By 5. Are healthcare workers ever really off-duty? A sad story out of New York City involves a woman who was six months pregnant, an asthma attack and two EMTs. According to the news reports, the woman was working at a restaurant where the EMTs were taking a break. She was having an asthma attack and her coworkers told this to the EMTs. The woman and her unborn baby died. Her family alleges that the EMTs called an ambulance and then just left—which they denied. They said they waited until the ambulance arrived. This brings up the question: Are doctors, nurses, EMTs—anyone in healthcare—ever really off-duty?
Scrubs reader comment: “If healthcare providers were mandated by law to respond to every emergency whether they were on company time or not, our job would last 24 hours!!! Where is the moral ethic in that? I deserve a break, too, considering what I do for a living. Come on, folks!!!“
6. Military nurse is affected by Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. The biggest known “secret” in the United States military is that there are gays and lesbians in the ranks. As long as the superiors say they don’t know, then all is well. Some people may be surprised to learn that this includes the military nurses. A nurse who is in a relationship with another woman has been discharged from the military. Is this fair or is it just part of following the rules?
Scrubs reader comment: “…while she may have officially been discharged under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell…I am willing to bet that it was just an easier thing to prove than the more pertinent issue: that she was engaging in an affair with a married person, which is a violation of the Code of Military Conduct.”
