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What is up with "but this is a corporate decision"? My mom always told me that every body has a boss and that has served me very well in life. I would never allow a non-licensed anyone tell me I had to do something that I knew to be incorrect. (Now you know why I am so popular:) Seriously, if you are backed into a corner, contact your State Board of Nursing and ask for assistance. If a doctor told you to give the wrong drug during a code and you knew it would kill the patient, would you do it? I think not and this is the same thing in my opinion. P RN put it best. When the chips are down, you are the only one going downtown for your actions.

I beg to differ. I worked with a CRNA who almost passed out into the sterile field during surgery from a self administered fentanyl injection. I also worked with an anesthesiologist who died at home from an apparent drug overdose and it was not a perscribed med. It is the person and the addiction and there are those in all walks of life. It is a terrible tragedy what happened to this poor man and yet another life ruined by the effects of addiction. I don't mean to sound argumentative, I just wanted to remain on the root of the problem.

Tiara, you hit the nail on the head. The ONLY thing wrong with the effect of importing nurses is the cause. For some reason, of which I have several theories, the administrative powers do not value its employees at the grassroots level. This is an oversimplified but the ugly truth none the less. The first cuts seem to come within support services. I say it is the penny-wise and pound foolish mentality. It is always the bottom line but that number as statisitcs prove can be skewed by myopic reporting methods. Not only should we embrace any foreign nurse, we should embrace our new nurses who routinely become victims to older impatient nurses. I was a foreign nurse practicing in Ireland and I was treated very well for the most part.

It was reported that her attorney said she had used poor judgement.....Dugh! Is anyone to be accountable anymore? This and situations like it just stiffen my resolve to demonstrate sound, compassionate and professional behavior. Walk the walk.

Let me help you both. I worked in Ireland and not through an agency. I went to Dublin to visit a friend and went to the Irish Nursing Board. They gave me a package which I brought back to the States, filled out, sent back to Ireland and I was given an Irish Nursing License in about two months. There is much more but I won't try to explain it all here.

AORN states that informed consent is the responsibility of the surgeon. This should be the basis for correcting the confusion. For a nurse to interpret what a doctor has written is extremely dangerous. The nurse should be responsible, ONLY, for making sure the patient understands the consent and documenting the response and/or the action taken to correct the situation. This is my interpretation and I would be interested to see others. Thanks!