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Nurse ordered to SARS team
Toronto Sun ^
| 2003-06-08
| Chris Doucette
Posted on 06/08/2003 4:34:17 AM PDT by Lorenb420
A Toronto nurse "assigned" to a SARS team against her will says she's prepared to quit her job to avoid risking her life. "No job is worth losing my life over," Lucia Smith said. "And I have a family to think about."
The 40-year-old mother of three works in the dialysis unit at St. Michael's Hospital -- one of four designated SARS hospitals in the city that last week began putting together special teams of health-care workers to battle the deadly disease.
Even after offering to double their pay, St. Mike's managed to recruit only 100 volunteers for the task from its pool of 1,400 nurses. And on Friday, Smith and about 59 other nurses were assigned to the specialized unit in order to make up the 160 registered nurses needed for the SARS team.
"I feel very trapped," Smith said, adding that despite her protests to those responsible for coordinating the team and a representative from her union, she was told to report for orientation Monday morning. "Basically we're powerless," she said.
Hospital officials said the SARS team will receive the proper training, equipment and protective gear to do the job, but stopped short of offering the one thing Smith said she needs -- a 100% guarantee that there is no risk involved to her health.
"I don't think a hospital is ever able to guarantee that," said Darlene Frampton, director of corporate communications for St. Mike's.
Smith has been a nurse for 17 years, much of that time spent in emergency and intensive-care units. That experience, she said, is likely why she was chosen for the team.
"It seems as though my only option may be to resign," said Smith, who plans to talk to her head nurse tomorrow before making a decision.
If she does decide to quit, Smith said she has been told she must give two weeks' notice or face possible charges by the College of Nurses of Ontario for abandoning her patients.
TOPICS: Canada; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: canada; nurse; sars; toronto
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1
posted on
06/08/2003 4:34:18 AM PDT
by
Lorenb420
To: Lorenb420
the one thing Smith said she needs -- a 100% guarantee that there is no risk involved to her health. I understand her concerns, but she's a nurse with 17 years experience and says something this idiotic? Hell, I'd probably fire her.
2
posted on
06/08/2003 4:55:24 AM PDT
by
Mr. Bird
To: Judith Anne; Mother Abigail; CathyRyan; per loin; Dog Gone; Petronski; InShanghai; Ma Li; ...
Ping.
To: Lorenb420
The article fails to note the fact that the socialist authorities are lying: Nurses in Canada have been complaining they are NOT given proper equipment, are grossly mistreated, etc.
4
posted on
06/08/2003 5:01:39 AM PDT
by
friendly
To: Lorenb420
People like this have no business being in health care. She should do her patients a favor and quit.
5
posted on
06/08/2003 5:02:27 AM PDT
by
jalisco555
(Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain.)
To: All
To: All
To: aristeides
This article is grossly biased with much of what is going on not reported. There is no shortage of nurses to man the Canadian SARS teams.
The Canadians have been using private duty nurses to fill the teams. The problem is the socialist scum have been forced into paying $70+ per hour (US) for the private duty nurses. This is more than the docs make, and certainly far more than the regular nurses make. Results?:
1) Regular nurses are rebelling and quitting to join the private sectror.
2)The authorities have to use their usual coercion to seek "volunteers" to stop this fearful trend.
8
posted on
06/08/2003 5:14:56 AM PDT
by
friendly
To: jalisco555
People like this have no business being in health care.
I see her point completely and I think her position speaks volumns concerning what health officials in Canada: a)don't know about SARS, and b) aren't telling the rest of the world.
After 17 years this nurse has probably seen and been through most of what a career in nursing has to offer. But with SARS the level of unknowns is simply too much.
To: All
To: aristeides
ON THE OTHER HAND... The Ontario Nurses Association are also obviously part of the incompetent and corrupt socialist system. And the private duty rate is $70 hour Canadian funny money, $40+ or so real money. That is still a bargain for the government.
11
posted on
06/08/2003 5:19:20 AM PDT
by
friendly
To: jalisco555
You have got to be kidding? These nurses are being asked to treat people without proper equipment the hours they are putting in is grueling. Their complaints are not being addressed. Their families are being shunned because of the work they do. Nurses spotted the new outbreak of sars reported it and they were ignored! If I were this lady I would tell them where to stick it.
12
posted on
06/08/2003 5:36:09 AM PDT
by
CathyRyan
(Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on your front door forever.)
To: CathyRyan
You have got to be kidding? These nurses are being asked to treat people without proper equipment the hours they are putting in is grueling. Their complaints are not being addressed. Their families are being shunned because of the work they do. Nurses spotted the new outbreak of sars reported it and they were ignored! If I were this lady I would tell them where to stick it. Absolutely true. The Health Canada response? Draft the nurses. Put fake obvious fake diagnoses on SARS deaths (Mark Steyn allegations). Provide third world level ER care (Steyn again). Shoot the messenger.
13
posted on
06/08/2003 5:50:59 AM PDT
by
friendly
To: Lorenb420
The industry is called "Nursing". Not "Suicide".
Certainly nurses enter their career to help people, but this is the equivelant in some cases of asking a trained nurse to put a gun to their head and pull the trigger.
Canadian leaders have obscurred the truth about SARS but the nursing community has been direct in sharing what they know is happening. They are afraid, and rightly so. They are being asked to provide services under deadly circumstances and they are not being provided with the tools they need to perform their job neither adequately nor without fear of cerain death. Who would work under those circumstances when such could be prevented with proper equipement?
Yet another nightmare brought to Canada courtesy of SOCIALISTS!
14
posted on
06/08/2003 6:03:57 AM PDT
by
Caipirabob
(Democrats.. Socialists..Commies..Traitors...Who can tell the difference?)
To: CathyRyan
No I'm not kidding. The history of medicine is the story of treating sick people in the abscence of complete information about the safety of doing so. I'm a physician and I vividly remember the brave people who treated AIDS patients in the 80's before we understood the nature of that disease. I also remember my contemptible colleagues who refused to do so.
BTW, is the Canadian health care system so bankrupt that they can't even provide gloves, gowns and masks to their staff?
15
posted on
06/08/2003 6:12:35 AM PDT
by
jalisco555
(Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain.)
To: jalisco555
the Canadian health care system so bankrupt that they can't even provide gloves, gowns and masks to their staff?I doubt this is a) a widespread problem and b) this is most likey due to a sharply increased DEMAND throughout the supply chain for such items ...
16
posted on
06/08/2003 6:22:25 AM PDT
by
_Jim
(http://www.biomedcentral.com/news/20030320/09/)
To: jalisco555
17
posted on
06/08/2003 7:08:06 AM PDT
by
CathyRyan
(Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on your front door forever.)
To: CathyRyan
Invisible threat haunts health workersThis fits the general 'threat' that all contagion represents to mankind ...
18
posted on
06/08/2003 7:11:33 AM PDT
by
_Jim
(http://www.biomedcentral.com/news/20030320/09/)
To: Caipirabob
Canadian leaders have obscurred the truth about SARS MAYBE these 'claims' of censorship and 'obscurring' are actually more in the realm of acting responsibly and getting all the facts together before 'acting' verus airing every rumor and potential fallacy that bleeds it's way into someone's conscious mind ...
19
posted on
06/08/2003 7:15:39 AM PDT
by
_Jim
(http://www.biomedcentral.com/news/20030320/09/)
To: friendly
Put fake obvious fake diagnoses on SARS deaths (Mark Steyn allegations). Provide third world level ER care (Steyn again). I can't find the Mark Steyn criticisms of Canada's SARS methods. Can you point to an article?
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