admin note: we just added a poll to this thread today, april 25, 2008, please take a second and vote in the poll so we can have a graphical representation of the responses. thanks
scenario:
h5n1 (the bird flu) mutates to become efficient at transmitting human to human causing a pandemic, with a case fatality rate of 60% and with 80% of the cases in the 0-40 year old age range.
hospitals will be quickly overrun. hospital staff shortages are 50%. the government orders all nurses to work. there is not enough personal protection equipment (n95 masks, gloves, goggles, tamiflu, vax, etc)
home quarantines become common (in the fed plans).
your family is also quarantined in your home. you are running out of food and the government promises you will be "taken care of" if you report to work.
Great responses!!! I especially like Perpetual Student's reply. My family, some of my friends also have something similar in mind. Government can't control everything, it will fall apart in favor of family, community, regional, cultural, linguistic and religious influences. Perhaps something like this would forever alter the landscape of America. For example the States on our Southern border falling to countries to our South. Who or what could stop this if we are in the midst of a worldwide pandemic and the peoples to our South come North believing that we could help them. Frankly I wouldn't blame them for believing this. Just thinking of the larger picture.
No one, nor no one government can offer safety and security in the face of a pandemic. A massive bureaucracy is what it is, fat, lazy and self important. It's toothless if we don't support it.
Would I work?? Sure, but for my own reasons. What?? are they going to arrest every health care worker who for some reason or another cannot or will not show up to work a pandemic??
In the end, it must be the individual who chooses what they will do if this does come to pass. People will die, some will survive, society will experience enormous challenges, loyalties will change and all of these things we take for granted will in all likelyhood be changed forever.
By the way..what about all of the thousands of other flu related deaths that occur every year, world wide???It seems that H1N1 has killed immunosuppressed individuals/medically ill individuals. Sounds like a normal flu season, but out of season. This is promoted as scarier since it is a variant we have not experienced until now?? or just not identified.
Just be careful, be reasonable, be professional and plan your strategy when balancing family responsiblities with your health care facility's and community needs. Be yourself. Most of all, be safe.
During hurricanes here my SB has offered to reactivate my license without any restrictions, and leave it active afterwards ( I guess so if I die it would be as an RN instead of RN-i, hmmm how tempting to an almost 65 y/o.) Might look nice on the gravestone.
During hurricanes here my SB has offered to reactivate my license without any restrictions, and leave it active afterwards ( I guess so if I die it would be as an RN instead of RN-i, hmmm how tempting to an almost 65 y/o.) Might look nice on the gravestone.
Your board offered to reactivate your license during hurricanes and leave it active? What state is that? Just curious as it would mean that there is precedent in emergency situations.
With the proper infection control supplies (masks etc) and my husband home to watch the kiddies, I would join my coworkers at work, and stay in contact by cellphone with my husband,
Please understand, i live in Israel where this has happened many times- scud missiles from Iraq, all sorts of rockets and missiles from our neighbors and Palestinians in Gaza, Syria, Lebanon etc. make it impossible not to.
Last war, my friend brought her elderly mother to work with her, found her a bed,and worked while caring for her sick mother!!!
My immediate response was to yes I would go to work. Unfortunately, I took the survey before reading that no PPE would be available. With proper PPE, yes I would go to work. I do not judge those who would chose not to go. No, I do not believe the government would "take care of me" but with infection control compliance would provide some protection and someone has to go. I do not have young children or elderly family at home. I would feel responsible to go. My workplace notified us, we would be on list for tamiflu and our families. Healthcare workers would need to be on the first list of folks to receive both tamilflu and vaccine as would their families.
If you expect us to work and come in contact with something this deadly, you better expect us to demand/expect proper PPE. One of the first things we learn in nursing school is proper handwashing and use of PPE.
First of all, I am not in the military and the government cannot order me, or you for that matter, to go to work. Secondly, while I promised to care for my patients and have given way too much of myself to this profession, I did not swear to give my life. So, NO, I would not go.
No, same thing if the place was burning. bye bye. I cannot burn for anyone and after 15 years of doing this, I know this to be true- your facility does not care about you, you are a number. Your facility will never stick up for you, you are a body to fill a position. So no, I would not go to work during a pandemic.
I have had Meningitis 6 times since March of 2006 with 4 episodes 2 months apart in 2007 so I would not go to work during a pandemic only because I am so suceptible to getting sick. If I did not have the history of all the hospitalizations then I would definitely go to work during a pandemic because as a nurse I would feel obligated to help people as I do every day of my life.
With the proper infection control supplies (masks etc) and my husband home to watch the kiddies, I would join my coworkers at work, and stay in contact by cellphone with my husband,
Please understand, i live in Israel where this has happened many times- scud missiles from Iraq, all sorts of rockets and missiles from our neighbors and Palestinians in Gaza, Syria, Lebanon etc. make it impossible not to.
Last war, my friend brought her elderly mother to work with her, found her a bed,and worked while caring for her sick mother!!!
Life has to go on, may G-d protect us all!!!
Hi AC!
It's good to see your post, and know that you're ready and able to join your colleagues at work. Be sure to wear an N95 mask/respirator that is properly fitted (air tight), when seeing coughing, sneezing people, or anyone exposed to someone who had a flu-like illness. Did you see that 3 schools in Queens, NY closed, due to more than half the students out ill, and the asst. principal at one of them is on a ventilator?
I can't imagine a facility in the US allowing a nurse to bring her sick mom to work! It's great to live and work among empathetic people. Crisis can bring out the best (and worst) in us.
My son and his pregnant wife are in New York, on his business trip (I couldn't talk him out of it). I'm very worried about who's on their flight going back to Los Angeles. I'm going to warn him about the situation and try to get him to rent a car to go to Pittsburgh, their weekend stop to see his clients, before they head for home Sunday....:stone
What are the stats in Israel, as far as number of cases, severe cases, etc.?
I'm still symptomatic with possible H1N1, having finished a 5 day course of Tamiflu and 7 days on Doxycycline, after a negative test for it on day 2. The doctor said the test isn't positive until day 4 or 5, but Tamiflu needs to be started within 48 hours of becoming symptomatic.The coughing began after the meds were finished....... My daughter and her children celebrated mother's day without me, but brought flowers and food with a great musical card to my front doorstep. It's been one heck of a month, so far.
Please let us know what the Israeli doctors are saying.
nghtfltguy, BSN, RN
314 Posts
would i work during a pandemic?
you bet your ass i would!!!
it is my job....
my advice....if there were a real pandemic. or epidemic....and you would not work it... then get another job!!!!
you don't need to be in this profession!!
it is what we are PAID to do!!!!