Lorie A Brown, R.N., M.N., J.D., Author at Empowered Nurses

Your Work Email Is Not Private

January 5, 2023 8:43 pm Leave a Comment

When you have an email address, you would think that you have privacy. If your email address is through your employer, nothing you communicate is private, nothing! An employer has access to everything that is sent and received through your employer’s email system.

Therefore, it is imperative that you do not send or receive anything that you wouldn’t want your employer to see.

The whole purpose of having a specific email address at work is for business purposes only. You must not use that email address for anything personal or private. Do not even use that email address for the Board or license renewal.

In addition, everything sent and received through your work email address should never be forwarded to your personal email or to any other person outside of your employer unless directed to do so. Nothing should be forwarded at work unless it is for business purposes with your employer.

I would strongly recommend that you give the Board of Nursing a personal email address rather than a business email address unless it is your own business. If the Board is trying to reach you and you are no longer with that employer, you have a problem. The Board may consider the email to you as appropriate notice even if you never received it because you left your employment and no longer have access.

If there is an issue or if the Board is trying to reach you for some reason, do you want your employer to know about it at that time? Or would you rather tell them in your own way?

Just remember, as I said, nothing you ever send or receive on your employer’s email system is private; your employer has access to everything and be very careful with anything you put in writing because they will be able to see it. They are watching!

Are You An Idea-Generating Nurse?

December 28, 2022 2:19 pm Leave a Comment

If you’re like me, you probably have all kinds of ideas on how to improve nursing, patient care or on another business venture. This is what makes us great entrepreneurs. We are idea generators!

However, the downside is that sometimes we get so many ideas in our heads that we start but we don’t finish. Now, is this you?

For myself, I admit that I am a great starter and maybe a good “middler” but not a good finisher.

What I do that helps me to overcome “shiny object syndrome,” one where you want to start or chase the next best thing, is to get accountability and create a plan with a timeline for when it must be completed and the steps I must reach along the way.

When I commit to something, I do not start anything else. This is the number one priority! And I say, “No!” to other opportunities, other ideas.

I put those ideas in a notebook for storage, so I won’t forget them but keep them easily accessible for when I am ready to move on to what’s next.

When I’m in a project creation mode, I focus completely on the project and turn off all other distractions. For instance, I unsubscribe from newsletters, podcasts, things of that nature that may derail me and take my interests to the task at hand and in another direction

Lastly, I stop comparing myself to other entrepreneurs. The comparison monster is always in our face comparing ourselves to others saying, “Look how much further she is than me,” or “She got her book done,” or whatever the comparison thought in my

head might be. I simply turn it off in my mind so that I can be truly focused on what I have before me at the present.

I’m curious what you do to deal with “imposter syndrome?” What are some of the strategies that you use? Please let me know in the comments below.

Can A Nurse Use Delta 8?

December 27, 2022 10:00 pm Leave a Comment

You are probably wondering what is Delta 8? Delta 8 is known as delta-8 THC tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is a psychoactive substance found in the Cannabis sativa plant, of which marijuana and hemp are two varieties. It is legal under federal law because it is derived from the hemp plant which does not contain THC (but usually contains 3% or less). The thinking from the federal government is that there is not enough THC to make you feel “high.” It is also my understanding that even though it is legal under federal law, certain states consider it illegal. It is also my understanding that there are reported adverse events for Delta 8 and people do experience effects similar to marijuana.

However, the problem for nurses is that there is no way to know if there are trace elements of THC in Delta 8 which would show up on a urine drug test. The Boards of nursing still frown on the use of marijuana even with a medical card. Because there is no good testing of THC to see when it was consumed or if the psychoactive components are still active, the Board does not know whether this was consumed over a long weekend or during a stressful shift. Since there is no good testing, the Board does not know if it was Delta 8, CBD or Marijuana consumed.

The best course of action is to avoid Delta 8, CBD or Marijuana. It is more important to protect your license. The Boards have expressed concerns that nurses must know what goes into their bodies. You are responsible. Saying you took Delta 8 or CBD which is legal, is not a defense. Just like saying “I just had a glass of wine” which is legal and having a high blood alcohol level.

More Tik Tok Nurses

December 21, 2022 4:28 pm Leave a Comment

Can you imagine working in a facility where the ratio is 1 nurse to 53 patients?

This may be acceptable in long term care but what about at an emergency psychiatric facility? That’s what happened in Buffalo, New York where the institution’s nurses’ demands for safer staffing apparently fell on deaf ears. While the Director of Nursing was on vacation, there was a lack of urgency by those in management and human resources.

There needs to be safe staffing ratios in all medical facilities. Nurses need to know exactly how many patients they are required to care for that can flex down with higher acuity.

This TIK TOK video went viral. What is the plan for the weekend with a staffing ratio of 1 nurse to 53 patients? TIK TOK is not the best medium to get results.

I would recommend resigning but you first must give notice because you cannot abandon the patients. I also recommend reporting to the state Department of Health if you see any blatant unsafe staffing in your facility.

It is terrible that nurses are being placed in these positions and I am sure the facility will not support you if an allegation is made against your license. Should you challenge any such action, insurance will not cover your defense unless you carry your own malpractice insurance that includes professional licensing defense.

What steps do you take when short staffing plagues your workplace?

Have you seen bad staffing numbers in your facility? I’d like to hear your comments below.

Tik Tok Nurses

December 14, 2022 4:47 pm Leave a Comment

Four (4) nurses in the labor and delivery unit of Emory University Hospital Midtown recently lost their jobs because they posted an “ICK” video on TIK TOK. An ICK video is a trend where people complain about things they find icky. The quartet made the ICK video to complain about patients.

Unfortunately, the administration of the Atlanta hospital learned about the posting and promptly terminated the nurses involved. Though their recording complaining was in general and did not mention any specific patients, it was, nevertheless, unprofessional to create and post such a video. What if one of their patient’s heard this and was like “I did that.” They would feel awful.

Anything you put on social media puts you under a microscope. Posting the wrong thing can get you in deep trouble. If your employer discovers what you posted is in violation of their core values or a nurses’ ethics or professionalism, they will take action.

I am not sure how a facility can afford to lose 4 labor and delivery nurses in this day and time. However, that’s what happened in this case. Similarly, I wonder what they will tell their future employers and whether the Board will get involved in this specific case.

Just because it seems to be a craze to post an ICK video on TIK TOK (or any social media) does not mean that you must jump into madness as well. Use your common sense.

Though we nurses are human, we make mistakes like everyone else. I hope their Board and their future employers will be forgiving of their improper actions. Most importantly is that they hopefully have learned from this mistake.

People make mistakes, it is what you learned from the mistake that makes the difference.

I recommend that you post absolutely nothing anywhere about your work or anything personal that can be perceived as unbecoming for a nurse.

Nurse Whistleblowers

December 8, 2022 11:47 am Leave a Comment

I hear frequently of nurses who complain about conduct that they feel is unethical or improper that could affect patient care. As nurses, we are first and foremost patient advocates. We are concerned about our patients getting top quality care. Yet our concerns often fall on deaf ears or worse, they face retaliation. We want to report concerns when a facility is short-staffed, practitioners do not respond to phone calls or proper care is not provided.

A nurse whistleblower is one who goes to a state or federal agency to report a facility’s misconduct after their complaints were not addressed by the facility or the “the public exposure of organizational wrongdoing.” Many nurses believe being a whistleblower is complaining to your facility. This is not true.

Fortunately, nurse whistleblowers may be protected from retaliation by both state and federal laws depending on what is reported. And nurse.org has put together a list of every state and the laws that protect you in each one and here is another one.

There is a federal Whistleblower Protection Act which protects federal employees from retaliation from disclosing information that violates laws regulations mismanagement, rules, waste of funds, abuse of authority and endangering public health and safety. However, this law protects only federal employees, not those working in private institutions or state facilities

There is also the National Labor Relations Act, Occupational Safety and Health Act and False Claims Act which protect employees who submit complaints in hope of improving working conditions

However, state law may better protect you. For example, Indiana nurses are protected by the Indiana False Claims and Whistleblower Protection Act, the Indiana Medicaid False Claims and Protection Act and Indiana Code 22-5-3-3 which protects Indiana employees from retaliation for filing a complaint, testifying, or assisting with an investigation against an employer in the state.

Whistleblower retaliation can take the form of termination, demotion, denying a promotion, denying benefits, denying overtime, failing to hire, pay cuts, reduction of hours, intimidation or harassment and other disciplinary actions.

What bothers me most is why would a nurse continue to work in a place that doesn’t provide proper care?

If you feel that the care provided to your patients is compromised based on poor staffing, poor care of coworkers, lack of physician or NP availability, why would you stay there? Sometimes the grass may be greener on the other side.

Even though the law protects you, finding an attorney to assist you can be expensive and time consuming. And, even if you win the battle, you may not win the war. What I mean by that is that if your position is reinstated, you will be walking on the proverbial “eggshells” and the facility likely will find another reason to terminate you.

When you are scared and have been disciplined or questioned about something, it’s natural to be super careful but that can lead to mistakes

I think the only way to improve care in this country is to, yes, be a whistleblower but then leave if you have not left already and don’t rely on the laws to protect you.

Go somewhere you can work within the standards that you want which provides safe patient care.

To Document or Not, That is The Question

December 1, 2022 11:27 am Leave a Comment

Usually, inspirations for my blogs come from either my own past experiences or recent news items. However, the one I’m about to share here came to me from Nurse Erica by way of Facebook Reels. She had been hearing of a director in Houston who directed their staff not to document any provider’s name nor to quote what the provider had said.

This goes against Nursing 101 and documentation!

The whole purpose of documentation is to create a legal record of what actually happens. If you are not allowed to document the provider’s name or even what the provider said, how is this fulfilling the exact requirement of keeping a legal record of what happened?

This is flat-out wrong and will get you in s-e-r-i-o-u-s trouble!

If you are working in an environment where you are told to do something that YOU ABSOLUTELY KNOW to not be the proper way to do things, remember what I always say, “You can always find another job, but you can’t get another license.”

I guess I probably shouldn’t say that I am shocked at the lengths to which some facilities will go to protect themselves and their providers from malpractice, but, if this is true to any degree, it is truly sad.

Can you imagine what a jury would think if nurses had been told to hide a doctor’s name or omit any record of what the doctor had said?

I am just curious to hear if you have ever been told anything like this where you work. I would love to hear in the comments below.

What If Time Was Money?

November 30, 2022 7:37 pm Leave a Comment

I loved the 2011 Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried film titled “IN TIME”. If you have not seen it, you can catch it on Amazon Prime and I highly recommend you watch it.

In this sci-fi thriller, people stop aging at 25 when a device on their arm notes they have 2 years left to live. If you work, time is added to your reserve; when you make a purchase, you spend time. You can give away or be given time. But should you run out of time, your life is over.

Literally, in this futuristic world, time IS money!

In the real world, right now, you and I need to treat our time as a precious resource like money. Are we frittering away time on social media and other pleasures? Or are we spending quality time with our loved ones?

As a business owner, I realize that time is the equalizer. We all have the same 24 hours in a day, but it is exactly how we spend that time that makes the difference. Those who spend their time wisely, creating and developing their businesses, tend to be more successful than those who are not too sensible about their use of time.

Having a calendar with everything important to do in your day scheduled is quite helpful. This way you will not have a big to-do list that drains your energy.

In addition, should you not be able to get to something, just reschedule it.

I suggest you make a list of everything you do in a typical day. Then decide which, if any, of those activities are not essential and those that are important for your health and wellbeing such as relationships, quality of life and then your business.

I suggest that you first calendar what is important to you and then your business activities because once you fill your cup, you have energy and time to give to others.

How are you apportioning your time for this day? I would like to hear from you in the comments below.

Can A Nurse be Called A Doctor?

November 23, 2022 5:30 pm 1 Comment

A doctorly prepared nurse practitioner, Sarah Anne Erny of Arroyo Grande, California, has been fined for publicly referring to herself as “Doctor Sarah” or “Doctor Erny” in contradiction to that state’s laws.

Now, to be sure, there are many doctorly prepared professions in which a person may call themselves “doctor.” For example, look at the First Lady who earned a Doctor of Education degree and asks to be publicly referred to as Dr. Jill Biden.

The title is also allowed for other doctorate-based career professionals such as pharmacists, psychologists, naturopaths, physical therapists, acupuncturists, or optometrists who all put the title “doctor” before their name.

However, in Ms. Erny’s case, the Board felt that she misrepresented herself by addressing herself as a doctor. In fact, she lost her case before the Board and since California requires the defendant to pay the cost of the investigation as well as face possible civil penalties, she now must pay $20,000. From that, she must pay $16,000 no later than 30 days of the final judgment (whoosh, that is harsh!) And the remainder is to be paid no later than 90 days.

If you have a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree (DNP) in a state other than California, don’t get worried. Apparently, the Board in Ms. Erny’s case relied on California’s Business and Professional Code which allows only a few select professionals to call themselves doctors. Other states have their own restrictions and allowances.

Indeed, California says a nurse can call themselves a Certified Nurse Practitioner or Advanced Practice Registered Nurse but, again, they cannot refer to themselves as “doctor.”

This is a very disappointing opinion because as NPs are establishing themselves as the leaders in primary care and they have a doctorate degree they should be allowed to use the title of doctor. One can say I am Dr. X, an advanced nurse practitioner but not in California.

To me, it makes more sense for a DNP to be addressed as “doctor” than, say, a person with a Doctor of Economics or even a Doctor of Education degree.

I hope California will see the light and change their statute,

Why I Think Nurses’ Day Should Be Everyday!

November 17, 2022 3:23 pm Leave a Comment

I’ve told you more than once that I believe nurses are the hardest working people on Earth! You cannot pay most people enough money to do what nurses everywhere do every day and with a smile on their face.

Nurses should be celebrated every day because they made it through nursing school. Nursing schools are one of the most difficult programs for professionals. Nurses must memorize tons of medical terminology, endure clinicals and pass the NCLEX examination. The stress of passing nursing school should be celebrated: YOU DID IT!

I say too that, despite seeing more pain, suffering and death than anyone else, nurses are the kindest humans on the planet. They give so much to their patients to make their lives better during their most troublesome, vulnerable, and uncertain times. A nurse will see more pain, suffering and death than anyone else.

A nurse can go into a room to immediately establish trust with a patient to help them with their most personal care and situations. They are there to support those who are facing their final hours, to help them transition comfortably. Nurses also comfort the grieving family members who wait out those final hours for the patient.

Nurses are the smartest people, flat out geniuses I say, having to be creative, organized, prioritized and be able to critically think on their feet. They continually introduce new technology and must learn new things all the time. Nurses work 24/7. There is seldom such a thing as a holiday or a weekend.

They give to others and are not always available for their children’s sports activities, school events and sometimes not available for holidays with the family.

Nurses deserve every day to be one noteworthy in their honor because they are not afraid to get their hands dirty. They are exposed to every type of bodily substance and pathogen, known and unknown.

Lastly, nurses have huge hearts. They are such givers and care more about everyone else. I honestly believe nursing is in our DNA and that is why we became nurses.

I will tell you again that every day should be Nurses’ Day to honor this dedicated group from our nation’s medical healthcare professionals. Thank you for all you do!

Author Archives: Lorie A Brown, R.N., M.N., J.D.