February 9, 2012, 1:34 pm
I have always considered the American Nurses Association my professional organization.
And I mean “my” organization.
I didn’t always agree with the political candidates they backed, the health care legislation they promoted, or the fact that my dues paid for political lobbying I might not agree with.
They didn’t support the National Nurse for Public Health, a very grass roots movement started by staff nurses and a cause very near and dear to my heart.
But, bottom line, they were for nursing, and I was a nurse, so they were there for me.
And while I most definitely took advantage of the online benefits, I never really needed the ANA for any personal, professional help or support.
Which was good.
Because it won’t be there if I do.
*****
When Amanda Trujillo was first fired and then reported to the Arizona Board of Nursing by Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center for patient advocacy, she reached out to both the Arizona Nurses Association and the American Nurses Association for help and support.
She heard nothing.
But lately, lo and behold, there have been statements.
Here is the statement from the American Nurses Association, taken from their Facebook page:
“The American Nurses Association (ANA) is closely monitoring the case of Amanda Trujillo, MSN, RN, and has been in contact with her attorney. ANA strongly supports nurses and their right and responsibility to engage in patient education and advocacy.
ANA appreciates how difficult it is for a nurse to undergo an investigation of his or her practice by the state board of nursing. To be clear, ANA expects the Arizona Board of Nursing to follow its standard procedure, to render an unbiased judgment in this case, and to be fully transparent in its findings.
ANA advises that any nurse who has been alerted by the board of a complaint and an impending investigation retain legal counsel. It is the role of legal counsel to represent the nurse during the process. In addition, ANA cautions nurses and the public not to rush to judgments about complex cases based on social media postings or other media coverage.”
So, let me get this straight.
The ANA is “closely monitoring” the case. And they strongly support nurses…etc. BUT, if you are an RN who is under investigation they aren’t going to back you as an individual for one second.
Then again, if you are exonerated, their support is no longer needed!
What a win/win for the ANA! They can give lip service to your right to practice, but if you are being dragged through the mud by your state board, their lips are sealed. If you aren’t guilty of anything, well, hey! Great! Now you don’t need their support anyway!
Oh, but they appreciate the difficulty!
Ah, but they don’t have all the facts, you say.
Please. Nobody died in the Banner case. Nobody was harmed in the Banner case. A box was checked on a computer that sent an order for a case management hospice consult. Didn’t sign a patient up for hospice, just arranged for a nurse to talk to a patient.
For that, a one sentence complaint accusing an RN of practicing outside her scope gets sent to the Arizona Board of Nursing.
And the ANA can’t find it within themselves to commit to supporting the individual nurse.
They sure had no problem ramping up the support for the RNs in Texas! And that was BEFORE all the facts were in!
*****
The next part should send chills up your spine.
“…and has been in contact with her attorney.”
The American Nurses Association has never contacted Amanda Trujillo about this at all. EVER.
She never gave them permission to contact her attorney. Never got a note or a call saying, “Hi Amanda, legally, we can’t speak with you about the case directly, but we would like to call your attorney, can we have his number?”
How did they get his contact information? Wasn’t from Amanda.
And the contact? Whatever it was had nothing to do with supporting her through this ordeal.
That’s a given.
*****
And finally:
“…ANA cautions nurses and the public not to rush to judgments about complex cases based on social media postings or other media coverage.”
Yeah, I just bet they do.
Well, folks, this is a social media posting.
You aren’t going to get the story from the Arizona Board of Nursing. All they do is threaten you if you speak out and ask for your entire medical history for the last five years so they can do a psychiatric evaluation because of retaliatory behavior. No story from them.
You aren’t going to get the story from Banner Health. Remember, they fired a nurse for patient advocacy. Not something you want to shout from the roof tops.
You aren’t going to get the story from the Arizona Nurses Association because their President happens to be the Director of Professional Practice at Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center, and they are connected to the ANA.
You aren’t going to get the story from the American Nurses Association because Amanda is under investigation, so they aren’t taking a stand.
So it looks like social media postings for now.
I apologize for my shortcomings.
Look for “other media coverage” to be hitting soon.
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Jennifer Olin, at RN Central.com writes about this topic here, at ANA Finally Acknowledges Amanda Trujillo.
February 2, 2012, 11:37 am
Looks like someone has some explaining to do.
This photo has a very “Twilight Zone” feel to it.
The only thing missing is Mr. Serling.
Unless he’s standing at the other end of the table…
<cue theme music…>
**********
The nursing blogosphere is on fire with the Amanda Trujillo story, but there haven’t been too many comments from our physician blogger colleagues.
Dr. Dean over at the Millionaire Nurse Blog, dedicated one of his The Best in Nurse Blogs: Amanda Trujillo Edition to the topic, and followed it with a discussion of nurse/physician/healthcare team communication.
Today, I found this post by Dr. Terry Simpson at Your Doctor’s Orders, entitled Transplant or Hospice. Dr. Simpson has some valid opinions as a physician.
Unfortunately, they are buried in a lack of understanding of a registered nurse’s scope of practice, overwhelming arrogance and the use of an image of the book “Angel of Death” to make his point.
Everyone needs to go read this post.
Go ahead. I’ll wait.
This is what nurses are up against on a daily basis.
Not all physicians.
Not most physicians.
But enough physicians.
**********
The idea that nurses are supposed to just “take care” of the patient and defer all questions and education to the physician is mind-boggling.
Dr. Simpson posits that there is a time and a place to discuss end-of-life care.
And that the doctor is the one who makes that decision.
Seriously?
What happens when the patient asks about it?
“There, there Mrs. Smith, don’t worry your pretty little head about stuff like that. Doctor Welby will be in first thing in the morning and he’ll take care of everything. You just get some rest.”
Don’t worry that you will be transferred. Don’t worry that you will be undergoing extensive testing. Don’t worry about what a transplant entails or what it means for your life. Don’t worry about how old you might be or how involved your care might be or what resources you have.
We know what’s best.
Well, the doctor knows what’s best.
In your depressed, ill state, you can’t possibly know what you want or understand what it all means, or have the strength to make the right decision.
The doctor will decide when it’s time for you to know what you need to know.
Some doctors call that autonomy.
Whose autonomy?
**********
So, I guess as patients, we have a choice.
We can wait, and only ask questions of our physician, who may, like Dr. Simpson, tell us what we need to know when we need to know it based on their professional judgement.
Or, we can ask questions of the entire healthcare team, including our registered nurse, and receive information and education that will enable us to have a discussion with our physician about our health and what we should do.
You know, exercise our autonomy.
January 31, 2012, 5:42 pm
Sorry, no.
This is the problem.
There is a huge injustice being perpetrated against a nurse right this moment.
It’s getting worse.
And the ones who got the party started aren’t happy that it isn’t quiet.
That their moves, and their motives, are under public scrutiny.
That nurses are talking.
Because if you are quiet, it means they’ve got you frightened.
If you are quiet, it’s harder for the next nurse to speak out.
If you are quiet, it is easier to intimidate and retaliate against nurses with impunity.
*****
I received a call from the Arizona Board of Nursing this morning. I am not able to obtain a copy of the Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center complaint against Amanda Trujillo, RN, MSN.
They are able to tell me that a complaint was filed, and what date it was filed, but the actual content of the complaint is confidential. A copy goes to the RN involved.
I appreciated the call, they could easily have sent an email.
That doesn’t mean I won’t see a copy of it, it just means I can’t get a copy from the AZBoN.
*****
Well, it gets worse.
Today, ten months after the original complaint was filed, Amanda was advised that the Arizona Board of Nursing had called her university and reported that she is under investigation. Amanda is studying for her DNP.
Amanda got the email from her university, informing her of what they had been told.
WHAT???
Is it normal for boards of nursing to actively report registered nurses to their universities?
By phone?
While the investigation is still going on?
*****
I talked to a nurse investigator in Nevada, who said absolutely “NO”, they did not report nurses to universities., That until the case is decided, it’s confidential and there is no way of knowing that the nurse was in school or what school she attended.
There has been no disciplinary action against Amanda Trujillo by the Arizona Board of Nursing.
So why are they calling her university?
Why now?
*****
This has gone past a regular investigation of a complaint against the license of a registered nurse and has all the markings of a personal vendetta.
I’m no Morley Safter or Mike Wallace.
This blog isn’t 60 Minutes.
I’m just a blogging staff nurse who is aghast at what she is seeing and I have questions.
Who has ties to the Arizona Board of Nursing? What pull, if any, does Banner Health have with the AZBoN? What pull, if any does the doctor whose public display of rage set all this in motion, have with the Arizona Board of Nursing?
What ties does the Arizona Board of Nursing have with Amanda’s university?
*****
And let’s keep in mind why all this is happening.
A patient received education concerning their condition and upcoming procedure, and a referral for a case management consult for hospice placed at the patient’s request.
No patient was harmed. No patient was killed. No medication given. No procedure done.
A patient was given information.
Informed.
Empowered.
And god help the nurse who had the audacity to facilitate this autonomy, this right.
How can you not be outraged?
