Nurse Up!

Everybody, looks what going down. This is the title to the latest blog post by Kim over at Emergiblog (link below.) Kim makes 3 very good points about the Amanda Trujillo case but the one that scares me the most is that this patient would of had surgery without informed consent.

So what is informed consent? It is the patients right to know the pros and cons of a treatment, surgery, procedure done during hospitalization..

This is part of the Patient Bill of Rights that started in the 1970s by the American Hospitals Association as a way to inform patients of what they could expect during hospitalization. It has now grown into many different Patient Bill of Rights but the older versions still apply here.

Here’s the American Cancer Society  Patient Bill of Rights  statement on informed consent-

You have the right to know your treatment options and take part in decisions about your care. You have the right to ask about the pros and cons of any treatment, including no treatment at all. As long as you are able to make sound decisions, you have the right to refuse any test or treatment, even if it means you might have a bad health outcome as a result. You can also legally choose who can speak for you if you cannot make your own decisions.

So why are doctors allowed to get away with not providing informed consent to their patients? They must know  the ramifications, right?

And they wonder why their malpractice insurance is so high.

I’m appalled at the actions taken by the healthcare system she worked for as well as the doctor, whose behavior was allowed to happen without consequences. I think it’s a set back to the nursing profession. We continue to be treated by some doctors ( not all thank goodness) that are voice doesn’t matter.

Well it does matter and things are happening.

Check out some of the latest blog post by fellow nurses:

Note to Banner Health: Patients are not RGUs

Everybody Look What Going Down

RN Central.com  RN Amanda Trujillo becomes a call to action

The Case of Amanda Trujillo: The Amanda within us

If Amanda Trujillo has her license revoked this will send a negative message to all nurses – that nurses don’t matter, doctors are still god and big healthcare organizations can do whatever they want for the love of money. If you are a threat, they don’t want you so beware nurses this could happen to any one of us and we need to stop it now!

Join the movement, sign the petition below, tweet about it, share with you FB friends, whatever you favorite social networking site is, share her story. Let’s start a movement for nurses, we need nurses to stand together because there is no organization that will stand with us in times like this.

Thanks for your support!

Sign the Amanda Trujillo petition!

The Movement has Begun.

Tina Lanciault is a nurse helping other nurses explore alternative nursing careers by sharing her experiences, resources and insights into the exciting field of nursing. So many opportunities for nurses, find your niche in nursing here.