healthcare dilemmas

like the title of this blog states, nursing involves some of the strangest tasks and interesting predicaments. i just spent 90 minutes in a patient room with a gown, gloves, and mask on; i'm hot, sticky, and sick of smelling my own breath and recycling stale air. but that's not why i am writing. i am simply writing to say, health care is strange in general - not just nursing. are you familiar with HIPPA; it's a healthcare privacy act. so i'm probably breaking major rules. but we just admitted a prisoner to our unit for a stem cell transplant. interesting, huh? he has to wear his orange jumpsuit. and he has an armed guard with him at all times. honestly, i'm not sure how i feel about this... but just think to yourself, who is paying for this gentleman's care? our tax dollars are buying his chemotherapy, his stem cells, and a second chance at life (which typically results in a one million dollar bill). he may have simply gotten three speeding tickets (washington's three strikes and you're out law), but he could also have raped and/or killed people innocent people? hospitals are full of ethical dilemmas. what to do, what to do!