Alex Wubbels, R.N. is being hailed as an ethical hero, as she should. Before we go into any detail on her story, I feel obligated to say that in my line of work (speaking on ethics, choices and consequences), I have personally known many physicians, nurses and 
even paramedics who have had ethical – and sometimes physical confrontations with the police. There is often an uncomfortable closeness that occurs when two different “agencies” at cross purposes run up against one another in a healthcare setting.
Police claim to represent “the law,” whereas the medical community usually represents “the patient.” Over time, the line has badly blurred. Police are often given free run and free reign over situations where they frankly have no business interfering. I want to make it clear that I am not “bashing” anyone. Being a police officer can be miserable work that is filled with stress and uncertainty. The rule book they must follow is never literal. The decisions they make are often done out of necessity and in the moment. I get that. For the most part, the officers are decent people. However, they sometimes don’t understand ethical, legal or physical boundaries.
Alex Wubbels
Alex Wubbels is a nurse who works in the burn ward of The University of Utah Hospital. If you have never seen a burn ward, let me say that it can be horrific work that requires both strength and compassion. She has both.
On the night of July 26, 2017, Alex Wubbels was working on the burn unit when an unconscious patient was brought in who had been in a terrible car accident. The patient was a passenger. He was not driving nor did he cause the accident.
Hospital policy at The University of Utah Hospital and indeed most hospitals have firm policies in place that prohibit collecting blood from an unconscious patient with consent. This is not Alex Wubbels’ policy, but a hospital policy. The police essentially marched into the ward, and one officer in particular, demanded that she draw blood on the patient.
I am sorry to say, this is not an aberration. In numerous hospital settings, especially in emergency rooms, there is frequently “look the other way” interactions between police, staff and patients. This is not the official word, and never will be, but it happens more often than you might think.
Alex Wubbels refused to comply. She not only declined to go up against hospital policy, but she was protecting the rights of her patient. The back and forth escalated, really escalated until the police put handcuffs on her and placed her under arrest.
The body cam of the arresting officer was pretty dramatic. They are throwing Wubbels around like a rag doll inside the hospital setting. The end result is that the police officer has been suspended. From this point forward, the police will not be allowed in patient care areas nor will they be allowed to talk directly to nurses, they must talk to supervisors.
Wubbels betrayed
Wubbels was not only betrayed by the police but by hospital security. Here again, there is another ethical blurring. Hospital police almost always march to the police drum because, frankly, many of them are trying or have tried to get on the force. They see themselves on the same side; they are not. Yes, of course there are incidents where police tactics must be employed on unruly visitors, staff and patients. No one is arguing that point. However, they had a duty to protect the nurse and they didn’t. They also had a duty to honor hospital policy and they didn’t do that either. Worst of all, they had a duty to protect the unconscious patient and they also failed at protecting the patient.
While I frequently defend the police, it is difficult to do so in this case. Apparently, the Salt Lake City police chief couldn’t defend the officers either, for they are suspended. Again, we need to say that the unconscious patient was not a murderer, thief or embezzler; he was the passenger in the automobile that was involved in an accident.
The much, much larger picture is that this type of line blurring frequently occurs across the nation. How and why it occurs could be the topic for numerous posts. For now, there must be common sense ethical training in place for both police departments and for hospital security forces. The patient is sacrosanct. Somewhere along the line everyone seems to have forgotten that fact. Fortunately, Nurse Wubbels remembered.
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