Bud is a critical care nurse at St. George's Hospital. The hospital routinely screens its health care employees for blood born diseases. Bud tests positive for HIV. Whenever one of its health care employees with direct patient contact tests positive for a blood born disease, it moves the employee to a desk job, with no loss in pay, but without patient contact. Bud refuses. He requests that the hospital hire a "shadow" nurse to follow him on his shift and do any invasive procedures. The hospital denies his request and fires Bud because he will not move to the desk job.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The hospital has already provided an accommodation for Bud by offering him a desk job with no loss in pay. Bud's request for a "shadow" nurse may represent an undue hardship on the hospital, as it would require the hospital to hire an additional employee and potentially disrupt the hospital's staffing and scheduling needs. Additionally, the hospital has a responsibility to protect the health and safety of its patients, and allowing a nurse with a blood born disease to perform invasive procedures may put patients at risk.

Bud Is a Critical Care Nurse at St