I read this story on Yahoo news today and when I first saw the headline I thought the guy was a psycho. But it turns out the murders were actually mercy killings.
Would you help a terminally ill patient die, especially if you felt no one would ever find out what you did? I remember that when this issue came up in medical ethics there was a heated debate about whether it should be more morally acceptable to watch terminally ill patients suffer than to help them end their misery sooner.
I'm curious to know everyone's thoughts about this.
I agree this was murder. I think this does not come under the RN scope of responsibilities. Having said that if an authorized doc that I felt comfortable taking orders from gave me an order to administer a death dose I probably would, depending on what I assessed the patient's condition to be. A 90 year old fraile patient with respiratory rate of 50 with an order from a doc would be on my list of maybes.
I see a lot of dancing around in here about euthanasia, mercy killings and other moralities.
Bottom line HE KILLED PEOPLE
HE BROKE THE LAW
Answer he belongs on death row
Actually teeituptom, there are a couple of topics here. We've all agreed that he was wrong and that he broke the law. No dancing around that I can see. I don't think there's one of us who has stated they supported what the guy whole killed those patients has done.
Post #16 asked a question about medicating patients in excrutiating pain. Different topic entirely. Added into the mix is medicating patients as they are already near death. Here's where you are seeing differing opinions.
There's another topic regarding the use of the term "male nurse".
I saw on the news earlier, they think he has some mental problems and may not have killed as many as he states. THey said they can confirm the one or two he's charged with now, but don't know if they can prove or if he even did kill as many as he claims. I'm not even sure how they'd confirm that.
I saw on the news earlier, they think he has some mental problems and may not have killed as many as he states. THey said they can confirm the one or two he's charged with now, but don't know if they can prove or if he even did kill as many as he claims. I'm not even sure how they'd confirm that.
Wife is a nurse too wonder if it was a family thing...bet she is scared to death they will start looking at her either way
It is not our place to judge what others want or do not want.
It is our place to encourage communication between patient, family and physicians....... and, YES, this can be the most difficult thing we have to do..... We, as nurses, do not have the legal authority to administer ice chips without a physician's order. Yes, there are times when providing comfort to the end is the appropriate thing to do... but to speed it along....... to make the decision/do the deed to bring the end about... it is not our's to do. I believe that there are times when the ultimate in comfort is called for.... and I pray that the physician provides the orders because the patient and/or family have requested the greatest comfort measures possible. To know that a handful of nurses have gone beyond the scope... they give us a bad name, leave a bad taste in one's mouth, even jeapordize our opportunities for change and growth at a time when this profession needs growth and change to attract more members. The compact between states, fingerprinting, even FBI checks should all help to bring about some degree of security and certainty for those who wish to make change. I must confess, tho, that I hope all this need for increased security in all that we do and are does not take over our lives until we no longer have the freedom to decide for ourselves what we want to do and what is the right thing to do.
I think this was wrong period no matter how you look at it. What did bother me was the story headline, "male" nurse. This makes all Male nurses look bad, tying males together with the action. It is almost like saying female nurses couldn't do such a thing. I think it is disrespectful of the male nurses out there who are caring, competent people who desire to help people live or at least die comfortably and with dignity.
I think this was wrong period no matter how you look at it. What did bother me was the story headline, "male" nurse. This makes all Male nurses look bad, tying males together with the action. It is almost like saying female nurses couldn't do such a thing. I think it is disrespectful of the male nurses out there who are caring, competent people who desire to help people live or at least die comfortably and with dignity.
I agree whole heartedly with shawn007 about this particular dint to the discussion thread. It appears all respondents are the same belief about the illegality and professional implications with this Nurse and his actions. It is an enteresting aside that the adjective male had to be used to make the point in the media!
Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
ITA with Ken and Shawn, there was no need to specify the gender of the nurse in question. Frankly, I think it distracts one from the point of this discussion, which should be ONLY about what this particular nurse is accused of doing.
That said, I believe many of us---myself included---have had the experience of giving a dying patient a dose of morphine, only to have him/her pass on shortly thereafter. There is a world of difference between this action, which eases suffering and perhaps hastens death by a few minutes or so, and giving a dose large enough to directly cause respiratory depression and death. No matter how much we nurses hate to see anyone suffer, we simply do NOT have the moral authority to play God and take the life of a patient under our care. Maybe this nurse's intent was to relieve suffering, and maybe not, but it doesn't matter.....he didn't have the right to cause these patients' deaths. Incidents like this make ALL nurses suspect in the eyes of the public, and endanger our reputation as the most-trusted of all professions. This nurse, if he is guilty of the charges against him, should be dealt with as harshly any other murderer, regardless of his motives.
I think a person would have to be pretty conceded/narcissistic to believe they were worthy of caring out mercy killing. I mean, how can you believe you have the ability to possibly consider all the factors that go into a decision like that?
As for the MALE NURSE headline. I'm very discouraged that the media choose to headline it that way. I bet if it had been a FEMALE DENTIST kills 60 head line all hell would break loose.
It's just sad that the only male nurses I've seen on TV are wacko or weird.
You know that guy that got plastic surgery to look like Michell Jackson? guess what he does for a living? yep a nurse
He is a fictional character but Jack on will & Grace is now in nursing school. Although I think the character is funny and entertaining he is a huge flake. He decided to goto nursing school because he wanted to date another nurse and then dropped out only to be talked into going back because he was able to get the wine-o secretary to swallow pills by wrestling her to the floor and massaging her throat. The whole thing trivializes nursing not to mention men in nursing.
The fact is most nurses are still female, so a male nurse is not typical-just as most doctors are male, so a female doctor is not typical. I here pts say female doctor all the time. I don't think people are discriminatory, they are bases there descriptions on facts.
oneLoneNurse
613 Posts
I agree this was murder. I think this does not come under the RN scope of responsibilities. Having said that if an authorized doc that I felt comfortable taking orders from gave me an order to administer a death dose I probably would, depending on what I assessed the patient's condition to be. A 90 year old fraile patient with respiratory rate of 50 with an order from a doc would be on my list of maybes.