Who In The World Gave These Nurses License?This is Madness!

azhiker96, BSN, RN · Jun 7, 2009

It does sound like the hospital is poorly run to have so many complaints. I don't know the nurse/patient ratio there but I've heard of extreme nurse patient ratios in some hospitals. It's easy for an administrator to tell and nurse to take care of too many nurses and if jobs are scarce a nurse may not feel she could quit or refuse the assignment. There are only so many hours in a day or in a shift and if there are too many things for one nurse to do, some things will not be done or corners will be cut.

It sounds like the political climate there will not allow for the hospital to be found at fault. It's easier and cheaper to blame the nurse and continue to cut corners on patient care. Perhaps there are kickbacks or bribes involved. I don't know but some of the issues raised are not things the nurses could do. How are the nurses responsible for wrong diagnoses? Are there no doctors in the hospital? What do they do? I think this will take some political change to correct the problems.

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · Jun 7, 2009

2 functioning isolettes on a ward of 22 babies. What exactly was she supposed to do? That is what I want to know.

The only other alternative I can think of is kangarooing, which may not have been an option.

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Jun 7, 2009

After reading this thread and last post:

Maybe this nurse was doing her best, its hard to say. But having followed the history of the hospital over the past 10 years (hearing the horror stories of others) and looked at patterns of behavior of the general nursing population at THIS hospital (although this does not include ALL), its hard to be objective, for that I am sorry.

Ten years of hospital horror stories----obviously a SYSTEM issue and one lone staff RN should not be blammed for lack of supplies. I've seen nurses in US do eact same thing along with warming diasylate in microwave when warmer broken along with and placing bath blanket in dialysis warming cabinet--talk about potential cross contamination! If one is shown this "trick" to keep infant alive, and becomes part of unit culture to keep newborns alive, heads should roll @ the TOP, not the bottom.

Nurse523 · Jun 8, 2009

I read the article and I felt shocked to hear that there were only 2 incubators functioning properly at that time.

I think that the hospital is primarily responsible for the situation for not being able but of course, there are social,historic, economic and political factors that contribute to funds for healthcare.

Someone had mentioned, letting the mother nurse the baby. I agree with that as long as the mother is competent doing so (article did not mention about mother's condition after delivery). If yes, the nurse can check up on the baby's condition and the mother's to make sure everything is ok until a better option is available.

clay07 · Jun 8, 2009

I read the article and I felt shocked to hear that there were only 2 incubators functioning properly at that time.
I think that the hospital is primarily responsible for the situation for not being able but of course, there are social,historic, economic and political factors that contribute to funds for healthcare.
Someone had mentioned, letting the mother nurse the baby. I agree with that as long as the mother is competent doing so (article did not mention about mother's condition after delivery). If yes, the nurse can check up on the baby's condition and the mother's to make sure everything is ok until a better option is available.

The quote about nursing the baby had to do with what to do if there were no technology assisted apparatus; use basic nursing skills: what to do when there is no pitocin? let the mother nurse the baby.

I agree with the forum about most things. My point however still holds on what I have experienced with the nurses at THIS hospital. Yes it is true that many other factors need to be taken into consideration and God knows we (nurses) have been expected to turn water into wine in emergencies without the water, but I still hold to the fact that a lot of the nurses working at THIS hospital are doing so without the governance of a regulatory body. I won't begin to talk about the doctors. That's another article! I get it that we have been head cooks and bottle washers in extreme circumstances...THIS scenario is only a reflection of the MANY malpractices occuring at THIS hospital. It is sad that this nurse has become the catalyst for further investigations. I do hope that something acctually comes out of this. That she is able to redeem herself, but that too the root of the problem resolved.

Batman24 · Jun 8, 2009

Poor nurses and poor babies along with their poor families. They are doing the best they can under dire ciscumstances. To pin this on the nurses or any medical staff is absurd. If you don't have adequate equipment pin it on the facility as that is exactly where the blame belongs not the staff.

LVAD RN · Jun 8, 2009

Clay07 this is a very sad situation for all involved especially the parents of the child that died. However, you can do two things, either you can express how you feel about "That" hospital or you can find out how to change it. yes it is a third world country but everything cannot be obtained easily. Maybe you should try and see what RUMS or Intervol can do. Maybe get your FNP (if you do not have it yet) and spend some time in Jamaica teaching the nurses?

Ask some of the doctors that you work with if they can offer some time or ask your hospital if they can give a donation, or equipment? Find nurses in the US willing to go to Jamaica and help you teach. Contact the head of the department and see if there is anything you can do?

I understand your point but I assume that if you were trained in jamaica you may have had a different reaction. Maybe you would feel that the hospital should have provided equipment needed rather than blame the nurses.

Think of the cost as well 1 US dollar is equal to $89 Jamaican. Just a thought, maybe they cannot afford the equipment

clay07 · Jun 8, 2009

Clay07 this is a very sad situation for all involved especially the parents of the child that died. However, you can do two things, either you can express how you feel about "That" hospital or you can find out how to change it. yes it is a third world country but everything cannot be obtained easily. Maybe you should try and see what RUMS or Intervol can do. Maybe get your FNP (if you do not have it yet) and spend some time in Jamaica teaching the nurses?
Ask some of the doctors that you work with if they can offer some time or ask your hospital if they can give a donation, or equipment? Find nurses in the US willing to go to Jamaica and help you teach. Contact the head of the department and see if there is anything you can do?
I understand your point but I assume that if you were trained in jamaica you may have had a different reaction. Maybe you would feel that the hospital should have provided equipment needed rather than blame the nurses.
Think of the cost as well 1 US dollar is equal to $89 Jamaican. Just a thought, maybe they cannot afford the equipment

Its not all black and white. We obviously can only speak to the cards given to us, so it is with my trying to explain from my experiences and not sharing the whole story.

The article is sensitive, as it should be, to the poor conditions of the hospital mentioned. I am speaking to the history of what I have heard and experienced there.

True I could stop pointing fingers, be a part of the solution and stop complaining about the problem...but its a who knows who world. Listen, there are a lot of things to overcome before one can try and make a difference. Like I said, a lot of politics is also involved. Its not that simple, not that black or white. Don't think for one second that Jamaica is so poverty striken that we aren't techno-savy (of course there's always room to welcome more). Its sad that this is not the case for the babies on this floor. I do agree that there's alot of room for improvement.

I shared this article to shed light on a small part of the nursing community. I do hope to be a positive impact one day on the nursing community in Jamaica. As for having a different perspective if I were trained there, not so. My mother, other nurses from her batch, and many other nurses have proven that nursing is nursing regardless of where you're trained. The standard of nursing practice is just that, standard. Its like I said, this does not speak to ALL the nurses at home, its just the few bad apples spoiling the bunch, and most of the horror stories occuring there.

The article spoke about the misfortune of one nurse and the circumstances that surrounded her decisions. I wanted to give voice to the situation. Until I am better able to make a positive change, its all I can do. Its one situation, but like all situations, there are many factors surronding it. Standing from the outside looking in and given just so much to work with, its understandable that as nurses we will see only from the perspectives of our fellow nurses. Again, this is not an attack on the nurse in the article, it is to shed light on the pattern of behavior of the nurses at this hospital observed over the years.

I thank you for your encouragement to give back. Looking forward to someday do so.

leslie :-D · Jun 8, 2009

this is a system error and cannot be attributed to one person or thing.

another important consideration, is that impoverishment breeds contempt, despair, and a plethora of other psychosocial ramifications...

i'm thinking that your concerns, are not at all surprising.

sad yet expected, i would say.

so rather than focus on one part, how does one address an entire culture reeking w/such apathy?

who would even know where to begin?

sometimes, all it begins with is a concern expressed by one voice.

but i strongly encourage you to see the whole picture, and move forward accordingly.

i wish you well, clay.

leslie