We need to support our nurses!

[altaylor219]

I'm utterly disgusted at the bad media attention Miss Pham (the Dallas RN who has contracted Ebola) has received. Just yesterday, I stumbled upon a "bio" article entitle "Who is Nina Pham?" published by NBC News. Well, I must ask, who is Tony Dokoupil? After reading his rag of an article, I was infuriated. He managed to completely belittle her and the fact that she had her CCRN, but only for two months. It's obvious he doesn't understand what an accomplishment becoming certified in the nursing profession means. He also attacked her Pintrest page for having those funny nursing sayings and e-cards that everyone finds humorous. How does this have anything to do with her abilities as a nurse? In truth, it's likely Miss Pham now has Ebola due to inadequate isolation gear and the lack of proper training on how to don and remove said isolation gear. It could also have been as simple as a popped glove; an accident. So how is this her fault?

If you substituted a few details about Miss Pham's bio (her name for mine and her dog for my cat) this article could be about me or any one of my coworkers that graduated with me. We are the same age and have the same amount of years of experience. I take personal offense to this article and the many others that have blamed her and belittled her. I'm certain that if any one of those reporters had contracted Ebola and required care from a nurse they would not be questioning the nurse's education and experience. They would be grateful the nurse was compassionate enough to risk his or her own life to try and save theirs. We are nurses, that's what we do. So I implore the media and CDC to support the nurses. Do not blame them or belittle them.

Here is the link to the article I've referenced. Who is Nina Pham? Meet the Nurse Who Contracted Ebola

[Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN]

I totally agree with you, today a reporter asked about ms. Pham's credentials at the cdc conference, the question about her corn was dismissed. and the doctors are always reported as doctors but a nurse is a health care worker.

[mamajrn]

Couldn't agree more altaylor, time to stand together as nurses. The way Ms Pham's case has been handled is unforgivable.

[Thimbalina]

The general public is completely ignorant about what nurses do and the responsibilities we bear. They have no idea that you can't become a CCRN without a certain amount of hours in ICU or the amount of study involved. Seriously there is no respect for nurses. Hospitals have become less and less supportive of nurses as well and are cutting more and more corners to save a buck for the CEO's bonus's. Hospitals will throw nurses under a bus for no good reasons. The BON is not interested in protecting nurses either. Literally there is no one but the unions and nursing associations that stand up for the nurse. I'm feeling very disgruntled about all of this.

[Guest219794]

I did't think the article was all that bad. But it did give a possibly negative impression of her training:

"Almost nothing is known about Pham's work prior to Duncan, nor what her role was in his care, but critical care certification requires a minimum of 44 weeks of "direct bedside" work on an acutely ill patient, including at least 21 weeks of critical care work in the prior year. That experience is certified by a supervisor.The three-hour exam itself is heavily focused on professional judgment, including how to respond to sudden changes in a patient's status or health. According to the AACN's outline of the exam and an AACN online review course, however, there are no questions on dangerous infectious disease."

Starting with "Almost nothing is known about Pham's work prior to Duncan" isn't quite accurate. Plenty is known by her, her co-workers, and her emplyers- It just isn't known by him, or the public. Well, of course it isn't. Why would it be?

And, we know she is smart enough to pass her CCRN. A lay person reading this would not know that this is one of the hardest exams available to nurses, and generally not required.

" According to the AACN's outline of the exam and an AACN online review course, however, there are no questions on dangerous infectious disease." Of course the CCRN includes dangerous infectious disease". What he means that when he did a cursory review of an AACN web page, he didn't find it mentioned. More importantly, there is nothing complex about Ebola precautions other than trying to maintain them in a hospital that does not provide adequate staffing or equipment to do the job right.

A similar short bio on Tony Dokoupil might point out that his neither his BA nor his masters had any requirements on healthcare reporting. It would certainly point out that he dropped out of his PHd program.

"Little is known about Tony Dokupil's qualifications to report on healthcare. Though he holds degrees, none of his studies required him to develop expertise in the medical field. His most prominent work is about growing up in with a drug smuggler as a father.

In his most recent artcle "who is Nina Pham", Dokoupil seemed to rely on sources easily found on using Google, rather than any in depth research."

While the above is true, it doesn't really portray Dokoupil accurately. He is actually an accomplished writer. A problem with our 24/7 news culture is the need to fill space, without the time to do anything in depth. This blurb he wrote on Nina Pham is a good exmple.