Who Will Be Next?

Not too long ago I wrote a post about a patient who got second degree burns on her arm from a warm pack. The aide had heated it in the microwave until it was nice and searing hot. A new rule was made that warm packs can't go into the microwave and I thought that would be the end of it, but it's just the beginning. Proceedings have been brought to fire the nurse, not the aide who applied the warm pack, but the RN whose patient was injured.

All the RN did was ask the aide to apply a warm pack to the patient's arm. That is how we do things and perfectly acceptable. None of us can figure out why the RN is being held responsible.

I have to be honest. I do not like this RN and would be happy to see her go, but I don't want it to happen like this. This is just plain wrong. The union is fighting it and the nurse has hired a lawyer.

This nurse, though not popular among her peers, seems well-liked by management. We tend to think of her as "one of them". She is the last person we would expect management to find trumped-up reasons to fire. If they would go after her, the rest of us aren't safe either.

The older nurses are wondering if they should take early retirement and the younger nurses are considering transferring out. This is just one of many reasons why there is a nursing shortage.