Treating a rapist.

The points made from the previous posts also lead to another potential problem that can arise from the treatment and attitude the patient receives in the field. The more you get a patient angered, disturbed or frustrated in the field, the more likely they will be to carry that anger and assault any healthcare worker they come in contact with. That includes MDs, RNs and all the other hospital personnel who may have to continue to care for this patient for several days. I have seen several crews bring in patients and continue to taunt them even when they should have moved away after delivering the patient to the ED. Often combative patients from drugs, alcohol or psychosis won't have an LEO with them and the hospital staff must contend with a patient made even more angry by the EMS providers who some walk away with a satisfied smile that "they got that patient good".
 
Key word to work with........

As sick as it can make me feel that another human being could do so much harm to another, the key word for me is at that time they are a patient, and it is my responsibility to that patient and to my profession and to myself to give the best care possible. I will sometimes wonder what happened to them to become so broken...........-_-
 
Treat like you would any other patient. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law...
 
This comes back to the basic of EMT responsibility.
We're here to treat not judge, although it would be a tough situation.
 
Sasha said:
I treat him or her like any other mentally ill patient.
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How would you treat a mentally ill patient?

Why are the mentally ill any different to any other patient we treat? Their illness is of the mind, that does not make them a rapist or any other criminal.

Remember the World Health Organisation rates that Mental Illness will be the second highest killer worldwide by 2020 behind trauma.
 
It's irrelevant what they've been accused of doing, what they've been witnessed doing, or admit to have done. You're not a judge, part of a jury or in a position to be executioner. Your job is clear...treat the patient, leave your personal feelings at the station and do your job to the best of your ability and education.

If you can't separate yourself from your feelings, or the need to 'make them pay', you need to turn in your credentials and leave this profession!
 
Rapists

No I wouldn't treat her. I would rather risk a lawsuit, my career and screw up my life to make a point.
 
traumateam1 said:
I guess this is just like the drunk guy vs. family vehicle MVC. Do you leave the drunk guy and attend to him last? Or do you give him the same care and compassion that you are giving the family?

I personally would treat the rapist the same way I'd treat an elderly lady, with the same care and compassion. I try not to let my emotions get in the way of my job. If this guy is in trouble and he needs me to do my job, than I'm not gonna sit there and say "well you know, he did rape a poor woman.. I'm not gonna help him, call another unit for this scum bag", I am going to try and put my feelings and emotions aside and help him. However, if I can't, if my feelings are so strongly against this guy, and I would be doing more harm than good, than I'd switch roles and let my partner attend, or call another unit for him.

It's really hard to say over an internet forum. There are no emotions right now, it's just a "what would you do..." thing. I don't actually know how I'd handle this type of call, but I do hope that I would be able to put my feelings/emotions aside and do the job that I am being paid to do - help those in need.

With all that being said.. I cannot see why I wouldn't treat him the same way I'd treat any other patient.
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I don't have it in me to hurt someone else no matter what they did. So rapist, treat like any other patient.

As for the Drunk driver vs. Family I would definitely be caring for children first unless it was really obvious they were ok and the other person was critically injured. I have a big thing against people driving drunk and feel no sympathy personally, they made a decision to drive drunk. They could have chosen to call a cab or a friend to drive. Going through high school and seeing what drunk drivers do or what happens to them, there are no excuses to put yourself in that situation. Sorry, end of rant.
 
I had to treat a middle-aged male that murdered his mother and stuffed her in a shed for over a month until he bragged about killing her to his s/o who turned him into the Police. He hung himself in his jail-cell with his bed sheets. I actually saved his life, until he died from a pneumonia in the ICU.

I could have called him on scene cause he was in Asystole, but I didn't. I gave him my very best, and attempted to save his life. Did I know who he was? Yes. Did I know what he had done? Yes. Did it cloud my judgement and make me treat him like the piece of :censored::censored::censored::censored: he was? No.

Try not to let your emotions take control. You do that, you're in the wrong profession.
 
Its very simple. I am there to attend to any injuries or illnesses they have not be social. I have a job to do I don't have to be personable.
 
My first priority is my own safety and my second is not getting sued. If the scene is safe for me, then I don't want to risk a lawsuit because I didn't feel like treating the patient.

That being said, part of "not getting sued" is if I don't trust myself around the patient (think if I had been close with the victim), then it is in everyone's best interest if I remove myself from the scene and allow the rest of my crew to administer patient care, I'll drive or do Fetch-and-Carry.
 
I'm going to do my job, as well as what's expected of me. It's not part of my training, my duty, or what I'm getting paid for to right wrongs- my purpose is to help people recover from or survive medical emergencies. If you want to dish out justice, be a police officer. This guy might indeed be an almighty screw-up, but it's not my role to punish him for that unless he's putting my life or someone else's in real and immediate danger.
 
I would treat them to the best of my ability. I might not like it, and may not be as friendly and outgoing as I am with other patients I deal with. But he is getting the best care I can deliver as do my other patients.

I spent too much time studying more than I need to for my Basic card, and too much time learning anatomy and disease process to lose my lunch ticket because some loser filed a complaint with the state. Let's face it, if this guys in prison he probably has more rights than we do. Which means some attorney is out there looking to be a hero and represent him when he sues you, your service, and the level of government that has him in custody. I worked to hard to let a professional loser take it away from me.
 
Same Care

Everyone gets the same care. It doesn't matter who or what they are or what they have done. They all get the same care.
To do anything else would be playing God. I'm not, and your not, and nobody else is God, so don't ever go there.
This is how we are able to look at ourselves in the mirror each day, because we don't play God.
;)
 
I treat prisoners all the time, we have the State Prison contract. the only difference between them and other patients is that they are in handcuffs.
 
A pt. is a pt.

Irregardless of what their past transgressions may / may not be.

None of us are perfect.
 
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