Nurse Up!

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Hello Everyone,

My name is Andrew Lopez, RN. I’m from New Jersey. Nurseup.com was created to serve as a resource for nurses who are being faced with difficult situations and need help.

Our contact information and locations for discussion are: Nurseup.com, A Nursing Advocacy Organization 38 Tattersall Drive, West Deptford, New Jersey 08051, 856-415-9617, Fax: 856-415-9618, info@nursefriedly.com, @nursefriendly

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nurseup/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Nurseupcom-Nursing-Healthcare-Advocacy-4366517

Twitter: http://tweetchat.com/room/nurseup

http://www.nurseup.com/

Nurses like Amanda Trujillo, RN who was fired from Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center, Sun City, Arizona for being a patient advocate.

Please Comment On the American Nurses Association Postings!

Nurses Around the Country Shedding Light on a Secret Disease, Michael Pergman, Coach Perg, @coachperg, March 8, 2012:”With the Amanda Trujillo case, we have seen one case of patient and nurse injustice brought into the light. This case has also brought a multitude of similar instances out of the shadows as a result. We are beginning to acknowledge that this disease in our health care system has spread rampant, and the last thing a disease wants is to be diagnosed. It is through this diagnostic process that a cure will come. And that threat is bringing the disease to a panic. It will mutate, gain resistance and fight to stay alive. But as we all join together and inoculate the world by making it’s presence known, it will be eradicated.” http://www.coachperg.com/nurses-around-the-country-shedding-light-on-a-secret-disease/

The Systemic Intimidation Of The 99% And How To Take Our WellBeing Back Into Our Own Hands Starting With Health Care by Shahina Lakhani:”For the last couple of months there has been a lot a of uproar and concern expressed by some active bloggers in the nursing community. The topic? Systemic and nationwide intimidation of nurses for corporate benefit at the expanse of the patients.” http://throughlifeanddeath.com/the-systemic-intimidation-of-the-99-and-how-to-take-our-wellbeing-back-into-our-own-hands

Everyone, kindly sign our petitions requesting that nursing associations look at Amanda’s case.

Petition: Amanda Trujillo, RN & Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center, Sun City, Arizona: Position Statements Requested http://nurseup.com/wordpress/2012/03/nursing-associations-united-states-national-state-issue-position-statements-on-the-amanda-trujillo-rn/

Petition: Arizona State Board of Nursing: Remove Amanda Trujillo’s nursing license from “under investigation” status | Change.org<br> http://nurseup.com/wordpress/2012/02/health-petition-arizona-state-board-of-nursing-remove-amanda-trujillos-nursing-license-from-under-investigation-status-change-org/

Petition: Governor, State of Arizona: Address corrupting factors in the Arizona Board of Nursing | Change.org #nurseup #amandatrujillo http://nurseup.com/wordpress/2012/03/petition-governor-state-of-arizona-address-corrupting-factors-in-the-arizona-board-of-nursing-change-org-nurseup-amandatrujillo/

Nurses like: Jackson Park Memorial Hospital: Three nurses suing Chicago hospital for allege strip search, March 9, 2012, Wendell Hutson, Chicago City Hall Examiner

Nurses like: Sunrise Nurses: Union sues after Sunrise (Children’s Hospital, Nevada) refuses to rehire nurse – News – ReviewJournal

Nurses like the Winkler Nurses in Texas who were retaliated against for reporting a physician to the Texas Medical Board, charged with felonies for misuse of patient information.

Join us in our Facebook Discussion Group, or post a Tweet, visit our forums, see where we have been actively posting.

We are interested in providing a framework of Legal Advocacy for Nurses:

Are you in a similar situation to Amanda Trujillo, RN? Were you fired by a hospital like Banner Del E. Webb in Sun City, Arizona? Did you anger the wrong doctor or member of management? Or are you an organization that can help nurses? Please contact us.

We will list resources here that you can contact for more information.

The American Association of Nurse Attorneys:”TAANA serves as a resource network and support group for nurse attorneys and educates the public on matters of nursing, health care, and the law.” 7794 Grow Drive Pensacola, FL 32514 Toll Free: 877-538-2262, Fax: 850/484-8762 Email: taana@puetzamc.com http://www.taana.org/

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• Bloggers That are supporting Amanda Trujillo (In order of last published Article)

   

• Emergiblog, Kim McAllister: @emergiblog, kmcallister911@mac.com, http://www.emergiblog.com/ February 17, 2012 When Nurses Attack At the Highest Levels: A Blatant Abuse of Power

   

• Nurse Ratched’s Place, Terri Polick, AKA Motherjonesrn, motherjonesrn@yahoo.com, Website: http://www.nurseratchedsplace.com/

   

• Nursetopia, http://nursetopia.net/2012/01/31/ripples-a-conversation-with-amanda-trujillo-part-1-of-3/

   

• “The Nerdy Nurse” Brittney Wilson,RN, BSN, , (706)766-9475, @TheNerdyNurse , TheNerdyNurse@gmail.com, http://thenerdynurse.com/

   

• Those Emergency Blues, Jay Doe, http://torontoemerg.wordpress.com/

   

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• “Contact Persons: Individuals or members of the press may contact the people listed below to obtain more information.”

  Arizona State Board of Nursing, 4747 North 7th Street, Suite 200, Phoenix, AZ 85014-3655 602-771-7800 Phone, 602-771-7888 Fax, arizona@azbn.gov, http://www.azbn.gov/Default.aspx

  Banner Health Del E. Webb Medical Center, Arizona, 14502 W. Meeker Blvd., Sun City West, AZ 85375, (623) 524-4000, http://www.bannerhealth.com/_Contact+Us/_feedback.htm?s=comment

  Tina Lanciault, RN, tina@smallbusinessnurse.com, 1-302-353-7701, http://differenttypesofnursing.com

  Andrew Lopez, RN, @nursefriendly, info@nursefriendly.com, 856-415-9617, http://www.nursefriendly.com

  Kim McAllister, @emergiblog, kmcallister911@mac.com, http://www.emergiblog.com/

  Jennifer Olin, RN, jennifer@rncentral.com, 713-444-7229, http://www.rncentral.com/

  Michael Pergrem aka Coach Perg, PO Box 363 Bethel, OH 45106, CoachPerg@gmail.com, 513-426-8415

  Terri Polick, AKA Motherjonesrn, motherjonesrn@yahoo.com, Website: Nurse Ratched’s Place, http://www.nurseratchedsplace.com/

  Brittney Wilson,RN, BSN, – “The Nerdy Nurse” @TheNerdyNurse , TheNerdyNurse@gmail.com, (706)766-9475, http://thenerdynurse.com/

   

• Facebook Pages:

  Clear Medical Network (Healthcare Advocacy), http://www.facebook.com/ClearMedicalNetwork?sk=wall

  Nurseup For Amanda Trujillo, http://www.facebook.com/NurseUpforAmandaTrujillo?sk=wall

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• Form Letters For Reposting

  Carlson, Keith to State Board

  Ross, Kevin to State Board

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• Radio Interviews: Amanda Trujillo on RNFM Radio: http://www.box.com/s/hq8bgf200x0g7lhd1u7l
  

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• Social Media Postings, Learn more, discuss, comment
  

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• Twitter Channels following Amanda: http://tweetchat.com/room/nurseup & http://tweetchat.com/room/amandatrujillo
  

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• Youtube Videos, http://rnfmradio.com/nurse-bloggers-amanda-trujillo/
  

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• 1.	Advocating for a fellow Nurse: Amanda Trujillo	2.	The power of social media #NurseUp
  3.	The Nurse Stands Alone…	4.	The Persecution of Amanda Trujillo
  5.	The Persecution of Amanda Trujillo	6.	Fellow Nurse in Jeopardy – Call to Action
  7.	My Letter to the Arizona Board of Nursing	8.	Amanda Trujillo: A Fellow Nurse on the Ropes
  9.	Open Letters to the AZ BON on behalf of Amanda Trujillo	10.	Letter to AZ Board of Nursing Re: Amanda Trujillo
  11.	Advocating For A Nurse Standing Alone	12.	Audio Interview w/Amanda Trujillo
  13.	Amanda Trujillo: Exposing the Truth	14.	Support Your Fellow Nurse
  15.	Stop the Bullying Now — Stand up for Nurses and Patients	16.	Patient Advocacy: Our Duty, Our Right
  17.	Standing With Amanda Trujillo	18.	The Hopeful Healer/Nurses Who Care
  19.	Banner Health Strikes Blow Against Patient Advocacy	20.	Banner Health Strikes Blow Against Patient Advocacy
  21.	The Case for Amanda Trujillo: The Amanda Within Us	22.	Why I Choose to Publicly Support Amanda Trujillo, RN
  23.	The Case For Amana Trujillo: The Amana Within Us	24.	Medical Ethics and Me
  25.	Stand Together	26.	RN Amanda Trujillo Becomes a Call to Arms
  27.	Nurse Bloggers For Amanda Trujillo	28.	Everybody Look What’s Goin’ Down
  29.	My Public Support for Amanda Trujillo	30.	Stand Together
  31.	Nurse Fired for Being Patient Advocate	32.	Nursefriendly Resource Hub-Amanda Trujillo Contact
  33.	Let’s Pin Arizona Board of Nursing and Banner Health	34.	The Arizona Board of Nursing and Amanda Trujillo
  35.	Amanda Trujillo: A Nurse Under Fire	36.	Nurse Blogosphere leads to outrage!
  37.	Best in Nurse Blogs: Amanda Trujillo Edition	38.	Note to Banner Health: Patients are Not RGUs
  39.	Mandated By Law, Obligated By Ethics	40.	Nurses association, my very own arcade claw machine
  41.	Amanda Trujillo – RN Fired for Being a Patient Advocate	42.	The Curious Case Of Amanda Trujillo
  43.	What Threatens One Arizona RN Threatens Us All	44.	Here’s the plan: Lets make the powers WANT to help Amanda T
  45.	Banner Health, AZ Board of Nursing: A Personal Vendetta?	46.	Nurse Up for Nurse Amanda!
  47.	Banner Health, Arizona BON: Personal Vendetta?	48.	An Update on AZ Nurse Amanda Trujillo Case
  49.	I Blogged About Nurse Amanda Trujillo’s for Personal Gain	50.	A Letter From the Arizona Nurses Association
  51.	Trujillo License is not revoked:	52.	(Not) Everybody’s Talkin’
  53.	Ripples: A Conversation with Amanda Trujillo (Part 1 of 3)	54.	Crossing the Line? Or Doing Her Job? Nurse Fired f
  55.	Why Doctors Aren’t Talking about Amanda Trujillo	56.	Waves: A Conversation with Amanda Trujillo (Part 2 of 3)
  57.	The Nurse: The Swiss Army Knife of Healthcare	58.	Nurse Up for Nurse Amanda!
  59.	Lou Show: Interview with Nurse Amanda Trujillo who was	60.	Can We All Get Along? The Doctor-Nurse Relationship
  61.	RN = Patient Advocate, But MD Disagrees	62.	Why Nurses are Furious about the Amanda Trujillo Case
  63.	Banner would fire Florence Nightingale	64.	The ANA Finally Talks About the Amanda Trujillo Case
  65.	The ANA: Supporting Nurses, Until You Need It	66.	Hush, Hush…Keep It Down Now, Voices Carry
  67.	Amanda Trujillo RN	68.	Letter?to AZ Governor re Conflicts of Interest in this case
  69.	Show Me How Much You Care, AzNA	70.	#NurseUp and Educate On
  71.	Here’s What You Think About RN Amanda Trujillo’s Story	72.	ANA Finally Acknowledges RN Amanda Trujillo
  73.	Health literacy, EOLCare & Advocacy for Patients	74.	Nurse Leader Carol Gino Advocates for Embattled RN
  75.	When Nurses Attack At the Highest Levels	76.	AZ ICU Nurse & New Wife
  77.	Amanda Trujillo’s Case: A Wake up Call	78.	Just Lie Back and Think of Florence — Or Not
  79.	In the Footsteps of Rosa Parks	80.	Why Nurses Are Where They Are
  81.	Long Term Care and Home Health Care Updates	82.	The Case of Amanda Trujillo
  83.	A Video Too Important to Miss	84.	Amanda Trujillo RN
  85.	Nurses Are Escape Goats	86.	Boycott Arizona Now
  87.	Censorship: Don’t Talk About Amanda Trujillo

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  Articles in reverse order of publication:

  Arizona BON Keeps Trujillo Under Fire, March 21st, 2012, By Jennifer Olin, BSN, RN:”I have started this blog this way several times in the past. I am an OR nurse. What I don’t usually add here, but do in conversation with other nurses, in job interviews for nursing positions and sometimes even in casual “what do you do?” conversations is say my specialty areas are plastics and head and neck (or ENT). Apparently, if I said this in Arizona I could lose my license. At yesterday’s Arizona Board of Nursing (AZ BON) Regular Meeting Amanda Trujillo, RN, was on the agenda. She is the nurse we have been talking about for weeks now, who was fired and reported to the BON by her former employer who claims she overstepped her scope of practice—despite evidence to the contrary brought out by the BON’s own investigator.” http://www.rncentral.com/blog/2012/arizona-bon-keeps-trujillo-under-fire/

   

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  Tweet Me No Lies, March, 20, 2012 Author: Mother Jones, RN:”Someone at the ANA needs a nose job. They just told a lie. I hopped onto Twitter yesterday to check out some tweets after I learned that the ANA had mentioned Kim McAllister from Emergiblog and me in one of their messages. Here’s a screen shot” http://www.nurseratchedsplace.com/2012/03/tweet-me-no-lies/

   

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  An Open Letter: Dear Future of Nursing, March 11, 2012 Author: Mother Jones, RN:”I choked on my breakfast this morning while I was surfing the web. It all started when I checked out the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action website. According to the website, “The Future of Nursing:Campaign for Action is an initiative to advance comprehensive health care change. It envisions a health care system where all Americans have access to high-quality, patient-centered care, with nurses contributing to the full extent of their capabilities.” Two of their objectives is to strengthen nurse education and training, and to help enable nurses to practice to the full extent of their education. The campaign is coordinated through the Center to Champion Nursing in America (CCNA), an initiative of AARP, the AARP Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).” http://www.nurseratchedsplace.com/2012/03/an-open-letter-dear-future-of-nursing/

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  Amanda Trujillo RN – fired for being a patient advocate, Posted on March 2, 2012 by Pat Iyer:”The story of Amanda Trujillo is a horrifying one. Briefly, she is a single mom who fought to get off welfare and fulfilled her dream of becoming a nurse. Not only did she become a nurse, she earned a masters degree in nursing. One night while working at Banner Health in Arizona, she took care of a patient who was being asked to undergo a liver transplant. In talking to the patient, Amanda learned that the patient did not fully understand what was going to occur. Amanda educated the patient. She explained the option of hospice instead. The patient decided against the transplant. Then the physician came in, had a well- witnessed tantrum at the hospital when he found out his patient had decided against surgery, and Amanda was fired by the hospital. Her case came up for review by the Arizona Board of Nursing. The summary of her case written by the attorney representing her is below. Amanda has been devastated in terms of her career and her finances. She is back on welfare, her dream of being a nurse shattered.” http://www.medleague.com/blog/2012/03/02/amanda-trujillo-rn-fired-for-being-a-patient-advocate/

   

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  Amanda Trujillo, RN: Single Mother Fighting for Her Integrity, March 02, 2012, dhoffman2, Blogher.com:”Everyone is a patient…either now or in the future. That’s a fact. Another fact is that we all die. Sometimes our deaths can be made easier. Sometimes not. Amanda Trujillo is a nurse who tried to make a dying patient’s life and dying easier. She worked in Arizona and was fired in April 2011 after providing education and making a hospice care consult request for a patient with end-stage liver disease. The patient had been in the hospital for 7 days and was supposed to get a pre-transplant evaluation. Unfortunately, the patient did not know anything about his/her liver disease, liver transplant or choices about treatment.” http://www.blogher.com/amanda-trujillo-rn-single-mother-fighting-her-integrity

   

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  The Nurse Who Helped Too Much, Amy Tenderich, DiabetesMine:”It might be hard to believe in this day and age of “participatory medicine” and empowered patients — or in any day and age, really — but the fact is that an Arizona-based nurse was fired from her job recently for simply providing a patient too much information on his treatment options. The nurse’s name is Amanda Trujillo, a single mother living in Phoenix, and licensed nurse in Arizona since 2006. She specializes in cardiology, geriatrics, and end of life/palliative care. The sin she supposedly committed was setting up a consultation on hospice care for a patient suffering from end-stage liver disease, who was scheduled for surgery. This “interference” angered the patient’s physician, who then had Amanda fired and reported her to the Arizona State Board of Nursing, where she is now in danger of losing her nursing license. Fellow health care professionals and patient advocates are flooding the blogosphere in support of her cause!” https://www.diabetesmine.com/2012/03/the-nurse-who-helped-too-much.html

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  Amanda Trujillo, part 2, Saturday, February 25, 2012, End of Shift Report – Stories From an Operating Room:”It gets much worse: the Arizona State Nursing Board has ordered Nurse Trujillo to undergo a mental health evaluation in retaliation for her going public with the matter.With the Boards paid psychiatrist to boot, not a disinterested third party. Whats more, they have also ordered her to turn over records from all the physicians she has ever seen for any reason. What happened to her rights of privacy? There seems to be nothing that this outrageous order could contribute to an investigation of the matter. And it turns out that the President of the board of Nursing is also in a position of authority at the hospital that fired Nurse Trujillo. Can anybody spell “conflict of interest”? This order for a mental health evaluation stinks of authoritarian excess reminding one of the KGB or Gestapo.” http://endofshiftreport.blogspot.com/2012/02/amanda-trujillo-part-2.html

   

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  Why physicians should care about Amanda Trujillo-KevinMD by @jaydoe February 25, 2012:”For the past month, the case of Amanda Trujillo has resonated deeply among nurses, triggering an avalanche of postings on Facebook, Twitter and in the nursing blogosphere. Trujillo is the Arizona nurse who was fired in April 2011 after providing education and making a hospice care consult request for an end-stage liver disease patient. This patient was slotted for pre-transplant evaluation and had poor understanding of the disease process and treatment options. Trujillo filled in the gaps for this patient. Trujillo then requested, at the patient’s own wish, a hospice team consult, documented her actions appropriately, and left a note (it was night shift) for the primary physician.”

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  Why physicians should care about Amanda Trujillo, by J. Doe, RN in Patient, February 25, 2012:”For the past month, the case of Amanda Trujillo has resonated deeply among nurses, triggering an avalanche of postings on Facebook, Twitter and in the nursing blogosphere. Trujillo is the Arizona nurse who was fired in April 2011 after providing education and making a hospice care consult request for an end-stage liver disease patient. This patient was slotted for pre-transplant evaluation and had poor understanding of the disease process and treatment options. Trujillo filled in the gaps for this patient. Trujillo then requested, at the patient’s own wish, a hospice team consult, documented her actions appropriately, and left a note (it was night shift) for the primary physician. These actions — the education and the hospice team consult — drew the wrath of both the primary physician, who demanded her dismissal and her license, and also her nursing director, who told Trujillo she had ”messed up all the doctors’ hard work and planning for the surgery.” The patient-requested hospice care consult was cancelled. Trujillo’s employer subsequently fired her, and reported her to the Arizona State Board of Nursing for exceeding nursing scope of practice, though in fact, nurses previously had ordered a hospice care consult without consequence. In short, many nurses believe Trujillo was fired for educating and advocating for her patient.” http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2012/02/physicians-care-amanda-trujillo.html

   

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  Arizona’s attack on nurses: the Amanda Trujillo case goes viral, by DA Morales on Feb. 23, 2012:”From KPHO (Phoenix CBS), Nurse says she was fired for educating patient. Inside Banner Del Webb Hospital in Sun City West, nurses are constantly tending to sick patients. That’s what Amanda Trujillo said she was doing last April when she spoke with a patient on the eve of their surgery. “I discovered that they had a very big misunderstanding about what they were about to participate in,” Trujillo told CBS 5 News. Trujillo, a licensed nurse in Arizona since 2006, said she advised the patient of possible complications. The patient decided to delay the surgery and reconsider his or her options. Trujillo said she also ordered a case management consult for the patient to be educated about hospice care. “The doctor, ultimately, is the focal point that directs care for patients,” said Banner spokesman Bill Byron, who said company policy prevents nurses from ordering a case management consult. “This is what we go to school to do. We are licensed to teach our patients, we are licensed to advocate,” said Trujillo.” http://tucsoncitizen.com/three-sonorans/2012/02/23/arizonas-attack-on-nurses-the-amanda-trujillo-case-goes-viral/

   

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  In the Footsteps of Rosa Parks, Mother Jones, RN, February 20, 2012:”You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right.” Rosa Parks. Nurse K, the proprietor of Crass-Pollination: An ER Blog just wrote a post about the Amanda Trujillo case. She and I have very different opinions about Amanda’s case, but I encourage you to read her post because she reflects the opinion of many nurses about Amanda’s situation. Nurse K gives an accurate blow by blow description on how corporate nurse leaders wage war against their nursing staff. She explains how nurse managers orchestrate the demise of nursing careers. Make management angry and you get the axe, and there isn’t a nurse alive that hasn’t witnessed or experienced the wrath of hospital management. Nurses scatter and go underground when someone gets in trouble, and conventional wisdom states that a nurse should be contrite and take their punishment when they are abused by those who hold power. Many people are wondering why Amanda didn’t follow the same path. Some, like Nurse K, are suggesting that Amanda is committing career suicide. Other’s have told Amanda to “shut up.” The American Nurses Association and the Arizona Nurses Association won’t support an individual nurse who is “under investigation.” Egregious comments and actions are coming from the Arizona Board of Nursing. Kim McAllister from Emergiblog writes about the board’s actions here.” http://www.nurseratchedsplace.com/2012/02/in-the-footsteps-of-rosa-parks/

   

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  Amanda Trujillo: An Unfortunate Case of Career Suicide, Friday, February 17, 2012, Crass Pollination:”I used to be really poor back in the day. I’m not talking “I had a five-year-old computer and sometimes I had to go to Subway instead of somewhere that was Zagat rated.” I’m talking no heat outside of a single space heater in below-freezing temps, a food budget of $10/week for three people, no functioning toilet (sh*tting outside in the snow sucks, take note), a leaky roof, and neighbors stopping by to give me and my son meat. Really, being poor sucks. I got straight As in college with all this going on.” http://crasspollination.blogspot.com/2012/02/amanda-trujillo-unfortunate-case-of.html

   

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  Boards of Nursing and the Amanda Trujillo Case, February 17, 2012, By Shawn Kennedy, MA, RN, AJN editor-in-chief:”Our prior post on the Amanda Trujillo case elicited many comments, on a variety of themes. There were also referrals and crosslinks to other sites supporting, analyzing, and weighing in on the situation, including statements from the Arizona Nurses Association and the ANA, and a post on a physician blog, “White Coat’s Call Room,” which has vowed to carry all the details once the case is decided.” http://ajnoffthecharts.com/2012/02/17/boards-of-nursing-and-the-amanda-trujillo-case/

   

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  Here’s What You Think About RN Amanda Trujillo’s Story, February 15th, 2012, By Jennifer Olin, BSN, RN:”I rarely worry about losing my job as a nurse. I’m generally professional, mostly on time, anal retentive about patient safety and for the most part people seem to like me. I am bossy, but I am a nurse (specifically an OR nurse so that comes with the territory). I am demanding on my patient’s behalf (but sometimes that slips over into my personal life) and I hate charting (which is hard on my chart reviewers and why I love medical mission work). I share all this because I am human; just like every nurse. Most of us don’t consider we will lose our jobs for doing our jobs, sometimes no matter how difficult we are to work alongside. Arizona nurse Amanda Trujillo never considered she would lose her job and possibly her license for being safety conscious and demanding on her patient’s behalf.” http://www.rncentral.com/blog/2012/heres-what-you-think-about-rn-amanda-trujillos-story/

   

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  Amanda Trujillo RN, Monday, February 13, 2012, End of Shift Report – Stories From an Operating Room:”I am breaking into my usual fiction to tell you about a real travesty taking place in Arizona. Amanda Trujillo RN advised a patient who was up for a liver transplant about other options at the patients request. This is a normal and expected duty of an RN. As a result, the patient and his family decided against the liver transplant. The Surgeon involved went ballistic, threw a well documented temper tantrum, went to the Hospital administration and demanded Nurse Trujillo’s termination, which they did. He then went and filed a complaint with the Arizona State Nursing Board who have placed Nurse Trujillo under investigation. The American Nurses Association, who supposedly represent nurses has issued a fatuous, self serving masterpiece of administrative-do-nothing statement that if anything, supports the hospital, the surgeon and the state board. The Arizona State Nurses Association also has done nothing.The leadership of the state board and the state association have been seen schmoozing with other powers that be. Am I surprised? No. Am I outraged? Yes. Over the years I have seen many, many instances of Nurses having to put up with abusive behavior if not outright assault and battery by Physicians. I have yet to see any Physician receive appropriate discipline, and in most instances no discipline.” http://endofshiftreport.blogspot.com/2012/02/amanda-trujillo-rn.html

   

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  Re Amanda Trujillo: Open Letter to The Honorable Janice K. Brewer, Arizona Governor, Posted on February 12, 2012, Greg Mercer:”Please learn more about the important ongoing case of RN Amanda Trujillo, a conscientious Nurse who has been punished strikingly severely for providing routine patient education that inconvenienced and angered a physician who demanded her job and her license. Her State BON has still not decided her case after a year, and she remains an unemployed single mother. For a fine summary of the known facts, see ” thenerdynurse.com/2012/01/arizona-nurse-has-license-threatened-by-doctor-after-providing-patient-education.html ” If, as I and many others have after much research and reflection, you find her cause worthy and just, please participate in our advocacy campaign. It requires little commitment, cost, or effort:” http://grchealthcareblog.com/2012/02/12/re-amanda-trujillo-open-letter-to-the-honorable-janice-k-brewer-arizona-governor/

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  Healthcare Providers Strive For Excellence, February 8th, 2012, By Jennifer Olin, BSN, RN, @JOlin2 :”Hospitals and other healthcare facilities that earn Magnet Recognition are examples of how nurses and nursing care can influence patient outcomes. It is a great honor and it is one healthcare providers spend a lot of time and money to achieve. However, there are only about 400 Magnet hospitals around the world and thousands of fine healthcare institutions employing nurses everywhere you look.” http://www.rncentral.com/blog/2012/healthcare-providers-strive-for-excellence/

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  Why Nurses are Furious about the Amanda Trujillo Case, February 7, 2012, Those Emergency Blues:”The case of Amanda Trujillo has generated a great deal of passionate commentary across the nursing blogosphere. Trujillo, as you may well know, is the nurse who was fired by Banner Health Del E. Webb Medical Center for requesting multi-disciplinary hospice care case management consult for a pre-transplant patient with end-stage liver disease. The request angered the patient’s physician — not the transplant surgeon, incidentally, nor someone with any knowledge of transplant surgery — who complained to Trujillo’s manager. After her termination, the hospital subsequently reported her to the Arizona State Board of Nursing for exceeding her scope of practice. If the Board finds against Trujillo, she may well face the loss of her license or other sanctions; in the event, her nursing career would be finished. Superficially, at least, an open and shut case, or least this is how Banner Health would like to project the controversy. Scratch the surface a little and matters change considerably. So why are nurses so furious? Part of it is the apparent coincidence of any number of other, seemingly random bits of information outside the direct narrative of Trujillo’s story. The fact that the Arizona State Board of Nursing chose to deem Trujillo’s attempt to defend herself publicly as “retaliatory behavior” just as her story was becoming part of the general conversation, and then ordered a psychiatric evaluation is one of those seemingly random bits. This struck me particularly. Suspicious minds might see a pattern to punish Trujillo for speaking up by publicly labelling her mentally disturbed (and in health care, as any nurse will tell you, acquiring that label is doubly damning.) For myself, I will be content to note that throughout history calling people crazy is a traditional means of discrediting those challenging authority and marginalizing dissent.” http://torontoemerg.wordpress.com/2012/02/07/why-nurses-are-furious-about-the-amanda-trujillo-case/

   

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  Amanda Trujillo, Whitecoat, Emergency Physicians Monthly, February 6, 2012:”I finally took the time to read some other blogs today. One of the issues that I found disturbing was the case of Amanda Trujillo. There are a lot of bits and pieces out there about what actually happened in this case. This blog post was reportedly an e-mail from Amanda describing the events. A summary of the post follows. Amanda was a registered nurse of six years , specializing in cardiology, geriatrics, and end of life/palliative care. In April 2011, she was caring for a dying patient at Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center who had agreed to a major invasive surgery recommended by a staff surgeon. Amanda used materials from her hospital to educate the patient about the details of the surgery and the aftercare. The patient became upset, stating that the surgeon never explained details of the surgery or what had to be done after the surgery (complex lifetime daily self care). Amanda also discovered that the patient “had no idea” that surgery could be refused or that the patient could enroll in hospice care. She educated the patient on those options as well.” http://www.epmonthly.com/whitecoat/2012/02/amanda-trujillo/

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  The Nurse: The Swiss Army Knife of Healthcare, by carol-gino on February 5, 2012:”Okay so, after reading a ton of books trying to find a definition of nursing that matched my experience, I fell asleep with no clear cut answer to my question, “What is a nurse?” I mean it’s not that I haven’t been pondering that for a very long time, it’s just that nothing so far has satisfied me. I’ve seen brilliant bedside nurses–and I don’t mean nurses who only cared for patients with superb care and compassion– I mean smart, really smart diagnosticians. Nurses who doctors asked, “What do you think is going on with this patient?” And when they answered, there was true appreciation and respect from the doctor to that nurse. They were colleagues, no question there. I’ve seen ICU nurses, who both doctors and patients trusted to look at a monitor, administer meds — both stat and with standing orders — who saved patients lives time and time again, before a doctor ever could get to the Unit. http://hopefulhealer.com/the-nurse-the-swiss-army-knife-of-healthcare/

   

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  #NurseUp and Educate On!! Support Each Other! ER Nurses Care, Thursday, February 2, 2012:”Nurses all over the US are upset and simply can’t understand how on earth a nurse could be fired for being a patient advocate, educating her patient on all aspects of their care and explaining in detail treatment plans, which led to a greater understanding by her patient and subsequent change in plans. Amanda Trujillo is an advocate for her patients, she did what we all do every shift that we work, make sure our patients understand what is wrong with them, the plan of care, which includes educating them on any treatments, procedures, medications, surgeries, activities or anything else the patient or family asks of us. http://ernursescare.blogspot.com/2012/02/nurseup-and-educate-on-support-each.html

   

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  Tsunami: A Conversation with Amanda Trujillo (Part 3 of 3), by Nursetopia on February 2, 2012:”Amanda nailed this situation during our call when she said, “This is bigger than me.” She explained her actions – reaching out to colleagues via emails and social media – is not about revenge or getting even with any organization. She understands the Arizona Board of Nursing must investigate her because she was reported, however, the reason she was reported – a case management consult construed as a medical order – is the bothersome part. “We all make mistakes, realize them, use them to change, give thanks for them, and move on. If I had done something wrong, I could take it. If I had done something wrong.” Amanda’s story is a ripple culminating in a tsunami of change and ideas and discussions. When asked what she’d like other nurses to know, she provided three thoughts:” http://nursetopia.net/2012/02/02/tsunami-a-conversation-with-amanda-trujillo-part-3-of-3/

   

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  A Letter From the Arizona Nurses Association,February 1, 2012, Author: Mother Jones, RN, @motherjonesrn:”I wrote a letter to the Arizona Nurses Association when I learned that the association was not coming to the aid of Amanda Trujillo. If you haven’t heard, Amanda was fired from Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center after she educated one of her patients about their upcoming liver transplant. I wrote about it here and here. I couldn’t understand why the association was twiddling its thumbs until I learned that Teri Hill, the president of AzNA is also the Director of Professional Practice at Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center. This is what I wrote: “I’ve been a registered nurse for 35 years and I had thought I had seen everything until I read about the persecution of Amanda Trujillo. I wondered why the Arizona Nurses Association wasn’t backing her until I learned that you are affiliated with the hospital that fired Ms. Trujillo. Shame on you for throwing a nurse under the bus just to appease a doctor that obviously has an anger management issue. Sorry the hospital lost out on a billable procedure, but the patient had a right to know about all of their treatment options. I hope your membership throws you all out of office for not backing Ms. Trujillo. You are a disgrace to the nursing profession.”" http://www.nurseratchedsplace.com/2012/02/a-letter-from-the-arizona-nurses-association/

   

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  Waves: A Conversation with Amanda Trujillo (Part 2 of 3), by Nursetopia on February 1, 2012:”Nurses throughout the U.S. and Canada are standing beside Amanda Trujillo, RN, MSN. We’re talking about this everywhere – in blogs, social media, our offices, you name it. Admittedly, Amanda is a shy person; she’s not accustomed to this attention. Yet, she says, “For the first time, I feel safe; for the first time, I don’t feel alone.” Why does Amanda’s story resonate with so many of us? Because the majority of us have faced a sliver of Amanda’s story. We’ve each felt alone in our careers – in certain situations – at one point or another, and we don’t think anyone should have to do that. Despite what most believe, there is a strong cohort of nurses who don’t eat our profession’s young; rather, we take them under our wings and mentor them. It’s unfortunate so many nurses do not get to see this amazing group of nurses because they typically find one another, encourage one another, and make their organizations great. The same is true for the bullies – those nurses that really should never provide care for people because they are constantly tearing down everyone they meet. They find one another, too, creating hostile and toxic environments, driving nurses away from the profession and making them think they are failures.” http://nursetopia.net/2012/02/01/waves-a-conversation-with-amanda-trujillo-part-2-of-3/

   

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  An Update on AZ Nurse Amanda Trujillo Case, Submitted by Mech on Wednesday, 1 February 2012:”Amanda Trujillo, a registered nurse in Arizona, has been scuffling with her case on patient advocacy for several months already. On January 24, 2012, her case was supposedly to be heard. But unfortunately, it has been postponed and rescheduled on March. And what is reason for delaying it? The AZ BON don’t like Amanda’s online activity and feel she threatened a former boss. Thus, they are requiring her to undergo first a psychiatric evaluation. With the popularity that Amanda Trujillo’s case is receiving online, it made me realized then how important social media is in healthcare industry. They are not only beneficial in promoting health awareness but also allow people in nursing scrubs to share their experiences. Additionally, social media makes it possible for nurses to extend their support to fellow professionals in nursing scrubs like AZ nurse Amanda Trujillo who is currently in a dilemma. http://www.scrubpoint.com/2012/02/01/an-update-on-az-nurse-amanda-trujillo-case/

   

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  Ripples: A Conversation with Amanda Trujillo (Part 1 of 3), by Nursetopia on January 31, 2012:”I know there are people who have read and read and read about Amanda Trujillo. In fact, there are so many great posts, I don’t know who to link to so you can see them all. Be sure to check out The Nerdy Nurse, Those Emergency Blues, Emergiblog, iCoachNurses, Nurse Ratched’s Place, and Vern Dutton’s page. There are a plethora of links between those fabulous blogs. Still, there are many who have no idea what is happening in Arizona. You can read Amanda’s story in her own words; please, do. I spoke with Amanda via telephone for over an hour, listening to her tell her story and asking questions. The many subsequent posts are for Amanda as well as inspired by her. I thank her for sharing her time and story with me so I can share it with you in hopes you will share it with others. This must stop.” http://nursetopia.net/2012/01/31/ripples-a-conversation-with-amanda-trujillo-part-1-of-3/

   

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  Here’s the plan: Lets make the powers WANT to help Amanda T, Greg Mercer, January 29, 2012:”I have a plan, and much evidence suggests it could work. Forget “support,” forget “standing by,” forget sympathy and empathy and outrage, for a moment. We now have achieved plenty of all of those things. I think we should offer more – ensure Amanda retains her license, her good name, and her career. I surely can’t offer certainty, but I can offer a fair shot of success, without asking more than many Nurse are already offering. My last posts have been lengthy, so here’s a short version – I suggest the full ones if you can find the time, worth it, please trust me on that. My plan makes more sense if you know a bit more about the history and successes of Social Media advocacy outside of Nursing. The short version: initially tiny groups of plain old average powerless people, with much less credibility and wherewithal than that of the average Nurse, have repeatedly used Social Media to organize. Using these tools they have defeated the following in some way – all real well-documented examples, I give my word and reputation on it. These examples are more fully describes in other posts” http://grchealthcareblog.com/2012/01/29/heres-the-plan-lets-make-the-powers-want-to-help-amanda-t/

   

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  Here’s how you can REALLY help Amanda T and other Nurses, Greg Mercer, RN, @gregmercer1, January 28, 2012:”I have a few more ideas to offer about Amanda Trujillo’s situation, about Social Media, about powers Nurses already have, and those we COULD have and soon, IF we decide to make it so. It wouldn’t require much from most individual Nurses, really, not much at all: for most of us, a few minutes here and there, perhaps a few dollars occasionally. Very little in comparison to the hard work we put in every day. What do Nurses need most? What do Nurses like Amanda need most? They need more power, plain and simple. Everything else is details. Here’s a thought: what about sending peanuts? Whoa, where did that come from? This, my friends, is a teaser: a preview of one of the real success stories later on in this post. Ordinary little people got mad, and instead of complaining and waiting for someone else to save them, they got organized, they sent lots and lots of peanuts. By so doing they quickly, cheaply, and rather easily forced a large Corporation to change its ways against its will. TRUE STORY, people. Check it out: unless you want Nursing to stay as is or get worse.” http://grchealthcareblog.com/2012/01/28/heres-how-you-can-really-help-amanda-t-and-other-nurses/

   

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  Arizona Nurse Has License Threatened By Doctor After Providing Patient Education, January 22, 2012 By The Nerdy Nurse:”There are times in my nursing career when I am so very proud of how far we have come in advancing our profession. Unfortunately, there are also times where I am reminded that this is still very much an uphill climb we must make in order to legitimately participate in truly collaborative healthcare. Today is one of those days in which I am reminded we still have battles to win. The following blog post is related to an email that was originally sent to @EchoHeronAuthor. It was then posted on Vernon Dutton’s Posterous, Amanda Trujillo case will go before the Arizona State Board of Nursing on January 24th, 2012. Her story is one of an archaic medical model in which the doctor’s word is supreme and we are all just nurse maids here to do their bidding. This is an indication that there are many who do not wish to continue to advance toward collaborative healthcare in which we work as a team to provide patients with the best care possible. This is also an example of persons who may not be in medicine for the right reasons.” http://thenerdynurse.com/2012/01/arizona-nurse-has-license-threatened-by-doctor-after-providing-patient-education.html

   

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  http://nursetopia.net/2012/01/31/ripples-a-conversation-with-amanda-trujillo-part-1-of-3/

   

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  Amanda Trujillo – Nurse fired for being a patient advocate, Pat Iyer, January 30, 2012:”The story of Amanda Trujillo is a horrifying one. Briefly, she is a single mom who fought to get off welfare and fulfilled her dream of becoming a nurse. Not only did she become a nurse, she earned a masters degree in nursing. One night while working a Banner Health in Arizona, she took care of a patient who was being asked to undergo a liver transplant. In talking to the patient, Amanda learned that the patient did not fully understand what was going to occur. Amanda educated the patient. She explained the option of hospice instead. The patient decided against the transplant. Then the physician came in, had a well- witnessed tantrum at the hospital when he found out his patient had decided against surgery, and Amanda was fired by the hospital. Her case came up for review by the Arizona Board of Nursing. The summary of her case written by the attorney representing her is below. Amanda has been devastated in terms of her career and her finances. She is back on welfare, her dream of being a nurse shattered.” http://www.avoidmedicalerrors.com/2012/01/amanda-trujillo-nurse-fired-for-being-a-patient-advocate/

   

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  Banner Health, Arizona Board of @Nursing: A Personal Vendetta? Emergiblog:”Sorry, no. This is the problem. There is a huge injustice being perpetrated against a nurse right this moment. It’s getting worse. And the ones who got the party started aren’t happy that it isn’t quiet. That their moves, and their motives, are under public scrutiny. That nurses are talking. Because if you are quiet, it means they’ve got you frightened. If you are quiet, it’s harder for the next nurse to speak out. If you are quiet, it is easier to intimidate and retaliate against nurses with impunity. I received a call from the Arizona Board of Nursing this morning. I am not able to obtain a copy of the Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center complaint against Amanda Trujillo, RN, MSN.” http://www.emergiblog.com/2012/01/banner-health-arizona-board-of-nursing-a-personal-vendetta.html

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  Nurses associations, my very own arcade claw machine by Kevin Ross, January 29, 2012:”It seems that there isn’t any shortage of things to write about here at Innovative Nurse when it comes to fellow nurse Amanda Trujillo. Search Twitter for #NurseUp, and all of the amazing nurse bloggers out there (links below), that have kept you somewhat up to speed on the case of Amanda. So, I was on Tweetchat this past Sunday with some of these amazing nurse bloggers, leaders, and entrepreneurs out there and the support is just off the hook (save that hook reference for a sec). I know we’re here for a bigger cause than Amanda. I just can’t believe it took something like this to bring us together. We’re here for the nursing profession, and in support of our ability to work collaboratively and to advocate for our patients. There are nursing professionals I’ve never even met that are pouring themselves into this cause with great vigor. Watch out because the energy behind this is unstoppable.” http://innovativenurse.com/nurses-association-arcade-claw-machine/

   

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  Voices For Amanda Trujillo, Jay Doe, Those Emergency Blues, January 28, 2012:”Each of them eloquently speaks to the heart of what we do as nurses — and why nurses find how Amanda Trujillo was fired and subsequently reported to the Arizona State Board of Nursing so troubling. (Via The Innovative Nurse.)” Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Jay-Doe/100000771416457 Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/TorontoEmerg http://torontoemerg.wordpress.com/2012/01/28/voices-for-amanda-trujillo/

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  The power of social media #NurseUp, By Kevin On January 25, 2012:”If you’ve been following Innovative Nurse, and the other nurse bloggers and innovators out there, then you’ve probably gotten a dose of how powerful social media can be. Just a few short days ago, I heard about Amanda Trujillo’s story and decided to plant my feet firmly on the ground, my fingers firmly on my keyboard, and I took a stance. Drafting an open letter to the Arizona Board of Nursing on Amanda’s behalf just seemed like the least I could do for her. She didn’t reach out to me, I’ve never met her in person, and yet, it’s as if I actually know her. The connection is unbreakable. She’s a nurse. I know what that means. I take a lot of pride in who I am, and everything I’ve done as a nurse. I’m sure you know where I’m coming from if you too are a nurse. We are on the front lines, we are the armor, and together we’re impenetrable.” http://innovativenurse.com/power-social-media-nurseup/

   

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  Arizona Nurse Has License Threatened By Doctor After Providing Patient Education January 22, 2012 By The Nerdy Nurse:”There are times in my nursing career when I am so very proud of how far we have come in advancing our profession. Unfortunately, there are also times where I am reminded that this is still very much an uphill climb we must make in order to legitimately participate in truly collaborative healthcare. Today is one of those days in which I am reminded we still have battles to win. The following blog post is related to an email that was originally sent to @EchoHeronAuthor. It was then posted on Vernon Dutton’s Posterous, Amanda Trujillo case will go before the Arizona State Board of Nursing on January 24th, 2012. Her story is one of an archaic medical model in which the doctor’s word is supreme and we are all just nurse maids here to do their bidding. This is an indication that there are many who do not wish to continue to advance toward collaborative healthcare in which we work as a team to provide patients with the best care possible. This is also an example of persons who may not be in medicine for the right reasons.” http://thenerdynurse.com/2012/01/arizona-nurse-has-license-threatened-by-doctor-after-providing-patient-education.html

   

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  Advocating for a fellow Nurse: Amanda Trujillo, MSN, RN, DNSc-NP(s), Kevin Ross, January 22, 2012, #RN, @innovativenurse #nurseup #nursefriendly:”An open letter to the Arizona State Board of Nursing. Disclaimer, I have not been directly contacted by Amanda Trujillo, nor do I know her personally or professionally. I am also writing to you based on the information that I have available to me. To the Arizona State Board of Nursing: To whom it may concern, I am writing to you on behalf of Amanda Trujillo, MSN, RN, DNSc-NP(s) regarding the case attached below. I have not been contacted directly by Amanda Trujillo, and I have neither a personal or professional relationship other than that she is a fellow nurse in need of my support. http://innovativenurse.com/advocating-fellow-nurse/

   

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  Del E. Webb Medical Center, Sun City Arizona AKA Banner Health Nurse Incident @BannerHealth, January 15, 2012:”This is the original post which prompted us to mobilize and form the “Nurseup” movement. It reprints an email Amanda Trujillo, RN sent to Echo Heron, RN http://www.echoheron.com/ We are deeply grateful to Vernon Dutton, RN @nursingpins for bringing this issue to our attention and continuing to support it tirelessly.”

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  Being A Naive Nurse Will Get You Thrown To The Wolves, @jaydoe, 11/07/10. #Nurseup:”In matters related to practice, errors, or sentinel events, are nurses far too naïve when it comes to dealing with their employers, regulatory bodies, or police? Nurses falsely assume that all of these authorities will act in, or at least be mindful of, their best interests. The thought that any of them might act solely in their own self-interest (at best) or in bad faith (at worst), is probably beyond most of us. The fact is none of them have a nurse’s interest as their top priority, if in fact they consider it all. Aside from a duty to ensure patient safety, hospitals have a legal, fiduciary obligation to protect themselves from liability issues and legal action.” http://nurseup.com/wordpress/2012/03/being-a-naive-nurse-will-get-you-thrown-to-the-wolves/

   

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