Nursing and the Ebola Virus

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For those of us in unaffected countries, are you concerned about the ebola virus spreading? Would you care for ebola patients? I live in an area with a very high density of African immigrants and come into contact with these individuals regularly. We have a lot of African immigrants who bring back tuberculosis from their home countries and at my unit we end up caring for them. We take care of a lot of rare infectious diseases. I was reading an article and it dawned on me how plausible it would be for me to encounter this virus. And I admit, it's terrifying and I might refuse that assignment. Many healthcare workers in Africa are dying because of caring for the ill.

Specializes in RN, CHPN.

Excellent video of nurses at Emory and how they protect themselves from Ebola:

Nurses show how they prepare to treat Ebola patients

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Specializes in L&D, Women's Health.
Excellent video of nurses at Emory and how they protect themselves from Ebola:

Nurses show how they prepare to treat Ebola patients

Excellent video. How many hospitals have this type of PPE available and the buddy system and showers in protocol?

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Specializes in ICU,ER,med-Surg,Geri,Correctional.

OKay Nurses: What do we do when we don't have Unions to speak for us?. I hope out of all of this we learn and realize just how much danger and how important we are. I mean to include all our Brothers and Sisters who are working in the Health Care Workers.

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Excellent video of nurses at Emory and how they protect themselves from Ebola:

Nurses show how they prepare to treat Ebola patients

Missy thank you so much for this! Every single hospital in the country should be taking these very steps to ensure the safety of staff and community.

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If ebola spreads into the region I am going on hiatus. The ugly truth is that ebola kills healthcare workers. I don't see myself as being under obligation to die for my profession.

Agree beyond 100%! Hospitals needs to start taking the necessary protocols NO MATTER WHAT COST are associated with prevention of this deadly disease. We ( health care workers) are NOT going to risk our lives and the lives of our families to treat this UNLESS we are protected to fullest extent.

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Specializes in RN, CHPN.
We ( health care workers) are NOT going to risk our lives and the lives of our families to treat this UNLESS we are protected to fullest extent.

Exactly! And why should we be expected to?

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CDC's explanation for no travel ban was because preventing the collapse of the government in the host nation is more important than the medical welfare of every other nation?

Then why are they upset when someone here gets the Ebola virus. Is that not the lesser of their two evils?

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Specializes in RN, CHPN.

The thing that defines this whole crisis is "Too little too late."

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

I said this on the other thread about Ebola, so here it goes:

If anything, something had to happen to reveal how poorly hospitals are managed and how they treat nurses; in the midst of all things, how nursing can band together and reveal to the public how corporized (my word) hospitals have been and how they care about the bottom line will be their downfall.

I knew it was going to happen, but I surely didn't suspect that it would come from an infectious disease.

The CDC is not like the Feds or National Guard; they cannot come and commandeer a private company, so no, I don't blame them entirely; however, the hospital said they had it under control, when obviously they didn't, and when corporate is refusing to approve proper PPE or even allow the CDC in, then the ire should be on how MANY hospitals are run.

This is a HUGE opportunity for nurses to step up and speak out in how facilities are run and allow the public to scrutinize how hospitals are run roughshod over how the front lines-especially NURSES are treated and ignored, and not supported...it has been prepared to happen, unfortunately it had to happen this way. :no:

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Specializes in ER.
I said this on the other thread about Ebola, so here it goes:

If anything, something had to happen to reveal how poorly hospitals are managed and how they treat nurses; in the midst of all things, how nursing can band together and reveal to the public how corporized (my word) hospitals have been and how they care about the bottom line will be their downfall.

I knew it was going to happen, but I surely didn't suspect that it would come from an infectious disease.

The CDC is not like the Feds or National Guard; they cannot come and commandeer a private company, so no, I don't blame them entirely; however, the hospital said they had it under control, when obviously they didn't, and when corporate is refusing to approve proper PPE or even allow the CDC in, then the ire should be on how MANY hospitals are run.

This is a HUGE opportunity for nurses to step up and speak out in how facilities are run and allow the public to scrutinize how hospitals are run roughshod over how the front lines-especially NURSES are treated and ignored, and not supported...it has been prepared to happen, unfortunately it had to happen this way. :no:

I agree. It's unfortunate it took Ebola to raise the attention to the problem with corporate America and nursing. What they "say" is often not what we "do." I'm glad it's out there in the media. The media, unfortunately, seems to have the power to make change in nursing... not nurses.

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Missy, that video was excellent, thank you for sharing it. It clearly demonstrates how woefully UNDER prepared most hospitals will be should they be faced with this situation.

A buddy system in place, that requires each person to watch the other suit up and assist in that suiting up, adds expenses the hospitals will be screaming they can't afford. Oh, sure, to the news teams it will be 'we support our health care workers 110%' but when it comes to ACTUALLY providing safe equipment standards.....there will be no money for that.

When the hospital is short-staffed because people have called out (and OH will there be call outs on THIS unit, folks!!), who is gonna be Nurse Suzy's buddy? The hospital CEO, right? OF COURSE he will be right there, getting gear taped onto his body, right? He'll be ok with me standing outside the room during the time he's in there, watching every move in case he contaminates himself....and then he's gonna do the same for me....right?

No, there won't be enough staff, and there won't be enough protective gear by far. And staff will still be told "you have to go in there, just don't touch anything" or something equally stupid.

Yet another reason I stand by the statements I made when this topic was first broached months ago: ain't no way I'm going into any situation like this unless I FEEL SAFE in doing so. I said back then (and I repeat now) that IF I were to have the proper, safe equipment, I'd be ok with taking this patient. But without that kind of assurance? Not a chance in Hades, my friend.

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Specializes in RN, CHPN.
ain't no way I'm going into any situation like this unless I FEEL SAFE in doing so. I said back then (and I repeat now) that IF I were to have the proper, safe equipment, I'd be ok with taking this patient. But without that kind of assurance? Not a chance in Hades, my friend.

I agree. This post questions if the CDC guidelines, when followed, are even good enough: https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/urgent-cdc-ebola-954160.html

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