Question

You are the Vice President of Nursing Services in a nondenominational community hospital, and you receive a complaint from a patient, who is a Wiccan. The patient and her primary care nurse, Penny Baker, were discussing her religious practices and how she prays, when another nurse, Ruth Goose, walked into the room, stated, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch amongst you,” and told Penny not to discuss the “satanic religion” with the patient any more. The patient demands an apology and threatens to go to the media. She feels she has been discriminated against because she is a Wiccan and that her patient care experience was poor during her hospitalization because of her spiritual beliefs. You convene a meeting with Penny and her immediate supervisor, Ruth Goose. Ruth Goose is wearing a large gold cross on her neck. Penny wears no jewelry and is dressed in her blue scrubs. When you ask Penny what happened, Ruth answers for her. “She did the right thing. We don’t have to pray with witches. They worship Satan. It’s blasphemy. What’s next? Human sacrifice?” Penny can’t get a word in edgewise. Ruth keeps repeating “Thou shalt not suffer a witch amongst you, it says so in Leviticus!” What should you do?

Discussion Questions

1. What are the facts of this case?

2. What is the nature of the organizational behavior problem?

3. What are three factors contributing to this dilemma?

4. What are the top three management issues in this case?

5. Who should be responsible for addressing these organizational issues?

6. What kind of differences in spiritual and religious practices are you familiar with? What if the patient had asked Penny to pray with her? Should she have done so? Discuss the pros and cons of praying with patients. Provide your reflections and personal opinions as well as your recommendations for addressing the issue of praying with patients.

Answer 1

1)The main fact of this case is religious beliefs of different individual. Being a professional is important to handle this issue sensitively because it has an impact on both sides.

2)The nature of the organization behavior is a sort of discrimination on the base of belief or religion

3)The factors contributing to this dilemma are

• Belief
• Superiority by the senior nurse
• Wiccan gives human sacrifice at the end of the prayer
• Wiccan prays the Satan ,an evil spirit

4)Some of the management are

• Informing Nurse Ruth Goose to be professional and care for patient, harming the patient emotionally restricting their belief is unprofessional, because here they are patient and has come for treatment
• Inform Nurse penny chaplain are available to do prayers for and along the patients. Doing so during the working hours may interrupt her services for other patients as well.Respecting the patient belief move ahead
• Educate the health care professionals on how to behave to these types if patient so that they are not affected.