Vegetarian being asked to dissect a cat !

hollyster · Aug 22, 2005

We had to dissect a human cadaver. If you refused to participate you were given the option of withdrawl or failing.

A&P classes are not the cause of the animals' death. That would be the fault of irresponsible pet owners that do not spay or neuter their animals.

MKFaizi · Aug 22, 2005

I do somewhat agree with the person who wrote that dissececting a cat will not necessarily make someone a better nurse. I don't think that it will. Rather, it will simply be a memory from college.

However, there will be many repugnant things or things that go against your personal beliefs when you are working. How will you deal with those things, I think, is the larger question.

What about the pharmacist who refused to dispense birth control pills because she does not believe in birth control?

I am not a religious person but many of my patients are religious. Should I deign to only nurse atheists and agnostics?

As to the problem at hand, in that position, I think I would begin the dissection and faint dead away -- or appear to faint dead away. Surely, such action would make clear your repugnance.

Would you fail the class for fainting?

Marsha Faizi

NicInNC, CNA · Aug 23, 2005

Oh geesh, classes have just started and ALREADY I have a problem.
You see I'm a vegetarian and my lab for Anatomy and Physiology has a part to it that is dissecting a cat. Problem is I have a respect for life and am a strict vegetarian (no leather, meat of any kind, etc.) This is part of the reason why I want to become a nurse - to help the world not hurt it. If I dissect a cat then I will be directly responsible for that cat having been killed. What should I do? The lab (as a whole) looks like it is one third of the final grade. I've already emailed the dean of students, and I'm waiting to hear back from him. I can't imagine that I'm the only one to ever have had this problem. Nursing schools weigh GPA very heavily. I want to kick ass.. any suggestions?
I can look in on others doing a dissection (as that is their own choice), but if I do it myself then I become responsible. Sigh.
Thank you in advance..

You're not the one killing the cat. It will already be dead. Same as if a dead person came into the ER and you were the one working in the morgue and had to do an autopsy.

HeartsOpenWide, RN · Aug 23, 2005

If I dissect a cat then I will be directly responsible for that cat having been killed. What should I do? ..

I know in physio that we had to do osmossis experiments with dog blood. The blood was donated from vet offices that had to draw the dogs blood any way and just took a little extra.

I highly doubt that a cat is killed so you can disect it. More than likely it is like a donar thing, the cat probably died of natural causes and was donated to science...I am sure it depends on what state you are from but I would be surpised if they killed the cat so your class or other anatomy classes could cut it up....

Micci · Aug 23, 2005

I am not a religious person but many of my patients are religious. Should I deign to only nurse atheists and agnostics?

LOL! I'm an agnostic humanist. I had quite a few patients ask me to pray for this or that when I was doing clinicals. I had one woman beg me a couple times with tears in her eyes, for me to pray that she would die. Even though I think such prayers would be ineffectual, I would never do such a thing. I just gave her a couple hugs, combed her hair and patted her hand.

Religion aside, working with humans in a care field does present many ethical challenges, some we can not even imagine until we are in the situation. Just working with developmentally disabled has put me in quite a few situations that were not found "in the book" and caused me extreme worry.

Micci · Aug 23, 2005

I had another thought about the OP's predicament. As far as beliefs conflicting with class assignments.

Is this not a similar predicament to what religious creationists are in when they take evolution in biology. I know from the years that I used to be a Christian, that we were encouraged not even to entertain such teachings, that evolution was evil and that we should avoid secular institutions. I was wondering if any believers in creationism had moral issues in biology class?

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Aug 23, 2005

I highly doubt that a cat is killed so you can disect it. More than likely it is like a donar thing, the cat probably died of natural causes and was donated to science...I am sure it depends on what state you are from but I would be surpised if they killed the cat so your class or other anatomy classes could cut it up....

I could ALMOST believe this, if it hadn't been for my own A and P experience.

All of our cats were huge in size, black and white, 11 cats total. Hmmmm.

allnurses Guide · Aug 23, 2005

I had another thought about the OP's predicament. As far as beliefs conflicting with class assignments.
Is this not a similar predicament to what religious creationists are in when they take evolution in biology. I know from the years that I used to be a Christian, that we were encouraged not even to entertain such teachings, that evolution was evil and that we should avoid secular institutions. I was wondering if any believers in creationism had moral issues in biology class?

No, none. My teacher was a very cool guy who encouraged discussion. Rather than censorship.

steph

allnurses Guide · Aug 23, 2005

I could ALMOST believe this, if it hadn't been for my own A and P experience.
All of our cats were huge in size, black and white, 11 cats total. Hmmmm.

I dunno Marie - with the thousands and thousands of cats available from animal shelters I'll bet they just choose the larger cats so they are better for dissection - I'm not sure I can go so far as a conspiracy to only kill large black and white cats. :sniff:

steph

Blackcat99 · Aug 23, 2005

We had to dissect a human cadaver. If you refused to participate you were given the option of withdrawl or failing.
A&P classes are not the cause of the animals' death. That would be the fault of irresponsible pet owners that do not spay or neuter their animals.

Yes it is the fault of irresponsible pet owners who refuse to spay or neuter their pets. It is also the fault of breeders. With all the thousands and thousands of homeless animals it is heartless to breed even more animals. My philosophy is "Don't breed or buy while homeless animals die." :nono:

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Aug 23, 2005

I dunno Marie - with the thousands and thousands of cats available from animal shelters I'll bet they just choose the larger cats so they are better for dissection - I'm not sure I can go so far as a conspiracy to only kill large black and white cats.
steph

It just seems very weird that they were all huge in size (never seen a domestic cat that big), all black and white, yet we're told they weren't raised for this purpose. I didn't buy that reason.

renerian, BSN, RN · Aug 23, 2005

I will assume the cat your going to be working on is already dead right?

(trying to make you feel better with a light post)

renerian