A nurse advocates for her patient, as nurses are supposed to and gets fired. It is the story of Amanda Trujillo, a nurse in Arizona.
Here is her story in her own words:
My name is Amanda Trujillo. I’m a registered nurse of six years , specializing in cardiology, geriatrics, and end of life/palliative care. Back in April of this year I was caring for a dying patient whom I had discovered had no clue about what they were about to participate in when they agreed to get a major invasive surgery. When I properly educated the patient using the allowed materials by my employer they became upset that the physician never explained details of the surgery or what had to be done after the surgery (complex lifetime daily self care). The patient also had no idea that they had a choice about whether they had to get the surgery or not or that there were other options. They asked about hospice and comfort care and I educated the patient within my nursing license and the nursing code of ethics. The patient requested a case management consult to visit with hospice to explore this option further in order to make a better decision for their course of care. I documented extensively for the doctor to read the next day and I also passed the info on to the next nurse taking over, emphasizing the importance of speaking with the doctor about the gross misunderstanding they had about the surgery. The doctor became enraged, threw a well witnessed tantrum in the nursing station, refused to let the patient visit with hospice, and insisted I be fired and my license taken. He was successful on all counts.
More info at this website
4 comments:
Sometimes doing the right thing incurs injustice. It's a shame.
How ridiculous. :-( makes me sad for the state of healthcare in this country.
Is it wrong that I kinda wish that would happen to me?
Shame on management for siding against ethical behavior, justice and simple decency. Patients MUST be given all reasonable options.
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