Yesterday I saw a car accident. Looked like some young man in a sports car probably went to fast and hit a truck from behind. The truck was fine and the people in the truck were out walking around. I was going probably 5 mph on the highway strolling by this accident and all I could think about was "I wish I were a nurse so I could help!"
No ambulance yet, but I know the hospital was only 5 minutes away so I knew it would only be a minute before they got there. He was lucky to crash at that exit. He was right by the exit too.
I saw the young man laying in the grass, face up, eyes closed. About 10 people around him. I didn't see any blood or anything, and assumed he hadn't died by the way the people were acting around him. I mean, I'd assume people would either be freaking out or attempting CPR.
Part of me wanted to pull over and help, but honestly, the only thing I know how to do is take vitals. I mean, I haven't done any nursing clinicals. The only clinical I have had were nurse aide clinicals. So what was I going to do? Yell at the people to give him some space and take his pulse and respirations? As soon as that thought came into my mind, I heard the ambulance coming. Had I not heard them coming, I probably would have done the above. lol.
Nurse or not, I know the mistake #1 they made was pulling him out of that car. Hopefully they didn't damage his back.
I do think I am going to sign up for my BLS class next quarter and maybe do a first aid class as well. You never know. I may need those skills sometime before I become a nurse!
It is not just in California, in the US it is like that....just blame lawyers!!
You can't blame a shark for eating fish, blame the legislature that takes money from the Trial Lawyers Union to keep Tort Reform off the books.
No you are not. Nurses are not trained in field emergency medicine...EMTs, Paramedics are.. you would only be covered under the Good Sam if you are performing CPR or simple first aid (if you are trained)
Every single Registered Nurse in the United States is trained in Basic First Aid, CPR/BLS. You are not expected to intubate a pt in the field or do ACLS but applying pressure to a wound, doing CPR, stabilizing a head, holding some poor terrified person's hand...not rocket science. What CAN you do with a cell phone, two hands and a truck full of groceries? No one expects you to carry a full level III trauma kit in your trunk.
You are corrected...being a nurse does not make you obligated to stop and render assistance..it is a matter of scope of practice...(see above reference)
You sir have been corrected.
Do your self a favor folks, call 911 and stay out of the way...you cannot afford the lawsuit......you will be sued if you carry a license
Standing by depriving those in need of your professional talents in a case of emergency is immoral and unethical. My God, we are Nurses. How would you feel if you were being beaten or sexually assaulted and an off duty police officer witnessed the event and did nothing..."eh I am off duty, no need to risk any lawsuits or trouble." WE DO NOT PRACTICE BASED UPON LAWSUITS. We live by what is reasonable, what is prudent. What can you not get sued for? If we all practiced based on, "Will I get sued?" then we all should work at home selling things on ebay.
We are not retail workers, we are not office staff, we are not delivery men, we are Nurses. We hold a sacred position within the community, a special trust that must never be broken. This is not just a job, it is a profession. If you are here for the money then you need to seek other employment.
Even if your a nurse, the best thing to do is to call 911 and nothing else. If your a nurse and make a mistake while treating the victims, it is a lot easier for them to sue you since your not protected by the Good Samaritan Law.
Even if your a nurse, the best thing to do is to call 911 and nothing else. If your a nurse and make a mistake while treating the victims, it is a lot easier for them to sue you since your not protected by the Good Samaritan Law.
You are protected as long as you are reasonable, prudent and only practice what you have been trained in. If you attempt to trach someone since you saw the movie Anaconda or attempt to manually stimulate someone's heart by cracking their chest since you saw the movie Apocalypto then yes, you are toast.
BLS/CPR...basics people.
If you are unwilling to take a risk and help someone then Nursing is not the profession for you. If you are only willing to take that risk when you are getting paid, then Nursing is not for you. When you clock out you do not take your Nurse hat off.
You represent this profession 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You are not a lay person who doesn't know better. If you do not initiate care that is reasonable and prudent such as CPR (soon to be CCR) or simple life saving BLS then maybe you should not take the responsibility of becoming a Nurse in the first place.
Are they not teaching Ethics, Professionalism or Legal Nursing in school anymore?
It saddens me to think there are Nurses that would simply drive on by or stand by in an emergency...
What's the saying? "Evil only prevails when good men fail to act."
Please check this website out. There is a lot of misinformation being thrown around about being sued for helping or not helping. It even has each states Good Samaritan Law hyperlinked. BTW those of you in Cali are covered regardless of a previous post.
"If you are unwilling to take a risk and help someone then Nursing is not the profession for you. If you are only willing to take that risk when you are getting paid, then Nursing is not for you. When you clock out you do not take your Nurse hat off."
I would have to disagree with that. First off, when your taking care of someone in an emergency outside there are hazards that can endanger your life. You can be treating someone in a car accident, but while your treating them, gas could be leaking from the tank and 3 minutes later the car is in flames. Or if your on a busy highway another car can hit you. Do you really want to give someone CPR on the NJ Turnpike? Several years ago I did an EMT course ansd we spent countless hours learning how to identify unsafe scenes. Also, while your on the scene, you lack the necessary equipment to treat someone. Do you have an oxygen mask or IV in your trunK?
I'm sorry but I can't believe some of the comments on this post. We are nurses (or soon to be) and have an ethical standard to uphold. Shame on you if you pass by someone that is injured or dying because you're afraid of a lawsuit. You'd rather have them die? If I can help someone that has been injured in a car accident or whatever, then I'm going to help. If I get sued, then so be it. I'll take saving a life over fear of a lawsuit anyday.
I'm sorry but I can't believe some of the comments on this post. We are nurses (or soon to be) and have an ethical standard to uphold. Shame on you if you pass by someone that is injured or dying because you're afraid of a lawsuit. You'd rather have them die? If I can help someone that has been injured in a car accident or whatever, then I'm going to help. If I get sued, then so be it. I'll take saving a life over fear of a lawsuit anyday.
It's good that you want to help people, but exactly what kind of assistance can you offer without any medical supplies? How do you know the bleeding victim does not have HIV? What if the scene is dangeorus? If you get hurt trying to help, your only making the situation more difficult for the EMTs.
"If you are unwilling to take a risk and help someone then Nursing is not the profession for you. If you are only willing to take that risk when you are getting paid, then Nursing is not for you. When you clock out you do not take your Nurse hat off."
I would have to disagree with that. First off, when your taking care of someone in an emergency outside there are hazards that can endanger your life. You can be treating someone in a car accident, but while your treating them, gas could be leaking from the tank and 3 minutes later the car is in flames. Or if your on a busy highway another car can hit you. Do you really want to give someone CPR on the NJ Turnpike? Several years ago I did an EMT course ansd we spent countless hours learning how to identify unsafe scenes. Also, while your on the scene, you lack the necessary equipment to treat someone. Do you have an oxygen mask or IV in your trunK?
Again, no one is expecting miracles. No one expects you to carry a level III trauma kit. Just basic BLS/CPR. No one said run into a burning building or take down Al Qaeda, just provide safe, simple BLS/CPR.
Of course you don't run across a freeway or play in gasoline, I don't know about your BLS/CPR courses or Nursing school but rule #1 has always been "When reasonably safe." The rescuer NEVER places himself in physical danger to initiate BLS/CPR.
Something tells me you have not taken a BLS/CPR class in a long time.
Reasonable and prudent care. Carrying and O2 tank around is not reasonable, applying pressure to a wound is. Running across the freeway is not reasonable, stabilizing a head in an intersection with stopped traffic is.
Use common since and the training provided in Nursing school and BLS/CPR.
It's good that you want to help people, but exactly what kind of assistance can you offer without any medical supplies? How do you know the bleeding victim does not have HIV? What if the scene is dangeorus? If you get hurt trying to help, your only making the situation more difficult for the EMTs.
Something tells me you are not a Nurse Donald nor have your CPR/BLS...
What can you do without gadgets or supplies.
Hold someone's hand.
Provide CPR.
Provide BLS.
Apply pressure to a bleed.
Open an airway.
The basics...and again, the first thing they teach you is "When reasonably safe."
P.S.
You assume EVERYONE has HIV. Universal precautions.
Something tells me you are not a Nurse Donald nor have your CPR/BLS...
What can you do without gadgets or supplies.
Hold someone's hand.
Provide CPR.
Provide BLS.
Apply pressure to a bleed.
Open an airway.
The basics...and again, the first thing they teach you is "When reasonably safe."
P.S.
You assume EVERYONE has HIV. Universal precautions.
I agree 100%
Perhaps people should only be allowed to challenge out of their CPR twice and then they need to take the whole course again (I am an instructor so I am a bit biased).
Also, why don't you lot carry a first aid kit in your car (at least some gloves and gauze)? I carry a fairly good 1st aid kit but all you really need is a ziploc bag with a couple pair of gloves and such. It is just sensible to do so (nurse or not).
It's good that you want to help people, but exactly what kind of assistance can you offer without any medical supplies? How do you know the bleeding victim does not have HIV? What if the scene is dangeorus? If you get hurt trying to help, your only making the situation more difficult for the EMTs.
Obviously I wouldn't put my own life in danger, but if the scene is safe, then I'll can jump in. I wouldn't dive head-first into a firery crash at the bottom of a ravine, but a less severe accident on the side of the road...then yes.
And who says I don't have any supplies in my car? No, I don't have a full trauma kit in my car, but I keep a CPR mask, gloves, and first aid kit in the trunk. So, if the person is bleeding, I'll have gloves on. If the person isn't breathing, I can administer CPR without putting my mouth on theirs. Those are simple acts that can save a life (and are within my scope of practice). Like a previous post said, I wouldn't be cracking someone's chest open or performing a tracheostomy.
It's good that you want to help people, but exactly what kind of assistance can you offer without any medical supplies? How do you know the bleeding victim does not have HIV? What if the scene is dangeorus? If you get hurt trying to help, your only making the situation more difficult for the EMTs.
I agree with the other people stating that standard precautions should always be taken, and just assuming everyone has HIV or some other disease that can be transmitted by blood. It's not like I walk around with open wounds all over my skin. And once HIV hits the air, it weakens drastically.
For goodness sake, we act like if our skin touches someone with HIV then we'll be infected. I think I'd be more likely to catch TB or some other communicable disease vs. HIV.
Asystole RN
2,352 Posts
You can't blame a shark for eating fish, blame the legislature that takes money from the Trial Lawyers Union to keep Tort Reform off the books.
Every single Registered Nurse in the United States is trained in Basic First Aid, CPR/BLS. You are not expected to intubate a pt in the field or do ACLS but applying pressure to a wound, doing CPR, stabilizing a head, holding some poor terrified person's hand...not rocket science. What CAN you do with a cell phone, two hands and a truck full of groceries? No one expects you to carry a full level III trauma kit in your trunk.
You sir have been corrected.
Standing by depriving those in need of your professional talents in a case of emergency is immoral and unethical. My God, we are Nurses. How would you feel if you were being beaten or sexually assaulted and an off duty police officer witnessed the event and did nothing..."eh I am off duty, no need to risk any lawsuits or trouble." WE DO NOT PRACTICE BASED UPON LAWSUITS. We live by what is reasonable, what is prudent. What can you not get sued for? If we all practiced based on, "Will I get sued?" then we all should work at home selling things on ebay.
We are not retail workers, we are not office staff, we are not delivery men, we are Nurses. We hold a sacred position within the community, a special trust that must never be broken. This is not just a job, it is a profession. If you are here for the money then you need to seek other employment.