If Nurses Continue To Be The Escape Goats Patients Will Soon become The Sacrificial Goats At The Alter of The Almighty Dollar Without Anyone To protect Their Wellbeing
Shahina Lakhani
According to a gallop poll nurses are the most trusted professionals with 84% positive response. Physicians received 70% positive response and car sales people and politicians received a 7% positive response.
You would think that with such popularity, nursing would be most desirable, safe, enjoyable profession and nurses would be the most well treated people in the world or at least in USA where this poll was done. However, when you look at the recent news and over all work conditions of the nurses, the opposite seems to be true.
Amanda Trujillo RN, was fired for heeding her patient’s requestfor more information and for educating the patient. This resulted in lost revenue for the hospital and the physician because after getting more information, patient decided he/she wanted to explore other options for care.
The physician allegedly demanded that Amanda’s license be taken away. The hospital management obliged. Amanda was fired and reported to Arizona Board of Nurses. As a result her license is under investigation. She is unable to obtain employment as a nurse. Her case is still pending and being delayed at the Arizona Board Of Nursing.
Winkler county whistle blower nurses were fired and charged with felony for alleged misuse of official information for reporting a doctor’s questionable practices to appropritate authorities. This was a full blown conspiracy that also included the sheriff, the attorney and some other hospital and county officials. The Nurses were later cleared of all charges and awarded a $750, 000 settlement.
Sunrise nurses were fired and falsely charged with criminal harm to a baby for what was most likely product failure. This product had been reported several times to appropriate hospital authorties as being faulty. The court cleared all charges.
At a New York hospital two nurses were allegedly attacked by Douglas Kennedy for protecting his baby from being taken off the unit without proper procedure. The ordeal caught on tape yet a doctor, who is also Douglas Kennedy’s friend, gave a statement saying ‘the nurses were the only aggressors’. Kennedy charged with alleged offences.
As we all know for every case of misuse of power and cover up we hear, there are probably countless others that never come to the surface. And, even if these are the only recent cases, there is still no excuse for them what so ever.
It is obvious from the information we know about the above cases that the nurses are treated as the escape goats time and time again. If someone messes up in healthcare, usually the nurses are blamed who then lose their jobs, their reputation and end up with an investigation against them.
The united states law says that we are innocent until proven guilty. But the nurses are often presumed guilty until proven innocent, stripped of their license and thrown out unless they have enough galls to stand up for themselves to clear their name. They often stand alone, unsupported by the organizations they pay dues to and even by their own colleagues, like in the case of Amanda Trujillo.
Thankfully Amanda has gathered good support from the nurses in social media who also continue to watch other such cases and bring them to the attention of the public and others concerned.
Although all these efforts are commendable, they are still just efforts to put out fires. Trying to put out each fire after it is raging instead of taking concrete steps to prevent them is like chasing your own tail- it is expensive in terms of time, effort and cost and not very productive.
So what do we need to do? What steps do we, as nurses, take to prevent these fires and yet continue to advocate for our patients?
What steps do we take as a current and future patients who’s interest is guarded by nurses day in and day out often at the risk of their own health and well-being?
These are important questions we all must ask ourselves. Even if you are not a nurse or a patient, chances are you will be at the receiving end of healthcare one day.
At that time, regardless of who you are, you will hope and pray that the nurse taking care of you is like Amanda Trujillo or the winkler nurses or the New York nurses who stood up for their patients’ safety and wellbeing without any regard for what it might cost them.
If Nurses Continue To Be The Escape Goats Patients Will Soon become The Sacrificial Goats At The Alter of The Almighty Dollar Without Anyone To protect Their Wellbeing
For a lot of us, this time will come sooner than later.
Yours in love and peace
Shahina Lakhani
Shahina Lakhani Founder ThroughLifeAndDeath.com RN MSN Author, Poet, Speaker, Expert Holistic Life Change Strategist. She advocates using holistic strategies in personal empowerment, care of the sick, the dying and their loved ones. Shahina Lakhani has been a nurse for more than 25 years. She has worked as an educator, Nurse Practitioner and a Hospice Nurse. Her passion is to empower people to Live Powerfully and experience Wellbeing until their last breath.
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