I am feeling very conflicted about making a decision in the near future about this, and I would appreciate reliable and honest advice. I am finishing a very difficult 5 year degree, and have wanted a job in healthcare for a long time. I still want to pursue a career part time in what i am studying, which is to be a band and music teacher, and am considering going to nursing school part time during the year and taking summer courses while i teach. I think nursing would be a very rewarding profession, and I think that I would be very happy to be a nurse. I do feel a calling toward a job in the medical field, and I am still young, I am 23 years old, and I feel that if I am going to devote so much more energy, time, and money into a second career I need to decide now.
With everything going on in the United States ( I live in Canada), I am extremely concerned about whether I would actually be able to work as a nurse by the time I graduate or not. I am unapollogetically pro-life, and would never have anything to do with abortion whatsoever. This to me even includes post abortion care. How much trouble will I have? It seems that every hospital that is not a Catholic hospital runs into this situation. I have friends in nursing that tell me that you would jsut work in a different branch of the hospital but then I hear stories about nurses still having to walk away from certain situations having to do with abortion. I would actually really like to work in Cosmetic surgery, but I am not sure how the job market is out there for that. I feel something telling me I should go ahead with it because this is something that I feel I really may be meant to do in my life,, but I will NOT participate in anything to do with abortion ever. My husband has a good career here in Canada, so the chacnes of us moving to another country are slimto none until retirement,
I do not want to start up a debate, I am just an exhausted student who is trying to make a really big decision and is increadibly overwhelmed at what i should do. I really appreciate your responses!
Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.
I don't really have much to add except the experience that I had when working in a large inner city ED where we did do what I expect you would term an abortion. We would have women come in bleeding and passing large clots of blood who were in the process of a miscarriage and we would go in an do a D&C. Sometimes, they would expel a small baby, usually less than 200 grams. Under Texas law at the time, under 200 grams went to pathology, over 200 grams, went for burial but if the parents wanted burial of any size baby, they had that option. I never felt that I was participating in an abortion. I knew I could not save the baby and the patient was going to bleed to death if we did not do something soon.
Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.
And another issue: It will be very important for you to make sure that your manager knows at the time of hire that she will have to make this exception for you. There is a legal basis for this under the law that prohibits making staff do things that are against their moral, ethical or religious beliefs. For example, I had a nurse who was a Jehovah's Witness and she could not participate in hanging blood. You will also need to let the charge nurse know so that you will not be assigned to those patients. But remember, from time to time you may get a patient who has developed a complication, such as an infection, after the procedure. Would you be able to take care of that patient?
I've been a nurse for a long time. I'm 100% pro-choice, and I have worked in several specialities. I have never had to be involved in any aboriton care in any capacity.
I really don't think you have anything to worry about.
Yes i could take care of them after the fact because I do not think it is right to let them die or have serious problems later on becuase of that choice. I jsut do not want anything to do with the actual abortion, including starting the IV before and caring for them right after. I would not do that, and I believe that that is my right not to have to do that. The first message you sent,, that is a really terrible thing for a person to have to go through. I think it is different than abortion, and i would never judge anybody at all in that case of course, but i think personally i would still feel uncomfortable, would i be able to step aside and let somebody else take care of it in a situation like that? I am not saying i think its wrong or anything but i would just feel uncomfortable personally participating in it.
you have every right to not participate in an abortion.
i have participated and assisted with abortions, and part of the "after care" includes vital sign monitoring due to anesthesia, and any kind of pain control.
you would be expected to monitor vital signs, give medications post op, etc..
Would you actually be expected to do that? wouldnt nurses working in abortion do that? I would not do that,,, that was my question. So what if i didnt assist with the abortion i still helped with the procedure as a whole and i could not do that..i guess what i would need to do is not work in a palce that does abortions whatsoever..
I would never pass judgement in a situation like that, and i do think the situation is completely different but no i could not participate in that either. Is there not a way to work in a branch where you would not be dealing with that? I would really loveto be a nurse but I have strong beliefs and I just can not go against them. I would care for them afterward if they were staying in the hospital but i would not want to take part in the procedure.
So basically you have to be willing to participate in abortions to be a nurse? A good friend of mine is in nursing, almost finished and she said it has never been an issue or even been brought up whatsoever, and she is pro life and does not seem to be worried at all
as long as it does not offend anyone.
Beebop25
143 Posts
Yeah it is, I would never be like that person, and I am sorry for everything you went through