What if the Boston bomber was your pt

[imintrouble]

I'm just sitting here listening to the coverage of the terrorist attack.

The suspect is in the hospital, injured, and obviously being cared for by nurses. What if that nurse was me?

Related Article: Life after the Boston Marathon Bombing - Nurses Coping with the Trauma

[wooh, BSN, RN]

I don't think anybody is saying it would be EASY to care for the guy like any other patient. But doing so is part of the job. It's not an easy part. It's not a fun part. But there's lots of parts to our job that aren't easy. But it's something you accept going in, that you might have to take care of someone that you dislike, even hate to the core of your being. It's like all the other crappy parts of the job. We have to work holidays. We have to work nights. We have to come in to work in inclement weather. We have to smell things that humans were not meant to smell. It's not easy. But you suck it up and do it because SOMEONE has to do it.

[turnforthenurse, MSN, NP]

I'm sure I have cared for patients who have murdered, raped, abused, etc. in the past. I wouldn't treat the Boston bomber any differently.

[DoGoodThenGo]

Four little letters: WWJD

[DoGoodThenGo]

Who's to say that he's accepting much of nursing care being offered anyway? "Go away! I don't want it." We've all seen pts like that.

Errr ... latest reports sounds like he's probably intubated and sedated. The best kind of patient!

Just thinking that if he's got a thoat injury that maybe they trached him to protect his airway? That would surely **** off the FBI!

According to news reports tonight the suspect goes in and out; however he *is* being questioned by LE though for limited amounts of time. Much of that has to do with him drifting in and out of consciousness. That could be a function of his meds, his physical condition or a mixture of both.

Pt has a bullet would to his throat area (possible suicide attempt?) thus unable to speak so he is responding to queries via mostly handwriting.

[DoGoodThenGo]

And now he alone needs to answer for all of this. What was entirely telling to me was the fact he ran his older brother over to get out of the area. I am personally sickened by all of the actions of these two. But my job as a nurse is focused. If we all stopped and got the entire history of the sick stuff that a number of our patients could/would/did participate in, no one would want to take care of anyone. A nurse doesn't need to get into rationalizing patients actions or inactions. If the police on the scene did that this kid would have been dead on the spot. Someone needs to be held accountable. But we are not the judge and jury in this.

Just saw released video footage of the suspect placing his backpack loaded with explosives quite close to where the young Martin boy along with his sister and mother were standing. The crowd wasn't that deep and he must have seen the child as it appears he was standing on something (to get a better view?) thus was nearly shoulder high to his mother.

The above probably explains why the child and his family suffered such horrible injury, but to me the fact anyone would place a bomb near two children is just an unspeakable horror.

[emerjensee]

It is hard here....the city reves up for the marathon and the hospitals revere up in case there is an increase of ER visits for dehydration etc. You go to work thinking...I am NOT in the mood for a crazy day...you think....I have SO much to do tomorrow (it's your day off)

You are going about your day, you watch the clock for the day to end, to go home, relax, hug your kids, have a beer........and your worst nightmare comes true. You hear explosions, see smoke you hear people screaming...see people running. You see normally clam leader of your floor scared and trying not to cry. You are glued to the TV. All you hear is the continuous cacophony of sirens that never end.

Your activate the disaster plans that you hope never to use...you are frightened. You see armed guards in your normally peaceful and safe workplace. You worry about friends and family....You think...will this day ever end???? More explosions....is that the police or just more bombs how many more injured will be coming......the SWAT team come and searches your floor with guns and dogs....your patients are frightened.....you calm them and try to pretend to be normal...when there is NOTHING normal any more.

You see injuries you have never seen.....and see those injuries over and over again. How many are coming? How many have died? How many more bombs are out there....2? Four? Six? You wish the news would get it straight...what do they mean the Kennedy library is on fire!!!! What the heck is going on????

Finally....three dead...one is a little boy....as your never ending day comes to a close and you are searched to go to your car only after your car has been searched....you leave.....only to go through more roads blocks to get home.

You endure this everyday you work...they don't know where they are....you are at work it's midnight...you family calls you that they hear gun fire near by...A LOT of gun fire! By morning you can't go home your family/neighbor hood have been evacuated or are on lockdown and there is no traffic allowed on the road...AT ALL!!!!

Finally they get him...you are at work...they bring him in....he's seriously hurt.....

What are you feeling? Are you angry that this guy has shut down your city, endangered your family? Are you relieved that they finally have him off the streets? Do you feel sorry that he's been chased all day? Can you empathize the he is frightened, alone and hurt...barely conscious? Are you afraid he is going to tell you something because now he thinks he's going to die? Can he still hurt you?

A myriad of emotions encompass you all at once but the professional prevails and you care for him efficiently...professionally....and if you can't you should have the professionalism to know that you need to step away.

It's important to have these conversations, examine how we feel. It doesn't predict how you will actually react if faced with this dilemma...but having the dialog will help.

Kudos to the staff at all the Boston Hospitals!!!

Wow, best reply yet!!!

-emerjensee

[kayak007]

As a nurse, deciding whether someone is guilty or innocent of a crime isn't part of the care plan. I know what occurred: he placed a bomb in a group of people and walked away, killing three and injuring scores of others; murdered a cop and injured another cop; and, then proceeded to roll over his dead brother in the getaway. This would be difficult for me, but I would do it. I would do it because I am a nurse. I know this sounds rather blunt. I wouldn't want to do anything less.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

Just saw released video footage of the suspect placing his backpack loaded with explosives quite close to where the young Martin boy along with his sister and mother were standing. The crowd wasn't that deep and he must have seen the child as it appears he was standing on something (to get a better view?) thus was nearly shoulder high to his mother.

The above probably explains why the child and his family suffered such horrible injury, but to me the fact anyone would place a bomb near two children is just an unspeakable horror.

Here is the link to the picture you are referencing:

Photo suggests suspected bomber may have walked past young victim Martin Richard, 8, before deadly blast - NY Daily News

Children stand on these barricades all the time. Martin's sister, standing there next to him, had her leg amputated. His mother suffered a TBI and was treated at the same hospital that is now treating this man. She may even still be there.

Boston is not like LA. We don't have dedicated units for high profile people or special prison units... at Mass General they have a VIP floor for people who are royalty or actors and willing to pay more for their rooms but this guy is on the one and only trauma ICU at Beth Israel. I know many people who work at that hospital and some who work on that unit. The entire hospital is "on high alert" according to a friend who was working today. They are heavily guarded- I'm sure the FBI, the national guard and the state and local police are all guarding the place. I can only imagine the scene when he is ready to be discharged and transferred to federal prison... I hope they announce that in advance so I will know to go nowhere near the Longwood area that day.

[lilgerggy]

Think about all the pressure...America is counting on you to keep this person alive to get answers. I could easily spit out a bunch of clichés about how it wouldn't matter to me, but if I'm honest I think it would very challenging.

I'm in agreement with sarakjp. He needs to stay alive to be delivered the punishment that is due. The American people are counting on the skills of our medical teams. It would be very challenging, but worth every second to know that he's not going to be spared the misery of death thanks to me.

[aikz]

I would still care for him. Our job is to heal people, I'll leave the judging and punishment to the court system.

[SilenceintheLibrary]

I once had the opportunity to care for an Iraqi POW while deployed as a medic. He was caught in the middle of planting IEDs on the side of the road. Our instructor told us if we weren't willing to care for him we would fail the course (EMT). My first reaction was anger as I thought about those wounded and killed by IEDs. Then I started wondering about the POW. What his motives were, what he was thinking about and where he was coming from. I started thinking about him as a person, as a patient. I was able to do my job after that. Boston's different. They were innocent civilians at home, not soldiers at war. Still, I think I would be able to treat the bomber. Because I want to know why he did what he did. I want to know where that came from, so we can prevent it from happening again. And death is too easy. Life is hard, and I want him to have a long one behind bars.

[Do-over, ASN, RN]

My withholding care from her would do nothing to right the wrongs she did, and would certainly do nothing for my own humanity.

This.