TAB's?

[jrring1019]

At the hospitals you work for, are you allowed to refuse to take care of pts who are having TAB's? During an interview I was told that nurses cannot refuse to care for these pts. The hospital I am at now does allow nurses to decide if they will care for these pts. I was surprised that this was part of the interview, but I guess if this is against religious beliefs etc... then people would not take the job.

I don't want a debate on ABs and I won't even say where I stand, but I think that nurses should have the right to not participate without the risk of being reprimanded. I learned from another nurse that she was told the same thing in her interview at a different hospital. Just wondering how it works in other places

[DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN]

It IS a grey area. I had, what I prefer to call a pregnancy termination, at 22 weeks gestation. Thank goodness for the completely compassionate nurses I had who held our hands and cried with us. I always agree to take these patients. They need such compassionate care and empathy. I would have done ANYTHING to keep that first baby but as awful as it was our nursing care helped us so much with healing.

I am so sorry for your experience. I had a similar experience at 28 weeks but my choice was made for me before we had to decide, I had a fetal demise. I am so sorry for your experience, I understand what you went through and definately agree this was the most loving thing you could do for your child.

I equate what I don't believe in with women who decide they don't want to be pregnant after all or who get pregnant by accident and decide to abort at a time when the fetus can be viable.

Abortion can be a very grey area.

[fergus51]

I've seen a lot of late term abortions and none of them have been just because the mom decided she didn't want to be pregnant afterall.

[MajorAl]

...I would not knowlingly prepare a pt. for an abortion, but I would not have any problem with aftercare. And I could do it without being judgmental or holier-than-thou.

I agree with jackie53 100%. I am personally opposed to abortions, and will counsel against it but I'm smart enough to know that I am not making the final decision. I also am against any violent demonstrations against abortion providers but do not oppose non violent, non threatening measures such as praying across the street from a clinic. Just don't yell things at the people going into the clinic. Golly I hope this doesn't turn into a pro/con argument. The important thing is that we all remember why we became Nurses. (I'm assuming it was to care for patients not judge them.)

[webbiedebbie]

At one hospital I worked at, only one physician would do them. His associates refused, so when he retires, the hospital does not foresee anymore TAB's being done.

I didn't have a problem taking care of them after procedure performed...what I did have a problem with was being the one that delivered the fetus! The MD was not there and with only 2 nurses on the floor, both usually were involved. Had an incident one morning where the fetus delivered but the placenta was there for 5 hours. The doc waited until he came in on morning rounds (end of shift of course) and proceeded to scrape out the placenta. I asked prior if she could have pain meds and he said NO! Tiny room used as storage w/o oxygen or suction! We did these on the postpartum floor.

I forgot to add that these women would be on pit w/o a pump during the night in addition to our other 7-9 patients that we would be responsible for.

[fergus51]

Then you worked at a crappy hospital. That's absolutely unacceptable and I'm sorry you had to live through that.

[chuckc, BSN, RN]

please tell me you don't work there anymore......yikes