Sandy Supposes....

Intimidation

The Sunday News! This week in Utah, police arrested a nurse because she wouldn't allow the investigators to take blood from an unconscious man who could not give consent and wasn't under arrest. According to a prior Supreme Court ruling, the nurse was actually doing the right thing and protecting the patient's privacy. There's a fine line between law enforcement and medical professionals, who both have tremendous obligations. How do you feel about this? Were the police in the right to physically restrain the nurse, or did she handle the situation properly by stating what her role in the situation was? (If you ask me, I'm just shocked that an officer's body-cam actually worked for a change.)

         

         

         How do I feel? Well, I feel incredulous. The question is how does this particular nurse feel? She was only doing her job. Obviously, I don't know exactly how she felt in that nasty situation, but I can surmise that she was totally flabbergasted, frightened, indignant, and angry. She was faced with an impossible situation. She probably struggled to understand what was happening to her. She'd reported for her shift and expected it to be a usual one. Arrested for being a nurse and protecting her patient?

         No, that officer was not in the right! He overreacted, and over stepped his boundaries. The nurse was simply doing her job. As she said, "I'm just trying to do what I'm supposed to do." She knew the law and was not willing to break it, bend it, or ignore it. She attempted to explain, calmly, what the hospital's, her employer's, policies were. She also thought to contact a supervisor via phone to reiterate that policy. She was being a responsible nurse, and a patient advocate.

         That officer was clearly frustrated, and he fixated on the nurse. He took liberties that were not his to take. He is supposed to know what is considered legitimate evidence, and how it may be legally obtained. He interfered with the nurse doing her job. He left the hospital short-staffed.

         He disagreed with the nurse, and unnecessarily man-handled her. Physical force and restraints were clearly overkill. He meant to intimidate.