Recently, police bodycam footage was released of a Utah nurse who was arrested for simply doing her job. On July 26th, 2017, Salt Lake City Detective Jeff Payne approached nurse Alex Wubbels regarding a patient at the Utah University Hospital. Payne was looking to draw blood from William Gray, a patient admitted to the hospital who was part of a vehicle crash where another person died.
Wubbels however, informed the Detective that she would not be able to comply due to the hospital’s policy. This policy was agreed upon between the hospital and the Utah police, and was also backed by a 2016 Supreme Court ruling that specified warrantless blood draws as a 4th Amendment violation. The policy stated that police could not draw blood from a victim unless they either consented, were under arrest, or there was an authorized warrant. In this case, not of these requirements were met.
Unfortunately, when Wubbels informed Detective Payne of this policy he decided to ignore it. Becoming frustrated by the fact that Wubbels was not providing the blood draw he requested, the Detective decided to arrest the nurse and drag her from the hospital into a cop car. Despite her supervisor over the phone explaining to the Detective that Wubbels was not authorized to permit a blood draw because the policy requirements were not met, and a print out of the actual policy presented to him, Payne simply arrested the nurse.
Wubbels was just doing her job as a nurse. She was protecting her patients and upholding the laws and policies that her job dictated. While the nurse was later released without charges being pressed, the entire chaotic ordeal was traumatizing and unnecessary. Unfortunately, trying experiences like this are something nurses across the country face. Simply put, dealing with those instances are not worth it to some.
How can you avoid those types of issues?
If you love working in the nursing field, but don’t want to put yourself in risky situations like the one discussed above, you can always look into joining HEDIS Nurses. HEDIS Nurses is a company that provides assistance with HEDIS projects to health plan providers. There are numerous work opportunities that involve flexible schedules and less stressful work. If working in stressful hospital settings isn’t for you, consider HEDIS Nurses!
Are you ready to apply to join the team at HEDIS Nurses?
If you are ready to join the HEDIS Nurses team, visit our website at HEDIS Nurses. We are always looking for quality nurse candidates to join our professional network. Simply fill out the application and submit your resume to be considered. If you qualify, we will begin working to match you up with health plan representatives looking for assistance with their HEDIS tasks.
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