Upsetting Day with a side of Ethics issues.

Nurses General Nursing

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Hey all ...

New to this forum, but I have to say, it gives me great peace to read some real world stores from some real people. You're all awesome in my book :)

I'm a male nurse. I work in a very small town hospital ER. Religion is a big part of daily life around here. I was working last night in the ER, when we had 2 pts arrive. One pt was clearly on something, he was agitated thrashing about, punched an attending, and scratched a fellow nurse, even gave me a rough time. I'm 6' 5" pushing 225, I'm also in an amateur kickboxing league, I can handle myself. As a last resort Haldol was given. Yeah, it was like a scene off TV.

Pt #2 followed, facial lacerations, the poor kid was a mess.

Police were not involved because some people had broken up the fight. How this happened without police I have NO idea. According to a witness, PT1 had attacked PT2 for being gay, this was even later admitted by the attacker (PT1)

I asked the attending if I should call the police. The attending said "No, that's ok, it was bound to happen, especially living like that in these parts" Then he said something to the effect of "He just needs to get some God in his life"

It took me a moment to pick my jaw up off the floor, this was an attending I liked and respected, until now. I am gay, but my sexuality does not precede me. I am "out" to VERY few people at work. I just feel that weather I'm gay or not has NO effect on my job, I am here to take care of people, and who cares what I go to bed with at night.

The whole situation just overwhelmed me, very little bother's me, but this is the first time I have cried being a nurse, I know I'm a relatively young nurse and have a ways ahead of me. This upsets me to the point where I don't know what to do? Do I go to administration??? We have an anti-discrimination policy, but it says I must report it to my attending, well my attending is doing the discriminating! To make it worse, his best friend from Med school is Chief of staff. So its not like my complaint would go anywhere other than the trash can, and potentially paint a target on my career.

I love my job, I believe no matter how bad your day is, at the end of it, if you put one smile on a face, then that one face makes your job worth it! But this was a hard day for me, made me think why did I do this again? Then again, I guess we wouldn't be human with out "one of those days" every now and then.

Can I file a complaint somewhere outside the hospital??? It is such a small place, with so many closed minded old farts in admin, this is a total Catch 22 Situation.

Anyone hiring? This reaffirms my point that I need to get out of small-town USA. :rolleyes:

Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

Oh, man my own biases are showing!! I had this image of something like right out of the movie "In the Heat of the Night". Especially with the phrase "in these parts". But Caribou, Maine? Woulda thought they were latte sipping liberals!! :eek::imbar:imbar

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Oh, man my own biases are showing!! I had this image of something like right out of the movie "In the Heat of the Night". Especially with the phrase "in these parts". But Caribou, Maine? Woulda thought they were latte sipping liberals!! :eek::imbar:imbar

You have them confused with Burlington, VT.

I live way upstate NY. Confederate flags, trucks and NASCAR. Not that there's anything wrong with those things, but latte? Um, no.

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Well, actually, there is something wrong with that flag, esp. when used as a symbol by people whose ancestors never had anything to do with it, but I digress, as usual.

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sorry your day was so rotten. i don't know about the laws about reporting assaults, but imo the physician should have kept his mouth shut, with his sideline commentaries. i come from a small southern town ( we got a stoplight two years ago, lol). i have very little tolerance for hate.

i'm glad you were there for the assault victim, sometimes we don't know why we're put into situations, you may have been in that situation because you were the nurse that the patient needed to have, one who would understand him and his feelings.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
You have them confused with Burlington, VT.

I live way upstate NY. Confederate flags, trucks and NASCAR. Not that there's anything wrong with those things, but latte? Um, no.

I know that now. Stereotypes suck. :trout: I deserve a trout smack. I live in an area that abounds with false images,too:):)

OP, I hope you hang around and let us know how things work out. If you don't have a confidante at work, come on over here for some support.

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But Caribou, Maine? Woulda thought they were latte sipping liberals!! :eek::imbar:imbar

Oh please, they all think Latte is Late with an extra "T" Although, a local reporter and the Human rights campaign did "accidentally" get wind of the event. Of course I have no idea how that happened. :uhoh21: :rolleyes:

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Specializes in ICU, Telemetry.

You're always going to find patients that you identify with, whether due to a shared sexuality, a shared religion, a shared mindset. And when that patient's been done wrong, it's horrible, because it's like an attack on you. Nothing you say or do is going to make people change, just like nothing I say about hunting is going to change anyone's mind where I live -- they're going to saddle up every weekend and go kill every defenseless thing they can find, and then wonder why I'm not all comforting to them when they get boozed up and shoot each other by accident. It's not civilized behavior, any more than beating up a person because they're gay, or a minority, or a religion other than your own is civilized.

My great-granny used to say, "times change, folks don't" -- and the longer I've lived, the more I've realized she was right. Unfortunately.

:hugs:

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