As you already appreciate, your conscience will direct the way you prepare to meet this eventuality, some have advised you to withold speaking about what you do if you decide to be involved with the administration of blood.
You may consider that to be wise counsel and that following it will avoid you becoming involved in "controversial discussions" - however you should also consider that your concealing it might cause your conscience to be troubled and that it may affect your freeness of speech within the congregation. It is important to consider all aspects before arriving at your decision, or doing anything that might compromise your relationship with your brothers and our Heavenly Father.

I just graduated from nursing school, and had to deal with that decision. I made it clear that I would prefer not to give blood, but that I would not interfere with the patient/physician relationship, or "endanger" the patient who has blood ordered, by refusing to give it. I will try to gain the understanding of nurses on my unit (L & D) who might be willing to give the blood, while I set up the equipment and monitor the patient's response to its administration. I did a lot of research and spoke to the MLC, which contacted the Society, which responded that if you are in a situation where a doctor orders blood for a patient (i.e., YOU are not ordering it) you can give it if necessary. I also tried to choose an area of practice that does not ROUTINELY utilize blood products, so I would not be expected to give them on a daily or regular basis (the difference between selling the occasional pack of cigarettes as a market cashier and working in a tobacco shop....) You will ultimately have to allow your conscience to guide your decision, based on your relationship with Jehovah. If you start out doing it one way and become uncomfortable, CHANGE the situation. My best wishes and prayer for your increasing wisdom. Jan Grossberg, Colorado Springs CO

The reason I suggest not discussing it, aside from the potential fallout, is simply that it really isn't anyone else's business. It would be the same as asking someone his income, asking a couple why they decided not to have children, etc.

It is a personal matter, period. Addressing it in that way is not resorting to subterfuge, IMO. Just because someone asks a question doesn't mean he/she is entitled to an answer. I didn't mean to imply that one should respond with a "None of your business!" retort. There are ways of tactfully declining to answer.

If it bothers you, then your best bet would be to avoid areas where transfusions are a possibility. This will certainly limit your choice of specialties, but bear in mind that you don't want to cause undue hardship on your colleagues or patients. While some may work in areas where co-workers are accommodating, that's not something you can count on. If you work in a rural area, you may very well be the only RN on your unit depending on circumstances, so having someone else do the transfusion may pose serious practical difficulties.

It is definitely a matter that requires careful consideration.

Indeed, and please don't think my response was in any way personalised toward you - a number of respondents gave the same suggestion.
Your observations about similar questions, e.g. income, children etc are valid. Though I have never had anyone in the congregation ask me how much I earned or why I, (we!), had 4 children I could well envisage that, if I were a nurse or part of a medical team, questions about blood may well arise through genuine interest or as part of a "what do you do?" scenario at Advance Decision Document time or following an article on blood etc.
Now at such times many might feel comfortable at concealing what they do, but many might not and it is good to examine all possibilities before putting yourself in a position that you might come to regret.
As for what we do being "a personal matter, period.", I am not so sure that I would take that same view, but then that's a personal matter

Dear Erica!
As it was written in The Watcower it is a matter of responsability: who is responsible for prescribing BT. If you are a nurse, you are not responsible for BT but the doctor does. Anoher important factor is the folowing: do you USUALLY perfom BT or occasionally. If you are going to work in a blood bank or in ICU you will be expectd to transfuse blood almost every day. My wife is a nurse, and she is a JW also. She used to work in ICU but she had to change her place of wok. Now she works not with surgeons and anesthesiologists but with therapists. And that`s OK
Greetings from Russia
Ivan

I just remember when we had a talk on this issue (this was several years ago). The brother who gave the talk read the info straight from the Society, and he reinforced the point that it was a personal decision, and that others should not judge one way or the other. There were some other points he made which lead me to believe that perhaps there had been a problem with negative talk on this matter in the past (I was new to that congregation at the time).

As I said, just because someone asks a question doesn't mean he/she is entitled to an answer. There is only One who we need to answer to.

It was truly enlightening how fellow JW's have responded in the query regarding administering blood transfusions due to obligations of nurses to provide the best care possible. Although it would be insubordinate to a doctor's perspective not to follow any directives to transfuse, it would be equally detestable to our God to do so. It is clearly a matter of religious and consciencious decision by the nurse in this situation. I completely agree that it would be best to avoid anything to do with such responsibility in the first place by avoiding nursing job designations that require a person to do such transfusions. As it is said, avoidance is best rather than risking the situation that may call for it.

Indeed, and the following from the 15th April 1999 Watchtower (UK) confirms what you say:-
(Bold mine).

It is quite wrong if "negative talk" follows someones conscientious decision, provided of course that person has a properly trained conscience.
I envisage a situation where for a nurse who does assist with transfusions, someone might ask, "You're a nurse aren't you, what do you do when a blood transfusion situation arises?". I may be wrong but I would think that there was a high degree of possibility of such a question arising.
Now here you have a choice of what to do:-
a)You could explain that you assist with transfusions if ordered to do so in conjunction with your working contract and highlight the above quote from the Watchtower.
b) You could explain that you don't discuss such matters with people who ask or in some other way avoid answering the question.

Now a) might cause some to wonder if you are right, (as could occur with any decision medical or otherwise), but you will have maintained your "freeness of speech" with your brothers. If you choose b) then you may feel uncomfortable about having such a conversation and maybe your "freeness" of speech amongst your brothers will be affected; hence my suggestion that it needs very clear and prayerful consideration before deciding what to do.

Those are good points. I think you also have to take into consideration who it is who is asking. Unfortunately, we all have our weaknesses, and if that question is posed to me by someone who has a tendency to gossip, my answer will be more along the line of "I follow the direction given by the Society and my conscience."

Just as we each have to decide what works for us in the matter of administering blood, I think we have to handle such questions in the manner that works best for us.

I will say that after that talk no one asked me again about transfusing patients. The brother must have really made his point!

My wife is a RN of 10 years, shes currently in the ICU, which is why i found this site for advice, but she would ask if the patient is baptised, and ask her why she is going through with the blood transfusion. She will not get involved personally with the patients desicions on any other occasion, but for a baptised JW i know she would.