Retaliation for voicing concern over unsafe pratices

TsunamiKim · Jan 10, 2006

I Agree with TNNURSE:

We must abide by one of the core principles of Nursing training and do as Nurses are consistently taught to do: Document everything! Hang on to every scrap of paperwork; if not for yourself and your own law suite now, do this as a testament to the truth and save it for latter. Remember that core principal you were taught as a trainee Nurse: "If you didn't document it, it never happened." Negligent Hospitals and toxic Managers will rely on your lack of documentation, but good, thorough conscientious Nurses are their downfall as they will document everything. Your Hospital will count on intimidation and retaliation forcing you to go away; they will count on humiliating you into silence. They will avoid all written comments at all cost, because liars can be easily caught out by their lies on paper. If they lie to make a verbal false allegation, later they can adapt what was said to fit any evidence that might refute it; if they are caught on tape or they put something in writing, they are then unable to play this trick of modifying it latter. One major hallmark of an institution that is lying is their dire reluctance to put anything in writing: Smoke and Mirrors!

I was confident enough in the truth of my allegations to make sworn statements in good faith to Public Agencies. I knew I was revealing details under oath on several occasions, but I was very sure of myself and very sure of the facts. People do not risk jail time to fabricate false statements of accusation for no reason; it is too risky: unlikely to work and far too high a price to pay for a very slim chance at revenge. A "disgruntled former employee" would have moved on long ago and would not be pushing to give sworn testimony before a Court Hearing or Public Tribunal. This obvious detail should have lent genuine credibility to my statements, but the Public Agencies were not ready to see their famous iconic Medical establishment challenged. They were ready to ignore and explain away all the secrecy that my former Hospital insisted upon, as if this practice was perfectly normal? This deeply flawed general strategy perpetrated by Agencies that are supposed to oversee, regulate and provide accreditation to protect the public interest is what desperately needs to change immediately to protect whistleblowers from retaliation.

If anyone tries to scare you with threats of bringing a legal suite against you, remember it's only slander or defamation if the statement you made is proven to be false. If you have come forward in good faith a minor omission or technicality cannot be used to prosecute you unless you are proven to have fabricated evidence or deliberately lied with malicious intent. The onus is on them to prove that what you have alleged is untrue. If your charges of negligence and retaliation are all totally truthful and factual then it will be very hard for them to conclusively prove that black is white. They can no longer just allude to your possible motive as tangible or conclusive evidence and get away with it. In Court the burden of proof favors the truthful and only those who have lied are reluctant to risk testimony under oath when the ramifications of committing perjury in a Court of law include time behind bars!

Do not shy away from their false charges against you. Meet them head on by documenting what they have falsely accused you of in writing, then challenge it with facts. They are terrified of this scenario as they may now have to substantiate false allegations in Court or pretend that they were not made in the first place. I have seized upon many of my former Hospital's false accusations, some that were so ludicrous no one in their right mind would believe them. When my former Manager went overboard trying to embellish her accusations of harassing phone calls with: "sometimes her calls to me would total five hours in one day," now that was a real peach! Beyond that why would anyone in their right mind tolerate over 50 harassing phone calls and take no preventative action what-so-ever. No "cease and desist" written warning, no witnessed counseling session, no taping or tracking of calls, no contacting the Hospital Security to discus the mounting threat, no supporting documentation at all to back up the claim. Beyond that as my Manager she was responsible for "reinventing" my schedule so that I was assigned to an OR where my contact with her went from the former rare occasional chance encounter to seeing her day in day out. Who would do that if they genuinely felt threatened?

The Hospital asked if I might agree to a Mediation through EEOC an agency they had a good track record of manipulating in the past. I didn't know this at the time and foolishly agreed, thinking that this futile EEOC Mediation would be fair and impartial, but there was no hope of that. At one point, behind closed doors, in a private separate room where I was excluded access, some sort of office planner of fabricated list of calls was shown to an EEOC Mediator. Following this revelation the Mediator was totally convinced I had made over 50 harassing phone calls to my OR Manager. Since I was not permitted to see this "evidence" there was little I could do to challenge it barring trying to convince her it was fabricated. THERE IS NO LEGITIMATE REASON TO REVEAL INCRIMINATING EVIDENCE IN SECRET. If this "evidence was valid, my former Hospital would have shoved it in my face!

If I ever go before a hearing both the Hospital and EEOC will have to explain the need for all this deliberately deceptive secret evidence. This tactic of demonstrating guilt behind my back where I was denied access, unable to even see the so called "incriminating evidence" and could therefore not challenge the validity of that evidence. should never be allowed at any type of hearing as it is instrumental in perpetrating fraud. This fake "evidence" only worked because my former Hospital was able to present it to EEOC in this clandestine way at a Mediation where this dubious form of deceit was not only allowed there was a promise it would never be referred to again.

The number of Managers who attended my Mediation only further convinced me of their sheer desperation to suppress the truth. Each time I attended a hearing there was a larger contingent of Hospital representatives that I faced virtually alone with just a Union Representative. There were times when even that Union Rep started to buy into their propaganda. I had to elaborate on their inconsistencies, their lack of documentation and their reliance on subterfuge to perpetrate lies to win her around by demonstrating things that didn't make any sense. The Hospital fully expected me to be so intimidated and thoroughly humiliated by their barrage that I would give up. They also expected me to go for the money they offered to silence me; first $5,000, then $8,500. This was contingent upon my writing a letter of resignation, but then damage that prohibited my being hired elsewhere would go away. There was a carefully veiled threat in their offer and I saw it as a sleazy bribe. If I really had acted as they said I would have been guilty of a criminal offence and they should never have offer me a nickel! Think about it, a Manager endures over 50 harassing calls and you reward the harasser with a cash payment? It was not the offer or the amount; it was the fact that under those circumstances, where they had gone behind closed doors to prove a criminal level of harassment had occurred, it was a totally amoral thing for an employer to consider offering any sum of money to the alleged perpetrator!

In retaliation cases those who attempt to victimize you tend to go OTT with their false allegations, but wile it may impress a decision maker at the time it can come back to haunt the abusive Management latter on as it cannot be proven. They never consider the next hearing as they never think that there would be a next hearing. The second I knew that this piece of fabricated "evidence" existed I started requesting it in writing. The Hospital had never counted on my doing this and it became a severe embarrassment to them. By the time we went to Arbitration they were very cautious to avoid mentioning this "evidence" as it had swiftly and very conveniently disappeared. There are pieces of evidence that are so absolutely conclusive and damming that they should have been paraded before the Arbitrator at my Hearing; this phony phone log/office planner was one such item. The record of calls made and complaints that were discussed with the Hospital's Security Department was another key item of conspicuously absent "evidence."

Before the Mediation hearing both parties were asked to swear that nothing either of us revealed that day would go beyond the hearing or be used in court; my former Hospital counted on that assurance to perpetrate fraud. The behind closed doors revelation of incriminating evidence is supposedly a standard EEOC policy according to their response to my letter of complaint. I want to reveal the dangers of this devious tactic so that EEOC and other Public Agencies are forced to make policy changes and future victims are warned ahead of time. If you agree to Mediation go over the terms of how the hearing will be conducted before you start. A behind closed doors meeting with a team of six Hospital representatives can be very persuasive and if you think the Mediator will not be swayed by their ear bashing you are way too naïve. Do not trust EEOC to provide a fair and impartial Mediation. Due to the blatant fraud perpetrated at my EEOC Mediation I no longer feel obligated to abide by my promise of silence as it is not in the public interest to continue endorsing this corrupt policy. If I have broken the law in revealing what happened that day: so be it. I am ruled by my conscience and would risk jail time to prevent future acts of fraud. This fraud helped a Hospital cover up patient negligence and retaliation against a whistleblower: I can no longer in good conscience remain silent.

The important thing here is that it was documented and I did absolutely everything I could do to end the negligent practices; my conscience is clear. It may take a patient death to expose the issues I bought forward, but if and when that happens my documentation of the danger will surface at last. What continues to drive me five years on is that it is not necessary for anyone to die to correct these problems, so I feel compelled to continue speaking out even from exile on the other side of the Atlantic. This is what you must keep in mind: document the danger and do not allow them to silence you, hopefully no one has to die from this negligence before the truth is revealed. It is easy to imagine that if there is no written reply from them it was not very important; be governed by your conscience human life is important. They think that by ignoring your letters of complaint and reports on negligence that the situation will go away and the big bucks from ignored negligent practices, skipped orientation, incompetence and understaffing will keep rolling in. Inadequate training of personnel and understaffing are forms of fraud as they defraud the public by false assurances of safe Hospital care: you are bearing testament to this truth. Do not let their inaction persuade you to abandon this important paper trail of evidence; this is really vital. If something adverse happens in the future it will be hard for them to deny any knowledge of past reported negligence or incompetence when there is a stack of ignored letters of warning from you documenting everything.

Even as I parted with so many personal possessions when I was forced to abandon my Baltimore home I got one file of important paperwork out to be carefully preserved with a trusted friend in the US so it will always be ready for me to present in Court or at a public Hearing. There were so many other treasured items I left behind, but it was my solemn duty to protect that vital file. I hope that one day we may be called upon to testify before an inquiry. I live for that day. I will beg and borrow the money to return to the US to testify with all of my British family and all of my American friends in full support of my stand for justice. That will perhaps be my last duty of US Citizenship.

DOCUMENT EVERYTHING & PLEASE KEEP SPEAKING OUT!

Fair Winds & Following Seas, Tsunami Kim

Keysnurse2008 · Jan 16, 2006

quote from above"they think that by ignoring your letters of complaint and reports on negligence that the situation will go away and the big bucks from ignored negligent practices, skipped orientation, incompetence and understaffing will keep rolling in. inadequate training of personnel and understaffing are forms of fraud as they defraud the public by false assurances of safe hospital care: you are bearing testament to this truth. do not let their inaction persuade you to abandon this important paper trail of evidence; this is really vital. if something adverse happens in the future it will be hard for them to deny any knowledge of past reported negligence or incompetence when there is a stack of ignored letters of warning from you documenting everything. "

i started this with the spirit of trying to keep a safe environment for the patients.

i truly think the worst thing a nurse can do...is do nothing when there are issues that are placing patients at risk.it is just sad when the one reporting these type of safety violations are terminated in a blind attempt to discredit them.unless...that nurse is in my type of position they would have no way to prove retaliation/whistleblower violations.i have a paper trail a mile long of emails etc etc , high performer evals,letters of recommendation from my nm stating things like "excellent exampe of leadership" ,you are such a great

"strongpt. advocate"thank you for bringing this to our attention - your solution will save lives!", and an email "thanking me for my dedication to the nsg staff-(my old coworkers) only days/hours before i was fired.".then i voice some serious safety issues with a coworker who is best friends with the nm....and i am fired.the nm cant even get her "lie" that she and her friend fabricated to illegally terminate me straight.on one account she says her fabricated event took place on like a friday and on another account she wrote it "alledgedly" occurred on a monday.i cant go into details ...but lets just say that my audiotape recorder has been utilized alot.so many "versions" have been given....it is almost comical.but...i am not laughing. i did the right thing. i followed their bylaws, i followed the nurse pratice act and i was fired.

my family....they lost their health insurance. i am my families primary source of income. i lost my short and long term disability.i lost my retirement.i lost benefits that i had worked years to accrue that would have benefited not only me but ..also my children.i was accussed of something i did not do.i was fired for a "trumped up/false/untruthful " documentation error .i have the nm on tape admitting she knew this nurse had not only removed part of this medical record but also had altered it...and then that same nm fired me for "mysteriously strange" vitals that "appeared" on that medical record .she also admits on audiotape that not only did her friend make alterations on the medical record but that it had no patient info on it...no medical record #, no dob, no room #,nada.it was a blank document.can anyone else smell a rat?

i worked very hard at my job.i thoroughly enjoyed my coworkers. i liked caring for the pt population i was assigned . i did a great job and got raise after raise , & compliment after compliment on my job performance.in the apx 4 years i worked there i went from a base salary of 18$ an hr to over 30$ an hr + shift diff that made me push 40$ an hr.as the sole source of income for my family...when they fired me it impacted all of them.health insurance -gone, dental ins-gone, long term disabilty ins-gone, short term disability-gone, sick days-gone, seniority-gone,retirement-gone,education benefits-gone,life insurance-gone,my professional reputation-tarnished by a lie...my income to support my family-gone.

even...after all this i still was so loyal to that hcf that i actually thought that they would do a valid investigation .i am...still awaiting their final findings of the "investigation"...but my faith in that hcf is quite justifiably gone.i have been incredibly niave bc all this was done to me so fast...it made my head spin....and i think i was still in shock weeks later from it.the public is begining to demand more protection for nurses like me who do the ethically correct thing and report things that could endanger patients.the laws are being strengthened each year...but we as nurses have to get involved,you have a duty....to become more active in your state nsg association.bc...if you think this cant happen to you.....you are wrong.stronger legislation is the answer. :twocents:

medsurgnurse, RN · Jan 16, 2006

quote from above"they think that by ignoring your letters of complaint and reports on negligence that the situation will go away and the big bucks from ignored negligent practices, skipped orientation, incompetence and understaffing will keep rolling in. inadequate training of personnel and understaffing are forms of fraud as they defraud the public by false assurances of safe hospital care: you are bearing testament to this truth. do not let their inaction persuade you to abandon this important paper trail of evidence; this is really vital. if something adverse happens in the future it will be hard for them to deny any knowledge of past reported negligence or incompetence when there is a stack of ignored letters of warning from you documenting everything. "
i started this with the spirit of trying to keep a safe environment for the patients.
i truly think the worst thing a nurse can do...is do nothing when there are issues that are placing patients at risk.it is just sad when the one reporting these type of safety violations are terminated in a blind attempt to discredit them.unless...that nurse is in my type of position they would have no way to prove retaliation/whistleblower violations.i have a paper trail a mile long of emails etc etc , high performer evals,letters of recommendation from my nm stating things like "excellent exampe of leadership" ,you are such a great
"strongpt. advocate"thank you for bringing this to our attention - your solution will save lives!", and an email "thanking me for my dedication to the nsg staff-(my old coworkers) only days/hours before i was fired.".then i voice some serious safety issues with a coworker who is best friends with the nm....and i am fired.the nm cant even get her "lie" that she and her friend fabricated to illegally terminate me straight.on one account she says her fabricated event took place on like a friday and on another account she wrote it "alledgedly" occurred on a monday.i cant go into details ...but lets just say that my audiotape recorder has been utilized alot.so many "versions" have been given....it is almost comical.but...i am not laughing. i did the right thing. i followed their bylaws, i followed the nurse pratice act and i was fired.
my family....they lost their health insurance. i am my families primary source of income. i lost my short and long term disability.i lost my retirement.i lost benefits that i had worked years to accrue that would have benefited not only me but ..also my children.i was accussed of something i did not do.i was fired for a "trumped up/false/untruthful " documentation error .i have the nm on tape admitting she knew this nurse had not only removed part of this medical record but also had altered it...and then that same nm fired me for "mysteriously strange" vitals that "appeared" on that medical record .she also admits on audiotape that not only did her friend make alterations on the medical record but that it had no patient info on it...no medical record #, no dob, no room #,nada.it was a blank document.can anyone else smell a rat?
i worked very hard at my job.i thoroughly enjoyed my coworkers. i liked caring for the pt population i was assigned . i did a great job and got raise after raise , & compliment after compliment on my job performance.in the apx 4 years i worked there i went from a base salary of 18$ an hr to over 30$ an hr + shift diff that made me push 40$ an hr.as the sole source of income for my family...when they fired me it impacted all of them.health insurance -gone, dental ins-gone, long term disabilty ins-gone, short term disability-gone, sick days-gone, seniority-gone,retirement-gone,education benefits-gone,life insurance-gone,my professional reputation-tarnished by a lie...my income to support my family-gone.
even...after all this i still was so loyal to that hcf that i actually thought that they would do a valid investigation .i am...still awaiting their final findings of the "investigation"...but my faith in that hcf is quite justifiably gone.i have been incredibly niave bc all this was done to me so fast...it made my head spin....and i think i was still in shock weeks later from it.the public is begining to demand more protection for nurses like me who do the ethically correct thing and report things that could endanger patients.the laws are being strengthened each year...but we as nurses have to get involved,you have a duty....to become more active in your state nsg association.bc...if you think this cant happen to you.....you are wrong.stronger legislation is the answer.

please keep us updated about how this is going. good luck!

panhandler · Jan 16, 2006

TNN your situation is so very ugly.

I have been wondering about setting up some rules of conduct in ADVANCE of employment with any institution.

Does anyone have experience with or ideas about nurses presenting their own CONTRACT at time of employment and/or with the annual review process?

In the past we trusted our health-care-employers, but that time has ended. It came to an end when the bean-counters started running the hospitals.

Back-stabbing and politics is now the norm. Patient care and safety take a back seat when a manager thinks her "numbers don't look good." High turnover rates --- totally undiscussable!!

How, in the absence of a bargaining agent (union or state nurse association) can we secure our rights and responsibilities in a written LEGAL and binding contract(and expect to continue employment or be hired)?

ER2Ed · Jan 16, 2006

You go panhandler! I agree with you 100%. Nurses should get it together and form their own practice groups - refuse to work in hospitals that don't meet patient-centered criteria for nursing practice and don't support nurses in order for nurses to function in accordance with the standards that are set forth for them. At the very least if you have a union you have some protection from unfair labor practices.

TNNurse I hope there is a happy ending to this. You and your situation are in my prayers.

Keysnurse2008 · Jan 16, 2006

tnn your situation is so very ugly.
i have been wondering about setting up some rules of conduct in advance of employment with any institution.
does anyone have experience with or ideas about nurses presenting their own contract at time of employment and/or with the annual review process?
in the past we trusted our health-care-employers, but that time has ended. it came to an end when the bean-counters started running the hospitals.
back-stabbing and politics is now the norm. patient care and safety take a back seat when a manager thinks her "numbers don't look good." high turnover rates --- totally undiscussable!!
how, in the absence of a bargaining agent (union or state nurse association) can we secure our rights and responsibilities in a written legal and binding contract(and expect to continue employment or be hired)?

amen panhandler , you are preaching to the choir! my days of believing my employer will do the correct ethical thing in any situation is gone...............including regarding my emloyment.this problem is huge...and it is ugly. the core of the problem is vast. on one hand....we cant assure patients will be protected from hc professionals praticing either r/t inexperience or/and just plainly practicing unsafely....bc....we as nurses are being asked to give up everything to assure they are protected.how many....after me.....at my hcf do you think will do the right ethical thing next time?how many are willing to loose all that i and my family have lost? i will post more tommorrow...gotta go to work now. but your line of thoughts...is the same as mine. we have to have some assurances here.:stone

LadyCharge · Feb 7, 2006

OMG OMG OMG
What I am seeing here is the tip of the iceberg.
Here's what we know:
1)The "nursing shortage" is a manufactured lie.
2)Experienced, innovative nurses are ground to a pulp by the system, ON PURPOSE.
3)There is WAGE-FIXING rampant in the healthcare industry for RN's.
4)The Nurses Associations have been de-clawed, de-fanged and de-balled. There is no effective representation for nurses.
5)Retaliation is broad throughout the health care industry when it comes to quality improvement initiatives, and any action designed to adjust patient ratios to reflect safe staffing.
6)There is no nation-wide pension plan specifically for nurses; there is no nation-wide health coverage for nurses; there simply is "no money": no money for nursing educators, nursing programs, nursing legal issues, and nursing rights. There isn't even any g/d representative of the profession for our funerals when we die.
Who's got the cujones to take on this outrageous problem?

Panhandler,

You are telling it like it is! I like your style and wit. You are right on target as I read through your posts and others here. I have been out of circulation on this forum due to a family emergency that has just now settled down. Coming back online and catching up has been interesting. The question you ask is whose got the cujones to take on this outrageous problem is a good one. All I can say, is the nurses in California, COLLECTIVELY, took on the problem in their state and have made some very good changes. I just don't see that happening here in Florida - though it's not impossible that one day it may happen. Someone will rise to the occasion (hopefully). I for one...am planning to relocate to California, network with those in unions so I can glean the knowledge necessary to empower nurses in the South. It all starts with 'one' person who has the cujones - who is fearless - to stand up to those in power. If we 'lay down' we will 'stay down.' Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I for one believe that 'ALL things are possible with God on your side." And if God is for you, who can be against you? That is - if you Believe God! I also heard, 1 + God= the majority. Many hospitals in this country boast they are Christian hospitals with so-called christian values. Pa-leeeaaase! I may need an emesis basis as I ponder their values. It really is about profit and for whom? Obviously, not the patient let alone the nurse and ancillary personnel. Obviously, administration is very well compensated, not to mention their annual "bonus" is higher than an experienced RN's annual income.

They are indeed making a profit and we who idly stand by allow this.

Keysnurse2008 · Feb 8, 2006

panhandler,
you are telling it like it is! i like your style and wit. you are right on target as i read through your posts and others here. i have been out of circulation on this forum due to a family emergency that has just now settled down. coming back online and catching up has been interesting. the question you ask is whose got the cujones to take on this outrageous problem is a good one. all i can say, is the nurses in california, collectively, took on the problem in their state and have made some very good changes. i just don't see that happening here in florida - though it's not impossible that one day it may happen. someone will rise to the occasion (hopefully). i for one...am planning to relocate to california, network with those in unions so i can glean the knowledge necessary to empower nurses in the south. it all starts with 'one' person who has the cujones - who is fearless - to stand up to those in power. if we 'lay down' we will 'stay down.' nothing ventured, nothing gained. i for one believe that 'all things are possible with god on your side." and if god is for you, who can be against you? that is - if you believe god! i also heard, 1 + god= the majority. many hospitals in this country boast they are christian hospitals with so-called christian values. pa-leeeaaase! i may need an emesis basis as i ponder their values. it really is about profit and for whom? obviously, not the patient let alone the nurse and ancillary personnel. obviously, administration is very well compensated, not to mention their annual "bonus" is higher than an experienced rn's annual income.
they are indeed making a profit and we who idly stand by allow this.

ladycharge,

in situations like mine....when we do contact attorneys...we get told to allow the hcf one last chance for an investigation into their administrative personells ( aka my old manager) possible wrongdoing.this is commonly called a sham investigation.as of tomorrow i am suppost to receive the results of their "sham" investigation.in the begining i still had alot of faith in my old hcf and felt that just as soon as they realized what had happened....that they would correct it.that is how incredibly niave i was.

this problem is rampant...it is wrong...it undermines everything that medicine and nursing stands for in the publics eyes.

i was a valued employee who had promotion after promotion....letters of "what a great leader you are"...emails thanking me for all my dedication from the nm.i was dedicated...loved my job...loved my coworkers. then i stepped on the wrong political toes by complaining of their clinical "lack of competency".poof...after years of spotless service i was fired...it was done so quick i didnt even know what hit me.

if.....if....i had not tape recorded several things ie:the nm voicing lie after lie.....inconsistency after inconsistency.....re: my termination events....do you even remotely think that id have had a legal leg to stand on? well...i wouldnt....but....i do have that nm among others on tape backing up what happened.i lost my job....something that meant alot to me. my family...lost their health ins....kids dental ins--gone .....life ins --gone... lt disability -- gone ....short term disability ins---gone.....educational benefits for me and my kids--gone.i didnt "ask" for what happened to me....so...after i finally hear the results of their investigation tomorrow( that only took 4 months-speedy wasnt it?)...if they think i will be silent if they dont offer a acceptable resolution.......they need to think again.... :nono: ...bc i am not going away.if forced to...you better believe i will take this in front of a jury....and thats just the way it is.i really think the public would benefit from having it on record what they do to nurses who take the nurse pratice act seriously and report unsafe practitioners.

TsunamiKim · Feb 8, 2006

I feel bad knowing that you will face another cruel lie tomorrow; the “investigation” is pretty much guaranteed to be just another sham. These futile “going through the motions” exercises accomplish only one goal, DELAY! The fancy titles “Risk Management,” “Compliance Line” and other so called “Patient Safety” Hotlines are just what so many Hospitals have laughingly created to con the public into believing they are capable of self-policing. The Fox takes care of the Fox and all that’s left of the hens is a few pitiful feathers! The sum result of my former Hospital’s supposedly thorough “Compliance Line Investigation” into the issues that I raised was nothing in writing, no well documented report or outlined strategy for correcting the problems I raised. I was just told casually over the phone: “there does seem to be some truth to what you have reported, but we have decided to just keep an eye on things.”

They only very reluctantly agreed to bother investigating after insisting on deferring all possibility of reviewing the retaliation issue until after I had pursued all other options first. Only by isolating the negligence charges for separate more urgent action was I able to insist on any investigation at all! And this is Compliance? What action did they take? None, it was just a stalling tactic to placate the idiot employee while they put some serious distance between the complaint and the now further removed, discredited terminated employee. The rules of engagement are dictated by them, for their benefit and to help remove and silence dissenters like you. Expect them to dredge up the “Nursing shortage” as part of their lame excuse to make what you reported seem totally plausible and acceptable, they rarely fail to use this piece of BS. The old Nursing shortage excuse is very elastic, expansive and all inclusive; it can be used to cover up the most heinous of negligence crimes. Surely patient abandonment is only committed by the poor Nurse who dares to request a humane break in her overburdened schedule? TNNURSE thanks for that ABC news piece I have included this as one of the Links on my Petition. We need America to wake up to who the real culprits of negligent abandonment are. I will be so glad when we can stop resuscitating the ”Nursing shortage” excuse and call “time of death” on this sleazy deception.

I am getting set to blow the lid of this scam once and for all. I may never have access to a day in court, they cheated me out of that, but that might well prove to be their downfall. No pending legal case means I have nothing to hold back, nothing to loose, and I will expose everything now, all the dirty little secrets, no holes barred. I have a strategy that includes a real “shame on you” exposure of not just any old Compliance Line, but the Compliance Line of the “Best Hospital in America;” the same Hospital that uses their sham Compliance Line and prestigious nationally acclaimed programs to hide negligence and deny accountability. Their public visibility on these issues with pious proclamations of honesty, integrity and transparency will lay them open to justifiable accusations of hypocrisy.

All of the stall tactics that I fell for, the legal recourse I was cheated out of, will come back to haunt my former Hospital as it clearly demonstrates that, in good faith, I sought all other recourses first. I was even featured several times by the press without ever once taking the opportunity to reveal the details of my dispute with the Hospital over wrongful termination. I developed a well established reputation with several journalists, prompting one to do a big cover story. I diplomatically skated around any details of my working situation by saying that I was “on a sabbatical from my job in the OR at Hxxxxxx.” With no more expansive mention of my tragic personal battle for reinstatement after wrongful termination or the reasons behind my removal, they remained free of scrutiny: this took incredible restraint on my part. So much for taking the moral high ground; my former Hospital crawled in through the moral sewer! As difficult as it is to make this so much more public now, I am convinced it is in the public good. Your stories here have been a driving force in helping me to reach this point of firm conviction and I thank you all for it.

Because of the stature of the institution and the programs that they have initiated, supposedly to deal with patient safety, the sheer hypocrisy of their response to my case is truly disgraceful. I hope the public will see that and it will prompt calls for more stringent controls and independent scrutiny over these types of so called “self policing.” It will be very hard for them to keep preaching their own virtues without finally dealing with their corrupt handling of my case. To add more weight to the call for accountability there is already one Petition on the Petition site from a patient who, after suffering a medical error, received the same devious cover-up and harassing tactics that I did. There is even a potential third Petitioner interested in joining the demand for accountability which will give us a whole lot more clout. His wife was another former patient who was treated with deception and lies after serious errors were made; their story is already posted elsewhere on the Internet. This meets an ethical journalistic requirement of reporting not the isolated experience of one individual, but exposing a pattern of behavior, documented by three credible witnesses, that should rightfully be brought to the public’s attention.

My biggest worry is that the Petition will be ignored, that few will see it, let alone sign it. This will be especially crucial in the first two weeks while it remains on the entry page for the Petition Site where it is most visible. It will only stay on page one if it gains popular support with a high volume of signatures. I will need a lot of help getting the support and signatures I necessary for my Petition to remain in that high visibility spot. This is perhaps a valid way for Nurses to campaign for change and others might consider creating a Petition too. The reward of signing my Petition is two fold. One: it contains over 200 useful links making it more of a research document than a Petition. Two if we can shock the people I am targeting into taking notice then I believe they will feel compelled to investigate and make significant changes to Compliance policies to save face. Another important part of buffing their tarnished image will be to use a tactic they have employed to their advantage before. They may well try to usher in industry wide changes as a means of riding out the PR storm, which was how they responded to the tragic death of a pediatric patient who fell victim to negligent oversight at their Hospital a few years ago. The program they set up in response to that incident and various other efforts they made were truly admirable. However, these bold initiatives are futile as they will remain inadequate and ineffective unless reliable safeguards to stringently protect whistleblowers from retaliation are put in place. I hope to create a media storm that will prompt a similar shock response, as that has the potential for providing beneficial reform across the country that will affect all medical professionals and our patients..

Although the events that bought me to this point remain a personal battle for vindication, the above motivation could benefit us all and finally provide the healthy, genuine safety protections for patients we are all seeking. The importance of your posts regarding other similar experiences of retaliation against Nurses attempting to protect patients from harm is that the individuals I have targeted must realize that this is not just one battle about one incident and their help is needed to effect change. When I say “targeted” I refer to their ability to correct the current situation not any particular past involvement with corrupt practices. I try to think the best of people and prefer to imagine that they have no idea of the gapping holes that exist within their own Compliance program. I like to think that both men would have taken action if they had not been duped into thinking that I was just a “disgruntled former employee seeking revenge;” I hope my persistence and this Petition will convince them otherwise. If they ignore this very public call for an appropriate investigation that they were obligated to conduct several years ago, but fraudulently reneged on, they will be under suspicion too.

I will want to post the names and contact information for both of these influential Doctors on this site so that Nurses can call them and request that they take action. Their names will be on the Petition and their contact details are readily available on the internet, but it would be helpful to post them here. It will be similar to posting an appeal to call your Senator and providing the number. I am confused and do not want to break any rules here: is this permissible within the rules of this site to post their names and phone numbers? The tenure of any calls must focus on polite calls for change. It is important to convince these two influential individuals that there is a great need throughout the US Healthcare system for “Risk Management” and “Compliance Lines” to come under stricter scrutiny, for Managers to show just cause before firing someone and for HR to do more than rubber stamp the corrupt removal of outspoken employees. Your personal stories of victimization and retaliation must convince them that the problem is far greater than just what has happened at their Hospital.

Although I felt deeply betrayed by everyone at my former Hospital and, so far, totally ignored by these two Doctors both of whom I have written to several times, I realize that they generally excel at “noble causes” and I must enlist their help not insult, annoy or antagonize them. In calls to them I would ask that you do the same thing; by focusing on what they are capable of doing to improve patient safety nationwide we can possible enlist their help in accomplishing something tangible at last. A strong showing of support in Petition signatures and a few strong reminders of their duty to the public may convince them to take my warnings seriously at last and take a more critical look at their Compliance Line, HR and a few out of control Managers. They should be encouraged to understand that there are tangible benefits for Hospitals too, as focusing on the real dangers will help prevent further harm to patients and future expensive settlements.

Please moderators let me know if posting these two names and contacts is OK in this context? I am fast approaching my posting deadline and I need all the help I can get, thank you all for your support,

Fair Winds & Following Seas, Tsunami Kim.

PS: Tsunami Kim is calling for your help. The Picture shows me with two "SHEEP" Medical Volunteers, calling home from the PACTEC Internet Tent at the UN Compound in Meulaboh. I want to go back out, but vindication clearing away the false allegations against me stands in the way of gaining the credibility I need to obtain an NGO backer to support my ambitious program in Aceh.

LadyCharge · Feb 8, 2006

ladycharge,
in situations like mine....when we do contact attorneys...we get told to allow the hcf one last chance for an investigation into their administrative personells ( aka my old manager) possible wrongdoing.this is commonly called a sham investigation.as of tomorrow i am suppost to receive the results of their "sham" investigation.in the begining i still had alot of faith in my old hcf and felt that just as soon as they realized what had happened....that they would correct it.that is how incredibly niave i was.
this problem is rampant...it is wrong...it undermines everything that medicine and nursing stands for in the publics eyes.

i was a valued employee who had promotion after promotion....letters of "what a great leader you are"...emails thanking me for all my dedication from the nm.i was dedicated...loved my job...loved my coworkers. then i stepped on the wrong political toes by complaining of their clinical "lack of competency".poof...after years of spotless service i was fired...it was done so quick i didnt even know what hit me.

if.....if....i had not tape recorded several things ie:the nm voicing lie after lie.....inconsistency after inconsistency.....re: my termination events....do you even remotely think that id have had a legal leg to stand on? well...i wouldnt....but....i do have that nm among others on tape backing up what happened.i lost my job....something that meant alot to me. my family...lost their health ins....kids dental ins--gone .....life ins --gone... lt disability -- gone ....short term disability ins---gone.....educational benefits for me and my kids--gone.i didnt "ask" for what happened to me....so...after i finally hear the results of their investigation tomorrow( that only took 4 months-speedy wasnt it?)...if they think i will be silent if they dont offer a acceptable resolution.......they need to think again.... ...bc i am not going away.if forced to...you better believe i will take this in front of a jury....and thats just the way it is.i really think the public would benefit from having it on record what they do to nurses who take the nurse pratice act seriously and report unsafe practitioners.

you go girl! i think your case sounds like a "perfect" example that needs to go on television! why not contact your local news media and sit down and talk to a reporter who would love to expose these kinds of injustices considering the so-called, nursing shortage??? if your case were to go to trial, it will be expensive, however, perhaps there is a way you can obtain funding to help offset these costs?

i think these people need to be held accountible and used as an example to every hospital in the u.s. from what you are telling us, it sounds like you have an excellent case and you are right; if you didn't have your nm on tape, you probably wouldn't have a leg to stand on, short of witnesses. i have sadly found here in the south that southern nurses do not have cujones because they are job scared - which is a way to control nurses. as you say, you lost all your benefits and this has affected your family.

though my experience hasn't been as severe as yours, i can truthfully say that the hospital i once worked is no different than yours. its all about their new buildings, profits, bonus's, and megabucks they pocket for themselves. i resigned from my hospital last year, gave proper written and verbal notice, and my nm cheated me out of 2 days pay thinking because i moved to another state i would do nothing about it. well, i've been trying to collect the money i earned for over a year now and they still have not paid me. i went through a process to no avail. they are now forcing me to go the labor board before the statute of limitations runs out. all this trouble for two days pay! i earned it, why do they refuse it? i am telling you the truth before god, those people cheated me out of my fair wages! and this is a popular hospital in my area who has done this! however, i will not go away because its a matter of principles and taking a stand for whats right. i wish i could write a column in the news paper exposing this hospital for their greedy practices.

there is more to this story, and this is not the first time they have shorted me (and many others) on our pay checks. they get away with it because they are a huge corporation and hide behind a smug, self-assured, power. however, all it takes is "one" person who has the gutts to stand up to them and expose them, as weak as they think we are. standing up for truth and righteousness is very often not an easy task, but it doesnt negate or justify our responsibility to do it anyway regardless of the might and power of the adversary! i have learned to pick and choose my battles as i get older. some people, who have been given authority, and misuse that authority and power need to be confronted and held accountible. many in management have not the character, let alone adequate skills to lead a team! they are blind guides leading the blind - they will both fall into a ditch.

my prayers are with you and your family. though i do not know you personally, i want you to know that i for one, (and i think many here on this forum as well) are very proud of you and stand with you. if there is something your attorney can think of that can involve the assistance of other loyal and dedicated nurses to our profession, then let us know. we want to see you win!!!!! because you are right!

gauge14iv, MSN, APRN, NP · Feb 8, 2006

TNNURSE

Did you ever get my private message?

Keysnurse2008 · Feb 8, 2006

guage14..I did today.(I should have checked them before ).I will PM you later tonight with an update.

What happened to me.....can happen to anyone.I was an excellent nurse at my hospital...had never been written up in all my years of employment....gpt promotion after promotion....raise after raise.....email after email thanking me for all the things I did "so right" at my job....I got them all the way up until apx 12-24 hours before I complained about my nurse managers friend functioning at a below par/safe level with our very critical ICU patients. Then poof....after years of service without a blemish I was gone.It was done so quick I never knew what hit me.The NM has had a lil difficulty " rememebering " which lie she has told....she cant even stay consistent on which date she did anything on .Whats the old saying?Oh what a tangled web we weave when at first we pratice to deceive.

Hopefully tonight I can post the results of their "alledged" investigation. As bad as it probably sounds.....this whole thing still just.......breaks my heart. I loved my job.....I loved my coworkers.....I really liked the work I did and put so much of me into it.I did extra projects to help the new grads, volunteered in nsg research studies at my hospital......things I didnt have to do....but did them anyway bc of my love for Nursing.What they took away from me is much more than "just a job".And I lost that.........

As if it didnt get any worse....my brother and I had a family vacation planned for years. We were taking my very sick dad (CHF/CVA's)first cruise ever to Mexico.My coworkers and NM knew I had planned this trip for my dad......want to know when they fired me? Apx 3 days before my cruise. I spent the cruise.....not enjoying my dad and family......but trying to keep a smile on my face when they were present while crying inside.They have taken everything they can from me.....so a jury....I am not worried about.I think the public does need to know what happens to nurses when they really try to be patient safety advocates.:yeahthat: