Jury Duty vs Duty to Hospital

Nurses General Nursing

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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 Med surg, Critical Care, LTC.

Different yes, but my point was whether public servants or not, we should all have to do our civic duty - I don't agree with exempting "certain groups" within society. Then other groups will lobby for exemption, etc...

Let agree to disagree Stanley

I like debating with you, but I'm tiring of this particular debate.

Have a good night,

Babs

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I think I said this earlier . . .but the voting issue is null and void where I live because they get your name from the DMV too. :D

And lots of people "serve" the public. Teachers. Truck Drivers (they bring you your food and gas for your car). Loggers (they bring you wood for your home and that pencil you are using). The fry cook at McDonald's . ..

steph

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Specializes in icu, er, transplant, case management, ps.

Being summoned to jury duty can and does happen to anyone, nurses, firemen, police officers, store owners, ditch diggers. And all have to report unless they meet a specific reason for excuse. Being summoned does not mean that one is going to be chosen to serve. A judge can excuse anyone he chooses and does. As a citizen of this country, we have many rights and certain responsibilities, including paying our taxes, obeying the laws of our city, county, state and feds and when summoned, appear for jury duty. If people have a problem with this, there are many other countries that do not hold such requirements. Feel free to leave.

Woody:twocents:

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Being summoned to jury duty can and does happen to anyone, nurses, firemen, police officers, store owners, ditch diggers. And all have to report unless they meet a specific reason for excuse. Being summoned does not mean that one is going to be chosen to serve. A judge can excuse anyone he chooses and does. As a citizen of this country, we have many rights and certain responsibilities, including paying our taxes, obeying the laws of our city, county, state and feds and when summoned, appear for jury duty. If people have a problem with this, there are many other countries that do not hold such requirements. Feel free to leave.

Woody:twocents:

Obeying laws are our only responsibilities. If the law allows someone out of the jury duty then so be it.

If you have a problem with people being free or a problem with people that perform a real duty like military service and thinking it should exempt them then maybe you should reconsider who leaves. I'll buy your ticket. :)

Just my :twocents:

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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

I'm the NRA, and I vote (quoting the bumper sticker). However, I have known people who have said they do not vote because of possible jury duty. This seems to be more common when the county seat is a big city, and the people are from a village or rural area.

Robert A. Heinlein wrote a story where only people who had successfully completed volunteer military service could vote. No promises were made to enlistees. You could be used as cannon fodder regardless of your skills or personal connections. The idea was to limit voting to those people willing to give their lives for their country.

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I'm the NRA, and I vote (quoting the bumper sticker). However, I have known people who have said they do not vote because of possible jury duty. This seems to be more common when the county seat is a big city, and the people are from a village or rural area.

Robert A. Heinlein wrote a story where only people who had successfully completed volunteer military service could vote. No promises were made to enlistees. You could be used as cannon fodder regardless of your skills or personal connections. The idea was to limit voting to those people willing to give their lives for their country.

Starship Troopers eh? Very good idea IMHO. If you aren't willing to die for your country how can you judge someone that isn't willing to serve jury duty, but is willing to die. (Not you personally :) )

Kinda the same as people that insist others aren't patriotic when not actually doing anything patriotic.

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Specializes in icu, er, transplant, case management, ps.

If obeying the laws are our only responsibility, then one is failing to obey the law when they attempt to get out of jury duty by using excuses and 'stories' to excuse them from obeying the summons. :banghead: Kind of like excusing one's speeding by telling the police officer I am late to work in an area ER. My response is why didn't you leave early enough to get there on time. No difference.

Woody:twocents:

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If obeying the laws are our only responsibility, then one is failing to obey the law when they attempt to get out of jury duty by using excuses and 'stories' to excuse them from obeying the summons. :banghead: Kind of like excusing one's speeding by telling the police officer I am late to work in an area ER. My response is why didn't you leave early enough to get there on time. No difference.

Woody:twocents:

Not it's not. Offering up an excuse is not illegal. Lying about one may be but giving one isn't. Learn the law... Also telling an excuse to the police officer isn't illegal. Sometimes they just give you warning.

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Specializes in icu, er, transplant, case management, ps.
Not it's not. Offering up an excuse is not illegal. Lying about one may be but giving one isn't. Learn the law... Also telling an excuse to the police officer isn't illegal. Sometimes they just give you warning.

I realized after I posted this I did not make myself clear. Lying to a police officer by claiming to be an ER nurse, on her way to work, when she is not on her way to work, is illegal. And I have a problem with a police officer who gives nurses warnings despite their breaking the law and speeding. If one has to speed to get to work on time, as my uncle would have said to me (if I had done it), 'why didn't you leave early enough to arrive on time without breaking the law'?

I've been driving since I was sixteen. And I have gotten a few speeding tickets. And I have never offered an excuse as to why I was speeding. Once, I was the only one, out of 56 mandatory court appearances, that plea guilt to a speeding ticket. Everyone else offered a long list of excuses for their lawlessness. The Judge wanted to know why I didn't offer an excuse or was the reason was that I didn't have one. I had one, and by the way, was on my way to work, dressed in my uniform, but that didn't make a bit of difference. I was speeding. I was caught. I deserved the fine. I had broken the law, period, end of story. Why can't people just eaccept their responsibility. Be it for a speeding ticket or to report for jury duty. The likelhood of a nurse being chosen, either for a criminal or civil trial, is remote. Most attornies don't want us to serve and will excuse us. So what if you lose a few hours sitting waiting to be called. Very small price to pay for the priviliges that this country gaves so many of us.

Woody:twocents:

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Specializes in PEDS ICU, Mother/Baby, OBGYN.

This is something I had to deal with lately. I was complaining at work recently about having to sit in a jury pool. Several folks offered ways to get out of it and then one nurse spoke up "When I was being sued, I wanted the jury of my peers to be educated, rational people...not just people who couldn't come up with a good excuse."

It got me thinking... in today's litigious society, nurses are sued all the time. If you've never been deposed, good for you. I prefer a root canal with no anesthesia to what I went thru.:chuckle But should I ever have to go to the defendant's chair, I want to look over at the jury box and see intelligence in the eyes of my jury.

Additionally, I see a valid point to "civic duty." And several years of military service don't free you up for the rest of your life. I'm in my early thirties and can understand why those generations older than mine look down on us disdainfully. Nobody has to take a bullet to serve on a jury. It just one of those things that the founding fathers did right. If your going to be convicted of something, don't you want people just like you to do it? Seems to me, other ways aren't very American.

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