Fox News says patients waiting to see a doctor will have to "settle for a nurse instead"

[FrancineRNfrannie]

Did you see this insulting news report on Fox News? Please sign the petition at this link Petition * Doug Rohrbeck: Fox News must make amends for attack on nurses in VA report * Change.org Thank you!

On June 1, 2016, Fox News posted a video report headlined "Vets may have to settle for a visit with the nurse at the VA,"which featured statements about a proposed rule change by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that would "allow highly trained nurses to act as doctors, and even administer anesthesia without a doctor's supervision."

The video report was apparently sparked by a June 1 press conference at which physician anesthesiologist groups voiced their objections to the rule. The report gave these physicians free rein to espouse their unsupported views, with no nursing response beyond a limited segment featuring a nurse practitioner (NP) assuring viewers somewhat vaguely that NPs do have clinical experience. The piece failed to convey that advanced practice nurses like NPs are graduate-educated health professionals with independent licenses and an autonomous nursing practice model, which is broader and more holistic than the medical model.

There was no response from any nursing group. Fox News ignored the powerful rebuttal of the physicians' arguments by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) that was issued on the same day as the anesthesiologists' press conference. Fox failed to convey that certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) have years of education specifically aimed at this work, which they have been doing safely for decades--they are not suddenly being asked to give anesthesia after learning about it in an extra night class or two. The AANA referred to the latest study showing that physician "supervision" of nurse anesthetists makes no difference to patient safety and is therefore unnecessary.

We urge Fox News to apologize for its unbalanced report, including the insulting suggestions that patients would be "settling" and that the nurses would be "act[ing] as doctors." We also expect Fox News to make amends for this report by running a followup video report with AANA president Juan Quintana, RN, DNP, CRNA, himself a military veteran, to allow nurses the opportunity to defend themselves from these attacks and let the public know about the research that shows they are safe, effective science professionals.

Please sign the petition at this link Petition * Doug Rohrbeck: Fox News must make amends for attack on nurses in VA report * Change.org

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Meh. It's Fox News. They aren't out to report the news accurately; they're out to get the ratings.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

Meh. It's Fox News. They aren't out to report the news accurately; they're out to get the ratings.

but we know there are many who take it as legit news...

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

There are people who ONLY watch fox news. As to those MDs - if this was all about the patients - especially at the VA which has so many needs - they wouldn't be making a fuss about a handful of NPs and CRNAs.

[ComeTogether, LPN]

Don't you mean Faux news?

Sorry, had to.

[SC_RNDude]

I especially like the doc who points out how fast a patient can deteriorate. He forgot to mention who is usually the one who would first pick up on that.

[SC_RNDude]

Meh. It's Fox News. They aren't out to report the news accurately; they're out to get the ratings.

And that is different from other news outlets in what way?

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

Their tag line is "we report, you decide" for a reason!!

[rlvigil]

This basically SAYS IT ALL. An absolute inspiration to our profession! #CRNAStrong

"My name is Susan M. Perry, PhD, CRNA, APRN, Colonel, USAF, NC retired. I served in the United States Military as an active duty officer for 25 years, retiring in December of 2014. For 16 of those years, I was a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. For 8 of those years I served at the Uniformed Services University educating and training CRNAs for the Department of Defense. My position at retirement was Senior Air Force Faculty at the Daniel K. Inoyue Graduate School of Nursing. I also served as Consultant to the AF Surgeon General for CRNA Education. Now I am the Senior Assistant Dean for Clinical Graduate Studies at the University of South Florida.

During my active duty time I was deployed 4 times. During all but one of those deployments I was the ONLY anesthesia provider at the deployed location. In fact, one of those times I was substituted for an anesthesiologist who obtained a "waiver" not to be deployed. Not one of those times did anyone question that I was able to administer anesthesia without supervision. I was deployed to Saudi Arabia to care for the entire Prince Sultan Airbase contingency operation. I was deployed to Qatar and performed independent anesthesia on the first wave of our OIF casualties, including our service dogs. I was deployed to Honduras in support of our special forces/humanitarian missions and was the anesthesia provider who developed the rotary wing aircraft surgical services contingency plan. I had all of our anesthesia training lectures translated for their school and led seminars on pediatric anesthesia for the anesthesia staff in the Honduran hospitals. There was NO other anesthesia provider there at any time. I was deployed to Peru as the operations commander.

The men and women I saved, thousands of miles from home, now come to the VA for care. Who should be there to take care of them? The civilian anesthesiologist who were sleeping at home while I improvised a way to do surgery in a sand storm with no electricity? While I figured out how to administer anesthesia to a child when there was no oxygen for recovery? When I was stationed in Bitburg Germany with the closest anesthesiologist in England, and I raced in a snow storm to put in an IV and save a mother who was hemorrhaging and losing her baby, allowing both to survive? I don't think so, I think CRNAs have been the anesthesia provider for over a 100 years and the anesthesiologist that have supervised” the CRNAs have walked in, given breaks and in the cases of the one place I was deployed with an anesthesiologist? During the night that we had 3 special forces troops come in for surgery with gunshot injuries to the head and neck and we worked all through the night. The anesthesiologist called me in from my rest period to do anesthesia for the most severely wounded while she slept in the middle of the tent. I finally woke her up to take over at the end the case so I could get some sleep because I was coming on duty in 3 hours. To not allow CRNAs and other APRNS to practice independently is discrimination, pure and simple and should not be allowed in the United States of America and certainly not in the VA.

Respectfully,

Susan M. Perry, PhD, CRNA, ARNP, Colonel, USAF, NC retired

Senior Assistant Dean Clinical Graduate Programs/Director CRNA Program

University of South Florida College of Nursing"

[cocoa_puff]

Fox News represents everything that is wrong with America....ignorance, discrimination, and paranoia. They don't report the news, they either make stuff up or twist what they have to force their agenda. CNN isn't any better.

[Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN]

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

USA Today ran basically the same story.