Hospital Granted Request 'No Black Nurses' Lawsuit

You'd sue me for putting my patient first? Nice. Again, if the hospital refuses the guardian's idiotic request, perhaps he discharges the patient against medical advice, and then the patient deteriorates and/or ultimately dies. That's the better option here? Please.

 

The guy who requested this is a racist *******.

The problem here is that the well-being of the baby comes first. Although the poor baby will probably one day be a racist ******* like his father, you cannot punish the baby for the father's douchebaggery.

If the only way to provide urgent care to the baby is to switch the nurse, you have to consider it, just because of the baby.

That said, I would have told the father to f*** off and deal with it. Would always have had two people there, to protect the black nurse from racist tirades and have a witness - and if any such tirades were to come, the father should be sued by the nurse, backed up by the hospital.

 

I have been waiting for the longest time to agree even just once with BigTexx. I agree with you on this one.

Unless there is a hidden meaning to the post that I did not detect. :grin:

 

You keep saying the hospital must provide care, please show me that law.

And you are changing the scenario, the patient (as far as we know) was not in an emergency situation i.e. wasn't going to deteriorate and die as soon as she walked out of the hospital. You are using an extreme scenario which doesn't apply to this situation.

 

Is this a freaking joke?

 

Wasn't the baby in the NICU? I would think there was a chance for the baby to die if it left the hospital.

 

Which part do you think is a joke?

 

Whoa, I didn't see that part. Good catch, I take that last part back.

 

Yes, and I'm arguing it's wrong to use force to compel moral behavior in someone else. Even if the desired outcome is accomplished.

In a truly free society, the hospital is free to accommodate the patient's wishes, or not. The nurses are free to continue working there, or not. Other customers are free to punish the hospital by not going there, or not.

Whereas I am a pacifist and pluralist who believes in individual liberty, the alternative is puritanical pouhe, who insists the hospital adhere to his standards of morality, with the state used as the enforcer of moral standards, rather than protector of individual rights.

 

Don't hospitals have an ethical duty by the boundaries of their profession to provide care?

 

There is always a good reason to do the wrong thing.

Perhaps the NEXT patient with an idiotic request will rethink his position.

So . . . when the next patients come in and request
I only want someone who speaks spanish
I only want deaf nurses
I only want blond blue eyed nurses
I only want attractive nurses
I want my kid to only have nurses with big t*tties . . .

Which of these request would you grant . . . because the ignorant parent might decide since he did not get his request . . . he will take his kid out of the hospital . . and the kid may die?

Once you start giving in to idiotic request . . . where do you draw the line?
Why is his request for no black nurses . . . . more worthy of being granted than any of the above?????


Rocket River

 

They certainly do, and 99.99% of the time they admit whoever presents. However there is no law that says a hospital has to admit/treat you just because you show up, which is what I'm getting out of what Lynus keeps posting. Hospitals don't HAVE to treat you. Will they? Most likely.

For instance, if you walk into Hermann ER right now you will see signs everywhere letting people know that if you don't have insurance, they have to stabilize you and after that you will be discharged a.k.a walk your ass to Ben Taub.

 

You're an honor-system libertarian: stop using dated, inaccurate terms to mask your invalidated political philosophy, and stop individualizing this debate to inflate the unpopularity and irrelevance of your governmental model. Electorally, legally and administratively, this country wrote you guys off at least a half-century ago.

 

In terms of this case, if this wasn't in the ICU/ER and Mr. Neo Nazi walks in with a broken arm and says "Hey, check my shwastica and Hitler tats, I don't want no black nurses!" You can decide not to treat him. A doctor can even "fire" a patient with a chronic condition as long as you let them know where they can get care elsewhere.

 

what if the hospital did not grant the bigot's request? would he have transferred his child?

 

Yes - he has every right to go a different hospital. Again, how are would you take this? If I (and everyone else) said I only wanted to see the best doctor, should they accommodate me? If I only wanted a hot young, female, white nurse, should they have to handle my request?

Not true. Black nurse is not allowed to serve the same patients as the white nurse - that's separate but equal.

It quite clearly negatively impacted her, or she wouldn't be filing a lawsuit.

 

Like hell I am. The patient came to the hospital and an MD determined that the patient met criteria for admission. Once that patient has been admitted, it's our responsibility and duty to provide care to the best of our ability regardless of age, sex, color, creed, or idiotic beliefs.

As has been pointed out, the baby was in the NICU. If the baby wasn't in the NICU and had been admitted to a standard med/surg floor, it was still because the baby was sick enough to get admitted to the hospital in the first damn place. The two most critical patient groups are the very young and the very old, and that means their conditions can deteriorate the quickest, so, yes, the patient becoming critical and even death is a very real possibility.

We sure as hell do. Thanks for having some sense.

There is no "line." The patient has the RIGHT to refuse care, and we have the DUTY and the OBLIGATION to treat them, no matter how stupid they might be.

Cultural competence is taught in nursing school as standard curriculum. In that, we're taught to EXPECT such things, and to treat the patient regardless, to the best of our ability.

I've never had a female patient request a female RN vs myself, but I know it'll happen some day, and I'm fine with that. Because that's what the damn job is.

You're missing the point. It's not about any law. The patient was admitted because the doctor determined they needed to be admitted. Once they're on the floor, they're our responsibility, and we can't just kick them out the door for being an *******. As I posted earlier, sure, they can try to find another hospital who will accept them, but then that hospital is in the same boat and we're still having this conversation, so nothing has changed.

And you know what happens when Ben Taub is full? The patient stays right where they are until a bed becomes available.

And let me say....again....that the patient in question isn't an adult, isn't the racist buffoon, and can't even speak for itself. It's a baby, and that ramps up the importance of competent, ethical patient care.

 

The long and short of it, YOU (the medical people) are the one who decide what is best for the baby. Not the father, at that point. Right?

As a medical professional, does the request of the father have any medical value? Does it help in caring for the baby? Does it improve the condition of the baby? So WHY would you agree to the father's request, if you were in charge at that time?

 

I've said this several times: the patient (or in this case, the guardian) has the RIGHT to refuse care.

If I could make a different shift assignment in order to ensure that the patient (the baby) receives the best possible care, I do it. Period, done, end of story.

 

They can accommodate you by putting you in a wait list for the doctor that you choose. Now the patient can decide if their suffering is worth the wait or if they'd rather see the next available doctor. It's that easy.

The black nurse is legally allowed to treat the baby in this case. However, it is putting the black nurse in a volatile situation with the racist father that can result in negatively impacting the care of the baby as well as emotional distress for all parties involved.

Now ask yourself, is it worth it to be confrontational to the racist, or do you put your pride away and wash your hands of this situation? Which one is easier?