When It Comes To A Matter Of National Health, No Nurse Should Ever Fear Retribution

[Michael M. Heuninckx]

Yesterday, I was listening to an interview Matt Lauer of the Today Show conducted with Briana Aguirre, a Registered Nurse from Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.

Briana in the interview states, "I can no longer defend my hospital at all" and was one of the nurses who treated Nurse Nina Pham, her friend and colleague, after she tested positive for the Ebola virus. While listening to Briana's story, I felt her pain and frustration, and during the interview I had a sinking feeling in the pit in my stomach as she was describing the events. I was horrified to learn about how the Ebola case was managed and how ill equipped the nurses and medical staff was when they were faced with the daunting task of managing the care of patients diagnosed with or suspected of having the Ebola virus.

What struck me personally, as a fellow nurse, was the fact that Briana was scared to tell her story. Briana was brought to tears, for fear that she might face retribution from the hospital and lose her job. I can only imagine the amount of strength and courage it must have taken Briana to come forward with her story.

As nurses we can all think of the potential ramifications and mistakes that could possibly be repeated if her story was not heard and she remained quiet. By speaking out, Briana Aguirre is not only potentially saving the lives and further spread of the Ebola virus to her coworkers and to the patients of the hospital, but also impacting the lives of all medical professionals and their patients around the world.

As nurses we must rally behind, support and make certain that the courageous actions of Nurse Briana Aguirre is not taken in vain. As health care professionals, we must ensure that: we listen to the lessons learned, create awareness about Briana's story and share this information with fellow nurses.

This will aid nurses in this country and around the world to continue the fight against Ebola. All of these actions will lead to improvements that, as nurses, we are able to offer all of our patients. Our voices as nurses must be heard, and those voices should never be intimidated or threatened when we dare to share the truth. The voice of Briana comes from grave concern and warning. I believe that if this knowledge and warning is not taken seriously, it could have a catastrophic impact on the overall health of our nation.

I personally would like to thank Registered Nurse, Briana Aguirre, for coming forward to share her story about her personal experiences. Fear of retribution should never be the fear of any nurse when it comes to the health of our nation. As nurses we must have a voice and we must be listened to.

I encourage all nurses to do their homework, become passionate about this issue and ensure that all measures are being followed appropriately. As we all know, the educational process for nurses is never over and it is now up to us to ensure proper safety for ourselves and for the patients we take care of. Actively seek out your hospitals policies regarding Ebola, compare those policies to the standards set by the CDC. Also, research what other originzations, such as Doctors Without Borders, Nebraska Medical Center and Emory University Hospital, and find out how they handle Ebola. If you find gaps in policy in your local hospital, help fill them; make your voice heard, share you concerns with hospital administrators and ensure that those are followed through and new policies implemented. Do not let the gaps in the healthcare system lead to you becoming exposed, potentially exposing your family members and others patients to this deadly disease. Start the courageous conversation today, continue to educate yourself and ensure that your voice is listened to and immediate action is taken.

Michael M. Heuninckx RN-BSN

***For anyone who is interested in listening to Briana Aguirre's full interview with Matt Lauer, copy and paste the link below into your browser:

Full interview: Matt Lauer and Dallas nurse Briana Aguirre - Video on TODAY.com

[target98765]

All of this is true. The minute you start making some noise the quicker you are in the office getting dressed down. Then they will start a very detailed and meticulous file on you with the goal of getting rid of you. I want to comment, though, that probably none of these three nurses (the 2infected and the "whistle blower") will have to work because they will get huge settlements. The whistle blower already has the top malpractice lawyer in the country hired and he is like a shark in the water tasting blood.

[OCNRN63, RN]

My heart broke for Brianna. You could see that she was torn up about her statement. She was speaking up for the safety of all of us, at great personal and professional risk.

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

I admire Brianna's courage in speaking up. It shows how ill-prepared hospitals are, and how incompetent the CDC was in requiring each hospital to reinvent the wheel X 1000 in handling Ebola patients.

I say this, however, with reluctance because I truly admire her. I wish she had not said she wouldn't go to Presby Dallas for care. In answering that specific question posed to her by Matt Lauer, a better response would have been that no hospital left to their own devices could adequately handle an Ebola patient. That the CDC needs to take leadership in an event like this, which, even with the CDC present at the site, they failed to do.

Some in other threads have stayed that doing so is out of scope for the CDC. Maybe so, but I can't imagine any hospital refusing their leadership during a crisis such as this one.

[suzil]

She said what so many of us are thinking! My hospital still just gives us an email to inform us that we must include it in our assessments. No hands on practice. No review of the PPE.

[lindarn]

Is anyone surprised, that an anti union state like Texas, would threaten the nursing staff for speaking out?

If ever there should be a push for ALL 100% of NURSES TO BE UNIONIZED UNDER THE NNOC, IT IS NOW!! NNOC, was mentioned in the news as the nurse union who was criticizing the hospitals for their infection control policies. Has anyone seen or heard from the ANA, or State Nursing Associations, in this matter?? I have not heard a word from them. Is anyone suprised?? The NNOC also went on TV for a live interview discussing the situation.

Nurses that cannot speak out to protect their patients, the public, and of course, themselves, make health care dangerous for everyone!! Not only in this time of the EBOLA scare, but all of the time.

Nurses are at the forefront of health care, and we MUST BE ABLE TO SPEAK OUT ON DANGEROUS CONDITIONS THAT HOSPITALS DO NOT WANT MADE PUBLIC!

Here in Washington State, we have an initiative that will be voted on in November- Initiative 1351, that will set class sizes in schools. It will allocate funds to REDUCE CLASS SIZES AND INCREASE STAFFING SUPPORT FOR ALL K-12 GRADES, WITH ADDITIONAL CLASS SIZE REDUCTIONS AND INCREASE STAFFING IN HIGH POVERTY SCHOOLS.

Why is this being done? Because, according to the Voters pamphlet that I received in the mail:

"Every Washington Child, regardless of family, income, race, or where they live, deserves a quality education in an uncrowded classroom".

It goes on to state, that,

"Independent research,- and common sense- tell us that students perform better with more individual attention. This is true in elementary, middle, and high school, where the rigors of science, technology, engineering, and math, programs, demand more and more from students- and teachers"...Recognizing that class sizes that highest, are most detrimental to student achievement"

It goes on to state that, "1-1352, is about one thing- giving every Washington State child the opportunity to learn and thrive in an uncrowded classroom".

Lets extrapolate this to the hospital and staffing and patient acuity. Its not hard to do. Too many patients per nurse produces poor patient outcomes. This has been documented and validated by many studies, that hospitals are refusing to acknowledge, and certainly have not made it public.

Teachers in Washington State and Idaho (right next door to Washington State), are appearing in TV commercials, on public television, in support of lower class sizes, for politicians who are running for office in support of better funding for schools, including making public the national levels of funding for schools, and informing the public of the national records in state spending per pupil, and achievement. Informing the public that Idaho is last in spending per pupil in all 50 states!! Washington is 49th in spending per pupil in all 50 states!!

Can you imagine a nurse going on public TV, informing the public of the poor staffing, and poor patient outcomes in the hospitals that they work at?? Hospitals are quick at making public when they are voted in the top 100 hospitals in the nation? Or as in Spokane, there are bill boards all over town, with the hospital ER wait times!! Why not for nurse staffing, which is a matter of life or death??

They would be banished to Siberia for such treason. Why can teachers go in Public TV and inform the public about school standings and spending, but nurses fear going to the public?? Because nurses have refused unionization on the ridiculous notion that it is "unprofessional to belong to a union, and have an employment contract"?? They cannot go public like the teachers do. Who are we kidding??

I will get off my soapbox now. I have a house to clean and laundry to do. But remember my mantra- no one ever died because they could not to long division or diagram a sentence, but how many of us have patients have been injured due to us having too many patients to care for??

Hospital staffing should be at the national forefront, and nurses should be the ones that are informing the public. Hospital staffing numbers should be voted on by the public who this affects. If the public can vote on class sizes, why are they not allowed to be included in the discussion for patient staffing for nurses??

In this time when Ebola is in the headlines, we should be taking to the streets in large numbers in very public places, with the press and TV station cameras rolling, to inform the public.

JMHO and my NY $0.02

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN (ret)

Somewhere in the PACNW

[target98765]

I have often wondered why nurses everywhere are not unionized. I work in a smaller sized hospital that had, for several years, a few different nurses over the years try to bring a union in and they were enentually fired within weeks after posting and giving out union information. The reasons for firing were not disclosed, but it was just to coincidental. We are treated badly and managers do what they want regarding schedules, etc, and they excercise these "rights" to the fullest with some nurses working all different shifts in a week.. I would love a union but I need to keep my job.

[hope3456, ASN, RN]

If anything good can come of this Ebola situation, it may be that the government and public take a closer look at the role of nurses, and that fear of retribution is widespread among the ranks. And how we do indeed impact public health and safety.

Brianna is one brave soul. I wonder if there is some way nurses could join together to thank her for speaking out - a FB page or something?

[suzil]

No it does not surprise at all! Texas is one of the worst states to be a nurse AS WELL as a patient in. They do horrible things to nurses. I live in Arizona and we are right next to them as far as treatment. It is high time that nurses join a union. I know, I hear people complain that a union is for "blue collar workers" I don't care! We need a voice and no other group in this country is speaking for us.

[dnnc52]

Also its time to change or alter the mission of the Board of Nursing. Instead of it being there to protect the public from poor nurses. Its about time it takes on another mission of standing up FOR the nurses, and not just standing up TO the nurses. I never had any infractions in my career that the BON were involved in. However I did report an unsafe dangerous working condition that I stood up against and then my job was made unbearable. Thinking that the BON would be concerned. Only to find out NO! we dodnt get involved with matters between the nurse and the hospitals, or the employer. More reason to have more Nurse Unions. Except like Texas, this region is anti-union and a right to work state. Get rid of state nurse boards and have a National Nursing Board. Then have them actually represent the nurses of USA. 1st task would be Mandatory Staffing Protocols, let them set up a special Nursing Commission for standard practice and requirements.... Just a thought

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

Is anyone surprised, that an anti union state like Texas, would threaten the nursing staff for speaking out?

If ever there should be a push for ALL 100% of NURSES TO BE UNIONIZED UNDER THE NNOC, IT IS NOW!! NNOC, was mentioned in the news as the nurse union who was criticizing the hospitals for their infection control policies. Has anyone seen or heard from the ANA, or State Nursing Associations, in this matter?? I have not heard a word from them. Is anyone suprised?? They also went on TV for a live interview discussing the situation.

Nurses that cannot speak out to protect their patients, the public, and of course, themselves, make health care dangerous for everyone!! Not only in this time of the EBOLA scare, but all of the time.

Nurses are at the forefront of health care, and we MUST BE ABLE TO SPEAK OUT ON DANGEROUS CONDITIONS THAT HOSPITALS DO NOT WANT MADE PUBLIC!

Here in Washington State, we have an initiative that will be voted on in November- Initiative 1351, that will set class sizes in schools. It will allocate funds to REDUCE CLASS SIZES AND INCREASE STAFFING SUPPORT FOR ALL K-12 GRADES, WITH ADDITIONAL CLASS SIZE REDUCTIONS AND INCREASE STAFFING IN HIGH POVERTY SCHOOLS.

Why is this being done? Because, according to the Voters pamphlet that I received in the mail:

"Every Washington Child, regardless of family, income, race, or where they live, deserves a quality education in an uncrowded classroom".

It goes on to state, that,

"Independent research,- and common sense- tell us that students perform better with more individual attention. This is true in elementary, middle, and high school, where the rigors of science, technology, engineering, and math, programs, demand more and more from students- and teachers"...Recognizing that class sizes that highest, are most detrimental to student achievement"

It goes on to state that, "1-1352, is about one thing- giving every Washington State child the opportunity to learn and thrive in an uncrowded classroom".

Lets extrapolate this to the hospital and staffing and patient acuity. Its not hard to do. Too many patients per nurse produces poor patient outcomes. This has been documented and validated by many studies, that hospitals are refusing to acknowledge, and certainly have not made it public.

Teachers in Washington State and Idaho (right next door to Washington State), are appearing in TV commercials, on public television, in support of lower class sizes, for politicians who are running for office in support of better funding for schools, including making public the national levels of funding for schools, and informing the public of the national records in state spending per pupil, and achievement. Informing the public that Idaho is last in spending per pupil in all 50 states!! Washington is 49th in spending per pupil in all 50 states!!

Can you imagine a nurse going on public TV, informing the public of the poor staffing, and poor patient outcomes in the hospitals that they work at?? Hospitals are quick at making public when they are voted in the top 100 hospitals in the nation? Or as in Spokane, there are bill boards all over town, with the hospital ER wait times!! Why not for nurse staffing, which is a matter of life or death??

They would be banished to Siberia for such treason. Why can teachers go in Public TV and inform the public about school standings and spending, but nurses fear going to the public?? Because nurses have refused unionization on the ridiculous notion that it is "unprofessional to belong to a union, and have an employment contract"?? They cannot go public like the teachers do. Who are we kidding??

I will get off my soapbox now. I have a house to clean and laundry to do. But remember my mantra- no one ever died because they could not to long division or diagram a sentence, but how many of us have patients have been injured due to us having too many patients to care for??

Hospital staffing should be at the national forefront, and nurses should be the ones that are informing the public. Hospital staffing numbers should be voted on by the public who this affects. If the public can vote on class sizes, why are they not allowed to be included in the discussion for patient staffing for nurses??

In this time when Ebola is in the headlines, we should be taking to the streets in large numbers in very public places, with the press and TV station cameras rolling, to inform the public.

JMHO and my NY $0.02

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN (ret)

Somewhere in the PACNW

WELL SAID !!!

With all these ideas, reach out to the NNOC; it's high time for a lot if nurses to stop living in fear and take back the profession.

I am glad to live in an area that have nursing and physician unions, when nurses walk, there are doctors alongside for support; it's time for other states to do the same, make a coalition and let's get the ball rolling, grass roots style.

[OCNRN63, RN]

Is anyone surprised, that an anti union state like Texas, would threaten the nursing staff for speaking out?

If ever there should be a push for ALL 100% of NURSES TO BE UNIONIZED UNDER THE NNOC, IT IS NOW!! NNOC, was mentioned in the news as the nurse union who was criticizing the hospitals for their infection control policies. Has anyone seen or heard from the ANA, or State Nursing Associations, in this matter?? I have not heard a word from them. Is anyone suprised?? The NNOC also went on TV for a live interview discussing the situation.

Nurses that cannot speak out to protect their patients, the public, and of course, themselves, make health care dangerous for everyone!! Not only in this time of the EBOLA scare, but all of the time.

Nurses are at the forefront of health care, and we MUST BE ABLE TO SPEAK OUT ON DANGEROUS CONDITIONS THAT HOSPITALS DO NOT WANT MADE PUBLIC!

Here in Washington State, we have an initiative that will be voted on in November- Initiative 1351, that will set class sizes in schools. It will allocate funds to REDUCE CLASS SIZES AND INCREASE STAFFING SUPPORT FOR ALL K-12 GRADES, WITH ADDITIONAL CLASS SIZE REDUCTIONS AND INCREASE STAFFING IN HIGH POVERTY SCHOOLS.

Why is this being done? Because, according to the Voters pamphlet that I received in the mail:

"Every Washington Child, regardless of family, income, race, or where they live, deserves a quality education in an uncrowded classroom".

It goes on to state, that,

"Independent research,- and common sense- tell us that students perform better with more individual attention. This is true in elementary, middle, and high school, where the rigors of science, technology, engineering, and math, programs, demand more and more from students- and teachers"...Recognizing that class sizes that highest, are most detrimental to student achievement"

It goes on to state that, "1-1352, is about one thing- giving every Washington State child the opportunity to learn and thrive in an uncrowded classroom".

Lets extrapolate this to the hospital and staffing and patient acuity. Its not hard to do. Too many patients per nurse produces poor patient outcomes. This has been documented and validated by many studies, that hospitals are refusing to acknowledge, and certainly have not made it public.

Teachers in Washington State and Idaho (right next door to Washington State), are appearing in TV commercials, on public television, in support of lower class sizes, for politicians who are running for office in support of better funding for schools, including making public the national levels of funding for schools, and informing the public of the national records in state spending per pupil, and achievement. Informing the public that Idaho is last in spending per pupil in all 50 states!! Washington is 49th in spending per pupil in all 50 states!!

Can you imagine a nurse going on public TV, informing the public of the poor staffing, and poor patient outcomes in the hospitals that they work at?? Hospitals are quick at making public when they are voted in the top 100 hospitals in the nation? Or as in Spokane, there are bill boards all over town, with the hospital ER wait times!! Why not for nurse staffing, which is a matter of life or death??

They would be banished to Siberia for such treason. Why can teachers go in Public TV and inform the public about school standings and spending, but nurses fear going to the public?? Because nurses have refused unionization on the ridiculous notion that it is "unprofessional to belong to a union, and have an employment contract"?? They cannot go public like the teachers do. Who are we kidding??

I will get off my soapbox now. I have a house to clean and laundry to do. But remember my mantra- no one ever died because they could not to long division or diagram a sentence, but how many of us have patients have been injured due to us having too many patients to care for??

Hospital staffing should be at the national forefront, and nurses should be the ones that are informing the public. Hospital staffing numbers should be voted on by the public who this affects. If the public can vote on class sizes, why are they not allowed to be included in the discussion for patient staffing for nurses??

In this time when Ebola is in the headlines, we should be taking to the streets in large numbers in very public places, with the press and TV station cameras rolling, to inform the public.

JMHO and my NY $0.02

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN (ret)

Somewhere in the PACNW

Of course there has been radio silence from the ANA. We're talking about bedside nurses here. The ANA doesn't care about them; they're too busy pushing the advance practice nursing agenda. Anything from them now would be too little, too late. That's shameful, since the ANA is the self-proclaimed "Voice of Nursing."

[sirI, MSN, APRN, NP]

From the ANA:

Joint Statement from the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association

ANA Calls on the CDC for Clear, Concrete Guidelines to Ensure Patient, Health Care Professional Safety in Light of Ebola Transmissions