Collaboration, communication, collaboration

Sister Wubbels… If you have not heard, seen or read this story, here’s… to mix to an article that accommodates a video. Long story short, nurse Alex Wubbels was arrested after she refused to permit a detective to take a blood sample from an unconscious patient. Here are the small print:

• The detective did not have a warrant and the patient wasn’t under arrest.
• Consent couldn’t be obtained since the patient was unconscious.
• Nurse Wubbels followed hospital policy and the law by refusing to attract blood.
• Nurse Wubbels acted professionally and responsibly, confirming the applicable rules together with her supervisor.
• Sister Wubbels was threatened, assaulted and arrested.

My initial response was anger and shock, but these feelings proceed to bubble to the surface as I read the story and watch the video. After desirous about it for some time, three words come to mind: cooperation, communication and collaboration. This is why…

My experiences with law enforcement on the bedside have all the time been positive. If there was a patient on our unit who was being arrested, officers and nurses relied on one another to share essential information. Often, if a patient was reserved or belligerent, the officers’ presence reassured all hospital staff; we felt protected. I feel (hope) the officers knew we were providing patient care and would maintain the best level of care no matter who the patient was.

I do not know anything about law enforcement training, but I understand how much emphasis is placed on communication during nurse education! From the primary semesters of nursing school, we give attention to verbal and nonverbal signals, learn strategies for obtaining essential information, and practice communication skills. This is a very important a part of our job and I have to commend Nurse Wubbels for maintaining her professionalism despite the bullying.

I take into consideration cooperation not within the sense of doing what you are told, but within the sense of taking that unlucky incident and dealing together to learn from it. As nurses, we have now a responsibility to our patients. What are law enforcement officials obligated to do? Is this society? Is this the law? Nurse Wubbels puts the patient first, risking her own well-being and safety. The detective on this case showed no duty to society or the law. It is that this collaboration that’s missing here – working along with respect to attain the goals of our chosen professions and serve the individuals who depend upon us.

We all have a job to do – and to do it well, we’d like to work together.