

And somehow communities survive without a particular cop or FF. Why should they not get to serve? JD can be a real learning opportunity, plus a way to uphold the Constitution of our great nation. I would think police and FF, of all people, who are already serving and risking their all, every shift they work, would want a chance to do JD.

The police officers and firefighters I know have all been summoned to jury duty and report, although they have never, ever been selected. Normally, they are summoned to court as a witness for the prosecution. I've been there and done that many times.

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.
The police officers and firefighters I know have all been summoned to jury duty and report, although they have never, ever been selected. Normally, they are summoned to court as a witness for the prosecution. I've been there and done that many times.

The federal judge that told us that explained that police and firefighters were in short supply (which they very much are in our area), and could not easily be replaced for the amount of time that we were possibly going to be called for, whereas there are many hospitals, ERs and other nurses/doctors available. Didn't have anything to do with being civil servants. I had to go every Monday until I had either been selected and/or completed 11 days; for federal jury pool duty. They had to have a large pool to select from, for multiple cases going on constantly. They would select juries for the whole week, and then the rest of us would report back the next Monday. I ended up on a murder trial jury.

As far as bias, when the PD asked about gun ownership, I told him I'd just use my machete if someone broke in. Neither side excused me! I was the "machete woman" to the rest of the jury :jester:

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Specializes in Mostly: Occup Health; ER; Informatics.
...

Many places use the voter registration rolls to select jurors, so you can avoid jury duty by not voting. ...

I very seldom respond to inflammatory postings, and I don't want to hijack the thread, but this one...:angryfire

This has to be the worst reason for not voting that I've heard. (No personal offense to OP.)

If you decide to NOT vote and to NOT serve as a juror, you'd better stay quiet when it comes to civic or criminal issues. By not performing a citizen's fundamental responsibilities, you've decided to give up your right as a citizen to free speech.

(OK, if you pay taxes, then you can keep using the streets and be protected by police and firefighters...but you can't whine if you don't like the laws and regulations.)

Off my soapbox now.:D

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Just curious how the OP made out with this one. Hope everything worked out okay. :)

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I very seldom respond to inflammatory postings, and I don't want to hijack the thread, but this one...:angryfire

This has to be the worst reason for not voting that I've heard. (No personal offense to OP.)

If you decide to NOT vote and to NOT serve as a juror, you'd better stay quiet when it comes to civic or criminal issues. By not performing a citizen's fundamental responsibilities, you've decided to give up your right as a citizen to free speech.

(OK, if you pay taxes, then you can keep using the streets and be protected by police and firefighters...but you can't whine if you don't like the laws and regulations.)

Off my soapbox now.:D

Not voting IS a right... While whining isn't a right, no one should whine. No act possible by human beings will EVER forfeit rights. That's just silly. I know I shouldn't insult a post or poster but come on.

Giving up rights... :chuckle:chuckle:chuckle:chuckle

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Home Health.
I recently received a jury summons. Although my hospital will pay me for the days I will be fulfulling my civic duty, my nurse mgr. strongly encouraged me to write a financial hardship letter requesting to be excused. I am a 7p-7a nurse and have worked on the unit for over a year. I suggested that if it was a hardship on the department that perhaps she could write a letter to explain why my absence would create a hardship. It was suggested that people get out of this all the time and that it would be easier if I would write a letter. This is a large hospital with a large pool of nurses. I want to serve but fear possible repercussions. Does anyone have any experience with this issue?

When I worked 7p-7a, I was late appearing for my jury duty and explained that I am a nurse working night shift 12 hours. I was excused that day and signed a paper relieving me of any future summons. I have not been served with jury duty since. I just couldnt stay up all day after working all night and I am a nurse serving the community. They understood that and relieved me of any future jury duty because of being a nightshift nurse.

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Specializes in Med surg, Critical Care, LTC.

Gotta disagree Stanley: Your correct, not voting IS your right. Whining is also a right - freedom of speech. Criminals DO forfeit rights (they have no right to notify loved ones of surgery - lest loved ones show up at the hospital to break them out) just one example that disputes your statement "no act possible by human beings will ever forfeit rights. Prisoners also have no right to freedom as you and I do. I believe 3rdcareer made some good points. I hope you can be more open minded.

God bless

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Gotta disagree Stanley: Your correct, not voting IS your right. Whining is also a right - freedom of speech. Criminals DO forfeit rights (they have no right to notify loved ones of surgery - lest loved ones show up at the hospital to break them out) just one example that disputes your statement "no act possible by human beings will ever forfeit rights. Prisoners also have no right to freedom as you and I do. I believe 3rdcareer made some good points. I hope you can be more open minded.

God bless

Pardon me. I should have said constitutional rights. Freedom is not expressly laid out in the constitution.

No constitutional right can be forfeited. Speech, Religion, Civil, Habeas Corpus.

Look, I may espouse many unpopular ideas, but please don't tell me to be open minded when responding to a close minded post... The post I responded to clearly implied people that get out of jury duty were immoral and unethical. What is the good point in that generalization? If I am missing something please do me the favor of pointing it out...

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Specializes in Med surg, Critical Care, LTC.

Stanley, I'll try to point it out, I posted this on another thread:

Stanley, you and I have gone toe to toe in the past. We may have to agree to disagree. I believe you are wrong - strictly my opinion.

Lets assume you are sued by a person harmed by your giving a wrong med (God forbid, but for this example, indulge me) It ends up going to trial. You're going to hope that the jury that is selected is a jury of your peers. Somewhat educated, open minded with an ability to see both sides, prosecution and defense. You get the picture.

Why then do you feel it is not your duty to do the same for others?

I just don't understand how you can say we have no moral or ethical duty to answer a jury summons.

We are a government of the people, by the people and for the people - part of our "free" system is the Justice System, which depends upon jurors to sit in on trials and help to see that the accused is judged fairly.

I am not naive enough to think that, that is always the way it goes, I actually feel like I'm talking about Nirvana, but theoretically it's suppose to go that way. It is our duty to contribute.

That's my opinion

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Stanley, I'll try to point it out, I posted this on another thread:

Stanley, you and I have gone toe to toe in the past. We may have to agree to disagree. I believe you are wrong - strictly my opinion.

Lets assume you are sued by a person harmed by your giving a wrong med (God forbid, but for this example, indulge me) It ends up going to trial. You're going to hope that the jury that is selected is a jury of your peers. Somewhat educated, open minded with an ability to see both sides, prosecution and defense. You get the picture.

Why then do you feel it is not your duty to do the same for others?

I just don't understand how you can say we have no moral or ethical duty to answer a jury summons.

We are a government of the people, by the people and for the people - part of our "free" system is the Justice System, which depends upon jurors to sit in on trials and help to see that the accused is judged fairly.

I am not naive enough to think that, that is always the way it goes, I actually feel like I'm talking about Nirvana, but theoretically it's suppose to go that way. It is our duty to contribute.

That's my opinion

* If a double post comes up please forgive me. I posted but it isn't showing up. I think it may be on a random thread :(

I just think that certain groups of people should be 'excused' for lack of a better word.

This group would include people that serve the public (police, firemen, nurses, cna's) and anyone that has ever given Uncle Sam a signed check for the amount of 'Up To And Including My Life.'

I have gone to jury duty and I don't advocate lying to get out or otherwise breaking the law. I just think that some people in this country carry more of a load in this country than others. Kinda like when the nurses make good cna's do more work because the bad ones won't do it.

I just refuse to carry anymore...

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Specializes in Med surg, Critical Care, LTC.

I see your point Stanley, I really do. But we are all citizens of this country, and we should all be subject to the same laws. It's not alright for cops to look the other way when another cop is pocketing money from a snitch. Nor is it okay to give an off duty firefighter a break for talking on his cell phone and hitting another car. Public servants or not, we all have to live by the rules, or this society would be more messed up than it already is.

Have a good night

Babs

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I see your point Stanley, I really do. But we are all citizens of this country, and we should all be subject to the same laws. It's not alright for cops to look the other way when another cop is pocketing money from a snitch. Nor is it okay to give an off duty firefighter a break for talking on his cell phone and hitting another car. Public servants or not, we all have to live by the rules, or this society would be more f'd up than it already is.

Have a good night

Babs

Not having to serve in a jury by way of not registering to vote is a bit different than police corruption don't you think???

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