Having notified Christine Sassman, the PICU nurse manager, that the Vangs will be coming up to see Lue,

Scene 2: RCMC, PICU Nursing Station

Expository Text: Having notified Christine Sassman, the PICU nurse manager, that the Vangs will be coming up to see Lue, Jessica stops to speak with two of her colleagues about what has occurred.

Instructional Prompt: Click on highlighted characters to hear their thoughts on complementary and alternative medicine.

Dialogue 04: Frustrated and confused, Jessica asks her colleagues for their opinion on CAM.

Jessica:

Okay, I’ve got to ask you… do you think what that family did to that boy is abusive?

Jill:

It’s hard for me to answer that, Jessica. I’ve seen coining before and I know a lot of people who do it and swear by it.

Jessica:

Oh! You can’t tell me you believe it works?

Candace:

There are a lot of things people do that they swear by that may or may not have any effect. Don’t you think your reaction is a bit strong?

Jessica:

No! No, I don’t! A little boy came into us covered in bruises and I’m going to get my butt chewed because I called Child Protective Services. I feel like I’m practicing nursing in Alice in Wonderland.

Jill:

I understand that; I really do. But from what I understand coining doesn’t really do any harm.

Jessica:

You can’t scrape the skin like that painlessly. They hurt that little boy and nobody seems to care.

Candace:

Jessica, don’t take this the wrong way, but it seems like you’ve already made up your mind about this practice and you don’t want to hear anything different. The fact is there a lot of different kinds of people who live here in Riverbend City. It is different than where you got your training. You went to school in Popeil, didn’t you? There’s not a lot of diversity there and it’s understandable that you’re seeing things here that are unfamiliar. I think you need to try to be a little more open-minded, though.

Jessica:

I don’t think I’m ever going to be open-minded about hurting children. (Sarcastically) Sorry!

Dialogue 05: Jill tries to put the coining episode into a broader context.

Jill:

Jessica… you did have training in complementary and alternative medicine, didn’t you?

Jessica:

No, we didn’t do any of that new age, hippy stuff. Of course I had training in CAM. I just happen to think that the medical profession is getting way too PC. Nobody wants to admit that a lot of this stuff is bogus.

Candace:

I don’t think it’s that cut and dried. Are you saying that Western medicine is the only effective medicine in the world?

Jessica:

At least it’s scientific. Unless I missed the scientific rationale for how rubbing someone’s back raw with a quarter cures a respiratory infection?

Jill:

Hey… there’s no need to take Candace’s head off. She’s just trying to understand where you’re coming from… which seems to be more than you’re doing.

Jessica:

I’m sorry. Like I said I think I’m going to get my butt chewed and it’s already been a bad day. I don’t think I’m wrong here, but I’m going to be expected to hang my head and say I was. It just ticks me off.

Dialogue 06: Uncomfortable with the direction the conversation is taking, Candace offers another perspective.

Candace:

Jessica, look… we have a chapel in the hospital. People pray that their loved ones will get through an illness and a lot of times they do. There’s no science behind that, but I don’t know any nurses who oppose it.

Jill:

On the other hand, I have to admit that Jessica has a point. I mean, we’ve all heard of people who get a cancer diagnosis and go off to some quack doctor in the Caribbean or in Mexico instead of doing chemo that might help them.

Jessica:

Thank you Jill. That’s exactly the kind of thing I’m thinking.

Candace:

Are you putting acupuncture or chiropractors in the same category as quacks who take advantage of desperate people?

Jessica:

Well… why aren’t they the same?

Candace:

Wow. I don’t know what to say. I need to get back to work. I’m sorry you’ve had such a rough day, Jessica, but I’ve got to say, I think you need to work on having a more open mind toward different practices. It’s not all quackery and you’re going to have a hard time getting your patients’ trust if they sense you disrespect their ways and beliefs.