nurse doesn't believe in life-sustaining measures for herself

Nurses General Nursing

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I was in the strangest conversation today with a new nurse. She explained to us that she feels like any type of life-saving treatment such as the Heimlich would be interfering in Gods plan for her. If she starts choking at lunch, she feels this is "her time to go" and wants no one to prevent it! If she is in a car accident and is seriously wounded, but could have life-saving treatment, she does not want it. If she is diagnosed with any type of illness where life sustaining meds could be taken, she is against this.

Everyone who was listening to her eventually just took the conversation elsewhere because no one knew how to respond. One of our doctors was listening to her also. As he walked away he said, "nursing seems like a strange career for you". I have to agree. I was speechless...and that is rare for me!

How can this person be effective as a nurse? How can they educate their patients on their illnesses? And on and on.... I have been pondering this for hours; every aspect of it. What do you guys think?:clown:

Hmm, interesting situation, in which a person who believes even the slightest medical intervention on a person's behalf constitutes "interfering in G-d's plan" would choose a career in which she'd do that very thing 'to' other people on a daily basis!

I, too, have pretty strong beliefs on what I would and would not want for myself, but for the most part they do involve allowing at least the basics of medical interventions, and quite a bit further up the tree if needed. I think many nurses have those same concerns and limits on what they want done for themselves. The difference with THIS nurse is that she won't allow even the most basic of interventions on her behalf, and yet there she is, expected to be doing the same for others every time she shows up on shift.

I wouldn't rule her out as a good nurse, but would have to wonder (like that doctor) about her rather strange career choice.

The joke about the bus, the rowboat and the helicopter (that was the version I heard, LOL, instead of three boats!) did come to mind: how does she know that her lunch companion wasn't there BY G-d's design, to keep her from choking on that chicken bone? After all, G-d didn't make her eat the chicken, LOL, but HE can certainly intervene Himself as needed! ;)

Specializes in district nurse, ccu, geriatric.

what an absolute fruit loop, I hope she doesnt have any children, for their sake

Specializes in School Nursing.

god created doctors, nurse's and medicine. let us not forget.

Specializes in Onco, palliative care, PCU, HH, hospice.

I must be in the minority as well, I recieved very odd looks from my PCP when I expressed my wish to be a DNR since I'm 20. Maybe it is odd, but for me personally if I stop breathing or my heart stops beating, it's my ticket out of this world. That's me though, and my wishes do NOT influence how I take care of my patients. Everyone is different I guess.

Specializes in Neuro/ Tele;home health; Neuro ICU.
This is my last two weeks at my hospital. I am training her to take my position. I have been there for 5 years and just dearly love some of my long-term patients. I feel like I am throwing them to the wolves! My heart is in knots! UGH!

if those beliefs are only r/t her being in situation that she doesn't want any help to sutain her life that is fine but do not endanger her patients' life. i would make sure that she will react if something happen to her patients.

i would ask her what she will do if her pt would start to code or in event become unstable to require her to call for help and send pt to get that help.

it would put red flag if she would put her beliefes first before patient safety.

you are her preceptor and you will give evaluation if she is proper fit for organization; i do not want her not to have job to provide for her own living and family but patient safety and nursing care comes first at this point. i would feel unsafe having her as my nurse when i would be unstable and could not get help/ required care to survive and she would just stand there and watch me die because of "God plan it is your time...".

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
what an absolute fruit loop, I hope she doesnt have any children, for their sake

The whole situation of her becoming a nurse is very ironic but this is very judgemental. I think we really need to respect other people's beliefs. Heck probably only 2% of the population live their lives to suit me but so what? Last I checked no one was running the rules of living past JulesA or Spongebetty for their approval. :D

There are nurses that believe "where there is life there is hope" and don't believe in DNR. They may think I'm odd to have had a no-intubation advanced directive since my early 20s but that doesn't mean I discredit their compassion or nursing skills. I've taken care of a 90 year old patient whose family insisted on the doctor removing and repositioning her infected g-tube for the third time. My family better NEVER do that to me but I cared for her to the best of my ability. As nurses we come across things that conflict with our views on a daily basis. It is part of the job, imo.

Specializes in EMS~ ALS.../...Bartending ~ Psych :).

How old is this nurse??

I bet odds of 100 to 1 that if you are setting at the lunchroom table with her and she indeed happens to CHOKE on that chicken bone, that she will grab her throat, and her eyes will be PLEADING for you to do whatever you can to save her life!!

I promise she isn't just gonna set there thinking, well I have this chicken bone in lodged in my airway, therefore, it is my time to die!! Good thing I ordered chicken instead of jello!! Now I just have to set here for another 4 minutes or so and it will all be over.

waiting......

waiting.......

waiting....... wow this is actually taking a long time.....

waiting....... Geeze its only been 45 seconds!!

waiting....... Oh Wow, I'm still setting here choking to death!

hummm, 3 more minutes of this................. tapping fingers.....

LOL I won't say that she is nuts, but I will say that when faced with the "situation" about life or death, people often change their minds

Nobody wants to live to be a 100 until they are 99

Specializes in Peds Rehab, Informatics.

I believe that one of the many ways that God heals people is through the expertise of minds that he has gifted with the knowledge and experience to carry out His will (whether they acknowledge it or not). This is not to say that I don't believe in remarkable instances of God healing people w/o modern medicine (or along side it) because I don't limit Him that way. However, it is foolish to believe that God would not want to utilize those people that have a heart to help those who are ill in the healing process. Just my two cents :mad:

Well I just flat-out asked new nurse today about her beliefs and she is very willing to share. The doctor and I were both very interested.

Just to clarify; this has nothing to do with living wills, DNRs, vents, trachs etc. She does not believe in taking ANY type of medication. No Tylenol, insulin, antidepressants, heart meds, on and on. Nothing, nada. She does not believe in preventative medicine-has never had a PAP, mammaogram. She has 2 school age children which were home births (and are home-schooled) and she does not believe in vaccinations. She is very involved in her church , but this is not all about religion. I think she veiws nursing as 'just the career' she picked right of high school.

Everyone has their own views and convictions and these are hers. I do get the feeling something drastic in her life led to this way of living but at the end of the day my head was dizzy from all this info (I needed a Tylenol!!) and I couldn't listen anymore! She was wonderful with the patients and is very easy to work with and not a slacker and totally on top of everything. (She has been a nurse for 18 years).

I am at loss because I have such a passion for what I do. I am so thrilled when a patient finally gets a diagnosis and begin to see the light... I think nursing is very stressful and to do this job everyday when you don't really believe in it, to me, would be overwhelming. But then that is just me and to someone else it is just a job.

Specializes in ER, ICU, Infusion, peds, informatics.

i'm another poster that doesn't get what the big deal is.

personal beliefs are just that -- personal. while i, too, find her beliefs odd, there are other (mainstream) beliefs that i find to be even odder.

i do question her wisdom in sharing this to new coworkers. that sort of thing really should be kept to yourself, at least until you've been there long enough not to be known as the "kooky nurse that doesn't believe in health care" or something like that.

it isn't as though she's a new nurse -- she's been at it for quite some time. let her track record stand on its own.

i don't let my personal beliefs interfere with my professional actions. the full code vs no code is a good example. i personally think it is morally wrong to run a code on an end-stage hiv patient that is septic. however, the family didn't share that belief, and so we ran the code. it may be tempting not to put all of your effort into it, but we did. and we were successful -- the patient lived for a few more days.

as long as she respects others' beliefs and takes good care of her patients, it doesn't matter what she does as far as her own health care.

I have been involved in 20 plus code in the last 8 months and at 30 I believe the same way. My partner will not know when to stop them from coding me. I do not want to come back a drooling brain dead vegetable. I am DNR at 30 years old.

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