Are personal faith and medical care compatiable?

[AZCEP]

Whether you want to admit it or not, being an EMS provider, by itself, means you are doing your God's work.

Your personal belief system aside, when you put yourself in a position to assist someone else that is in need, you are doing the work that God/Allah/Buddah or any other deity would ask you to do.

Besides, haven't we all, at one time or another, arrived on scene and exclaimed,"HOLY expletive!!" Seems like a religious moment to me

[pmedic623]

Personally have no use for religion.....that being said I'll use an example of a man who was killed by religious people 2000+ years ago because their simple minds couldn't grasp that there was more to life than what some high holy laws or people dictated to you. He even argued with the religious groups of the day about healing and helping your neighbor on high holy days( there were actually people who didn't want you to pick corn and eat it on certain days!) Never ever in any circumstance should an emergency professionel let his/her religious beliefs cloud their judgment in any situation. I only hope that if my family is needing to be treated in a crisis and some jacka$$ is spouting religious beliefs that he has strong hope of a good after life because that's were I'll send him if he brings harm to family.........

[paramedicmike]

If your religious beliefs conflict with your job, find a new one.

Ditto. It should have become apparant early on in your education that there could be circumstances that might conflict with whatever religious views you might hold. If you had a problem with it then, it's not going to get any easier. Find a new job. Health care whether it be on the street or in a hospital is no place to try and make a statement regarding whatever religious beliefs you hold.

Yummymedic,

Yes, there is a procedure known as either a female circumcision or female genital cutting. Commonly seen in parts of Africa and the Middle East, it's usually argued by those who endorse it as a religious practice. Worldwide, the position is increasingly becoming one of barbaric abuse and a violation of womens rights.

Google it. You'll get all sorts of info.

-be safe.

[Geordon]

:shock: Are there female circumcisions? :shock:

Google: Infibulation

Horrible, HORRIBLE thing. Speaking as a male who was circumcised as an infant and regrets not having had the option.

[Wackie]

If your religious beliefs conflict with your job, find a new one.

Worth quoting again.

Research the profession before you enter it and make sure you can, or are willing, to do the job.

It's one thing to not know if you can handle some of the body fluids and find you can't. But to know you're against birth control pills and "not realize" you'll be asked to dispence them is...:roll:

I understand we have a freedom of religion. People seem to forget most religions are based on sacrifices.

Examples:

-You don't curse even though you'd like to at times.

-You don't eat a fat juicy steak ever, or certain times of the year

-You don't work at a job which has requirments that are against your religion.

That's why religion is viewed as noble by some because of the sacrifices you make. Everyone wants everything to bend to their way of thinking or believing to make it easy on themselves and it's rather annoying.

[Medconsult]

Some might argue that 'church and state' should also be separated as much as 'personal principle and rules of practice'. Ethics change with time. Some argue its for the better and others for the worse.

My religious beliefs do not get the way of my personal practice. If they did, I would be inappropriately forcing my views and beliefs upon patients, and that is unethical. Freedom of religion allows us all the right to health care apart from anothers religious convictions. The other argument is that freedom of religion allows us to carry out our duties without being compromised by anothers lack of convictions. Basically than, if someone wants an abortion and a doc says that he will not perform it based on religious convictions, find another doc. If a pharmacy will not prescribe a drug based on the same values, find another pharmacy. Our freedom of religion provides both liberty to some and restrictions to others. We have to respect this fact and work around it in order to claim the same right of liberty.

Ethically, should a medic be forced to get their flu shot so that they will not get the flu. After all it is 'apparently' in the best interests of the patient. Or is it in the best interests of the service provider to control having masses of their employees off sick. Getting the flu shot may reduce your probability from getting the flu, yet does not stop the medic from being a carrier/reservoir of the virus. So what happens when we start in an occupation with the lack of stringent regulations for inoculations, and the regulations change mid career to offend your principles and values? Do you accept it and go with the flow? Resist it and buck the system? Or find another occupation because the regulations enforced offend your principles and religious values.

I have not so much provided an answers, just more questions and the potential for ethical debate and controversy.

I did get my flu shot this year because otherwise I would be forced to wear isolation equipment every time I did a medical call. If this was not the case I would not have gotten the shot as I do not care for the unknown long term effects of the drug.

[Just Plain Ruff]

Let me set the record straight here, IF you refuse to treat me due to your religious beliefs then when and if I get better I'm gonna come back and whop your ass right then and there.

You have no business in the medical field if helping someone conflicts with your religious beliefs. That is not what you are there for, you are there to help everyone who needs the help and calls on it.

Keep your religious beliefs out of the patient care arena. If your beliefs conflict with helping people then get the he(*)( out of the field and let the people who aren't offended do the work.

[Beagle189]

I have another view than what's posted so far. I believe that if you are in the general non emergent medical field, - you don't deal with emergencies, You have an office or business and your beliefs prevent you from doing a certain activity then fine don't do it. The Pt can find another Pharmacist, MD,OD, Dentist,Chiropractor or whatever that will deal with their belief system.

BUT, when you join the emergency field = EMS,ER etc., you must treat ALL, w/ compassion, ethics, and competency no matter what. And I mean no matter what.That goes w/ our western laws and most mainstream christian beliefs. My Two Cents anyway.

[akflightmedic]

Basically than, if someone wants an abortion and a doc says that he will not perform it based on religious convictions, find another doc. If a pharmacy will not prescribe a drug based on the same values, find another pharmacy.

There is the problem, you said find another pharmacy. Thats fine, I can do that, there is one on every corner. But what about the employer, does he have any rights. He hires a person to do a job and then they get to tell the employer that they cant do something due to religous convictions. I think they should make this clear during the hiring process. Should he have to make special accomodations when the employee didnt mention this in the first place. I know this would then border on religous discrimination, but the employer should have the right to hire someone that is able to carry out the function of his job without interjecting their personal beliefs. In my own opinion, this whole thing started because some pro lifers wanted to make a stance and they needed a new platform in which to do so. However, the fallout is now this "coverage" is going to be applied to all health professions. Where does it end?

For the record, I am playing both sides of the fence only to stimulate more intellectual conversaton and or debate. Things are looking good so far. I am just trying to look at this from every angle and perspective.

[Beagle189]

On the employer question I don't know if, for this one reason, that it's religious discrimination if the employee refuses to do the job. Wouldn't be the same if an EMT said they could lift 100 pounds and then you find out the EMT can't and refuses to lift. Wouldn't you have to let them go?