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What are the lessons to be taken from this situation for nurses? This case has it all: State Nursing Board and Office of Attorney General investigation, criminal charges, and a wrongful discharge lawsuit.
Is the future of nursing where you are termed, reported to the State Nursing Board, criminally charged, and then you have to file a wrongful discharge lawsuit?
Is this an anomaly in nursing or is this the future of nursing practice?
Nurses really need to be more independent like physicians and instead of being employees, should have some type of alternative employment situation like being an independent contractor or being an employee but having an employment contract.
Someone told me this case is why nurses should consider unions. I laughed. Some nursing unions do some good and I am by no means anti-union in nursing. But in my opinion nursing unions are not the cure for what ails nursing.
I am seeing more cases like Birchaven but these cases don't make the news. I tell you, healthcare organizations will term a nurse who has worked at a facility 10, 15, or 20 years as fast as they will term a new grad on a 90 day probationary agreement. I had a client tell me last week she was going to PA school and transitioning out of nursing because nurses are under the microscope in healthcare facilities about everything. Then it turns into someone telling you "I can have your license for this!" "We are required to report you to the Board" "We are running this by legal counsel but we think we will have to report" and the rest of one-liners that strike fear into the heart and mind of a nurse.
Do you think the system is designed to find fault with the nurse because the nurse is the first and last line of "defense" at the bedside.
Until nurses start sticking together and moving toward in unity (which is really hard to do in a female dominated profession) nursing will continue to see more situations like Birchaven. Would this happen like this to a teacher? police officer? fireman? college professor? hospitalist physician? hospital-based dentist? Frack no.
So why is this scenario becoming more prevelant in nursing?
The greedy lawyer in me says well its more State Nursing Board complaints and possibly more money for me so I can do the money dance. But the nurse in me says its unfair (but so is life) and ponders and postulates about solutions and systems to balance the scales. The Sleeper Must Awaken. http://flavor8.com/index.php/2007/07/21/the-sleeper-must-awaken-dune/
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