Recently I was involved in a discussion regarding religion and ethics in relation to nursing that left me feeling a bit unnerved by the fact that some people thought the way they did
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"It's ok to pray with a patient, it's ok to talk about spiritual matters, but it needs to ALWAYS be on their terms."
I couldn't agree with you more! The person in question isn't a priest or a nun or anyone else whose job it is to "spread the gospel". She's a nurse. What this person may or may not feel her personal duty as a Christian is, it has nothing to do with her duty as a nurse and I think that's what she doesn't realize. Nursing is all about the patient... period. Forcing her belief system on someone who's dying is incredibly insensitive in my opinion, not to mention unethical.
I sort of felt like this was a "no-brainer", but apparently with some it isn't. I can't understand how someone could think what she did was somehow defendable. The nurses spiritual calling and inclination has absolutely no place in the work place and the fact that she specifically stated that her sole reason for transferring to a hospice setting was to save more souls makes my stomach churn.
To me it's no different than telling my very Catholic grandmother that she doesn't need her rosary to pray because "you don't believe in that stuff" or intentionally serving pork to a Jewish patient because "you eat it and it's not a big deal". Not her place.
It'll be nice when people realize that there is an appropriate time and place for all things. Why people who are highly intelligent otherwise, lose all sense of intelligence when it comes to spiritual matters, I'll never know.
That's pretty much the point my aquaintance was making. She herself is a devout Christian and felt that the attitude of this woman was unethical and a little scary. When she mentioned that though some people acted like she was the crazy one.
I'm thankful that there are devout people of all faiths in the nursing field who realize that being a nurse isn't about them, it's about the patient. Sometimes providing the best possible care includes keeping your mouth shut on issues that are inappropriate at work, no matter how strongly you may feel about them.
I can kind of, sort of see where she's coming from. It really is a Christian's duty to spread the word of God and try to bring people to Him. HOWEVER, there is a time and a place and what that nurse was completely inappropriate. Our church just had a sermon on this topic and their message was to wait, wait for the appropriate time. Not necessarily wait until someone asks about it or is in the right frame of mind to hear but just wait until it seems right. Certainly not when the person is trapped in a hospital bed and has no choice but to listen.
It really isn't the duty of any nurse to promote their own spiritual beliefs on anyone, at any time, for any reason. It's a matter of ethics that's specifically addressed in our Code of Ethics
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I'm so thankful to have so many people on my list who see how serious an issue this is.
I take my profession very seriously. I absolutely LOVE being a nurse and feel that in addition to making sure I provide the best possible care I can for the patients in my care, it is also my responsibility to bring to the attention of others, in a position of power, when something another nurse does is illegal or unethical. Not to mention educating the patients in my care about their rights.
I once witnessed a nurse LICK a spoon after preparing a narcotic (Roxanol) for a patient. I reported her. While some people might think I was being a snitch, I was seriously FLOORED she not only DID that, but did so in the presence of another nurse.
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I couldn't agree with you more! The person in question isn't a priest or a nun or anyone else whose job it is to "spread the gospel". She's a nurse. What this person may or may not feel her personal duty as a Christian is, it has nothing to do with her duty as a nurse and I think that's what she doesn't realize. Nursing is all about the patient... period. Forcing her belief system on someone who's dying is incredibly insensitive in my opinion, not to mention unethical.
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To me it's no different than telling my very Catholic grandmother that she doesn't need her rosary to pray because "you don't believe in that stuff" or intentionally serving pork to a Jewish patient because "you eat it and it's not a big deal". Not her place.
It'll be nice when people realize that there is an appropriate time and place for all things. Why people who are highly intelligent otherwise, lose all sense of intelligence when it comes to spiritual matters, I'll never know.
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I'm thankful that there are devout people of all faiths in the nursing field who realize that being a nurse isn't about them, it's about the patient. Sometimes providing the best possible care includes keeping your mouth shut on issues that are inappropriate at work, no matter how strongly you may feel about them.
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You and me both. IT isn't right.
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(The comment has been removed)
I'm so thankful to have so many people on my list who see how serious an issue this is.
I take my profession very seriously. I absolutely LOVE being a nurse and feel that in addition to making sure I provide the best possible care I can for the patients in my care, it is also my responsibility to bring to the attention of others, in a position of power, when something another nurse does is illegal or unethical. Not to mention educating the patients in my care about their rights.
I once witnessed a nurse LICK a spoon after preparing a narcotic (Roxanol) for a patient. I reported her. While some people might think I was being a snitch, I was seriously FLOORED she not only DID that, but did so in the presence of another nurse.
Reply
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