Tell me whether you think this is wrong...

Nurses General Nursing

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OK, a bunch of us were standing in line waiting to get our pics taken for our hospice rotation. This one girl (whom I don't like) started yapping about what we should do if someone dies when we're there. She said that that would be a good time to actually do CPR on a real person. I said, "What?" and she told me that her sister was doing hospice and had a death. The hospice nurse was with her and told her she could try it if she wanted. She said that she could hear her ribs breaking. I flipped out....feeling physically ill. Isn't this desecrating a corpse? And how would you feel if that were your Mom, sister, or daughter??? I really let her have it, and some people didn't understand why I thought it was a big deal. Personally, I think it should (if it already isn't) be against the law. I mean, come on....have some respect for the dead. I also used to work for a funeral home and I asked my ex-boss about it. He said that if someone died like that and came in with a crushed rib cage, he would say something. He said that it could also hinder embalming and/or disfigure the torso.

So what do you think?? Did I flip out on her for good reason??? Or do you think I am over-reacting???

Kristy :crying2: :crying2: :crying2:

I'm not sure i totally understand your post. Did she mean to "practice" CPR, or try to actually resuscitate a client just passing. I have heard cases of the latter, or with elderly, that the inevitable result of CPR on their brittle bones was a lot of broken ribs. However, is this person is just referring to practice this is very strange and seems to be a license threatening maneuver.

Falcon...she was just going to practice CPR since she had never done it before. I couldn't believe the hospice nurse allowed it.

Kids r fun...I thought the same thing about the ribs....I've had to do it and it still makes me sick to think about it. I'm thinking this student nurse was just waaaaaaaayyyy immature and thought it was cool....:(

Thanks everyone for the support. I was going to talk to one of my instructors about it to get her input. It was just a very trying day...8 hours of hospice training (but that's another post....) and I had had enough.

The thing that made it the worst was that she thought it was cool...how disgusting is that?

And lastly, I opened my can of wup ass on her and will do again when needed. If that were to have happened to my Mom when she died....I seriously would have gone after the student, the RN, and the hospital.....wrong, wrong, wrong......:(

Kristy

You did the right thing. By this girl stating she thought this to be "cool" shows that with her attitude, she is definitely in the wrong area. She needs to take a good look at herself.

That is just plain WRONG!!!!!!! Somehow i don't think she believes in karma...

i am appalled that the hospice nruse allowed her to do that!!! wrong, immoral, unethical, twisted, sick, f-ed up.....ugh....

I agree with most everyone. You don't use a corpse for practise. I remember one time we had a code on my floor that died and the residents decided that they would "practise " doing a pericentesis post mortum on the patient and pretend they had done it as part of the code. I was mortified then, and remain so now.

I can't believe, a hospice-nurse said something like that!

it is disgusting, immoral and unethic!

Specializes in Float Pool, ICU/CCU, Med/Surg, Onc, Tele.

I agree with everyone, but would like to throw in the concept that perhaps Ms. Immature Wanna-be *made up* the story about the hospice nurse allowing her to do it, and/or the bit about doing it at all.

It's not such a big leap from being so immature as to think it's a cool story to be shared, to making it all up. Just a thought.

I think its disgusting and anyone who thinks like that should not be a nurse, period.

Originally posted by NurseWeasel

I agree with everyone, but would like to throw in the concept that perhaps Ms. Immature Wanna-be *made up* the story about the hospice nurse allowing her to do it, and/or the bit about doing it at all.

It's not such a big leap from being so immature as to think it's a cool story to be shared, to making it all up. Just a thought.

My thought also (I didn't spell it out as good as Weaz)...The Hospice nurses I have encountered were nothing less than dedicated to the concept comfort, quality and DIGNITY for their patient.

I definitely agree with you all.... how disgusting!!!!!!!! And it seems to make sense that this idiot was just making the whole thing up.

Specializes in med/surg, cardiac/telemetry, hospice.

I seriously hope that was made up...either way this person has a bit of growing up to do.

I'll tell ya, my mom just passed away 2 weeks ago, with no sternum to speak of d/t osteo 2ndy s/p CABG. If anyone had decided to start thumping on her chest, there would be h*ll to pay. :(

WRONG WRONG WRONG

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