I normally do not comment on clinical or individual nursing issues, but this story has annoyed me so much I felt that I had to post a small blog.
While I am happy to respect all religious beliefs, as long as they do not impose on my personal beliefs (just as I would not impose my beliefs on others) I must disagree with the nurse who has recently made an issue of wearing a necklace showing a Christian symbol at work.
In my view this is not a religious issue but a clinical one. When I began my nurse training in the 1980s one of the first things that we were told was that nurses must never wear necklaces of any kind while on duty, as an ill or confused patient may be able to get hold of the necklace and try to cause the nurse an injury with it. This is why all lanyards for ID badges have quick release mechanisms so that staff cannot be harmed while wearing them.
Therefore, rather than bleating on about religious beliefs I believe that this nurse should get a grip and realise that no clinical staff should be wearing anything around their necks that could be used to harm them. Her employers, indeed all employers of clinical and care staff must also ensure that they enforce neckwear rules across the religious spectrum.
