whistleblower protection

Youda · Aug 28, 2002

Whisleblower laws are incredibly ineffective. In short, it's a sham. In Missouri where there is a whistleblower law, it has no teeth since the employer will most certainly find some wrongdoing to harass or discharge the nurse "for cause." To tie the emplyer's action to retaliation, you must prove that there is a relationship between your reporting and the "legitimate" reason for their employer's actions against you. Additionally, there is no agency or funding to assist the nurse. In other words, the only recourse is through civil courts and the case is almost impossible to prove. Any witnesses you might have will dummy-up or get amnesia to protect their own jobs. Although nursing unions and organizations are making progress to protect a nurse, we're still very far away from having a voice in protecting ourselves and our patients. In most cases, the nurse fights the battle alone, shunned by coworkers for making waves, and ultimately loses her job and is labelled a "troublemaker" which makes finding a new job more difficult. Been there, done that.

sjoe · Sep 7, 2002

Youda--You are correct.

Nationwide, counting all kinds of workers, about 50% of whistleblowers soon lose their jobs, regardless of whatever laws may or may not exist in their particular State. (According to Business Week.)

All they wind up with is a sense of moral satisfaction (which along with $3 can get them a cup of coffee at Starbucks, where they can read the want ads).

nimbex, RN · Sep 9, 2002

Hate to be a skeptic here. BUT any facility can look and find reasons to fire a whistle blower from digging through thier charts, interviewing family, patients co-workers on and on. No nurse is perfect and when looking, each single "mistake" no matter how minor will add up and up and up.

Any whistle blower will be under the microscope PERIOD!

Wish I could argue otherwise... the law is needed for basic protection... but it doesn't amount to much in the end

-jt · Sep 20, 2002

(oops - just hit a wrong button)