Category: Workplace Issues

A sad situation occurred in South Carolina where a nurse misread a physician’s order resulting in the over medication of a child causing his death. It is so sad that this happened. The family now has gone to the State legislature and asked that a law be passed which would require the South Carolina State Board of Nursing to revoke […]

I am constantly amazed at the number of nurses I meet who do not know their facilities policies and procedures. The policies and procedures are your “bible” in the nursing profession. You are required to know and follow these policies and procedures. Just because people always do things a certain way does not necessarily mean that it’s proper. The policies […]

In this week’s video, I interview attorney Corey Walker from Iowa. Corey practices in the area of workers compensation. He says that the nursing active practice is one of the highest for injuries and workers comp claims. In fact, he wrote a book, titled “Iowa Nurse Employment Guide: Your A to Z Nursing Handbook.” Corey and I discuss worker compensation […]

I recently attended the Indiana State Nurses Assistance Program quarterly provider meeting. This was an opportunity where people who serve nurses with substance abuse issues can get together. Representing and being an advocate for nurses, I attended the session which included the Executive Director of the Indiana State Board of Nursing, the President of the Indiana State Board of Nurses […]

Recently I learned that nurses at a major health care system in my home State of Indiana are organizing a union. I am most bothered by the fact that the nurses in this health system are so dissatisfied that they believe a union is necessary. I have trepidations in writing this post but feel it is necessary to make some […]

This past week I went before the Nursing Board. Not only do they hear matters against nurses who licenses are being charged but also cases of individuals who have completed their nursing education and now want to sit for the test. Some have skeletons in their closet such as a previous DUI conviction or some such criminal matter. Once you […]

The late comedian, writer and actor Steve Allen once had a group of individuals, each bilingual but no 2 with the same pair of languages, form a circle. In the televised event, he told a joke, in English, to the first one who then told it in a separate language that he and the third person shared. That person then […]

Is a med error considered malpractice? “Malpractice” is a fancy word for negligence, but involves a professional. There are 4 elements of malpractice: Duty (the standard of care) Breach (you didn’t do what you were supposed to do or did something that you should not have done); Causation; and Harm. So, let’s put it in layman’s terms. You have a […]

Recently a study was performed which determined six individual factors that lead to human errors. Three factors were contributed to the caregiver, 1) fatigue, 2) emotional stress and 3) multitasking. If you think about situations in your work place, when you are tired or when you are stressed, or you’re trying to do too many things at once it can […]

I know how difficult it can be to be understaffed on a busy medical surgical unit or for that matter, any unit and I know that hospitals and nursing homes discourage overtime.  Unfortunately, most state laws do not have any minimum staffing requirements.  You’re in between a rock and a hard place because you are required to accept the assignment […]