The thing that scares me about this whole issue is the lack of “critical thinking”.
We as a group have been striving for decades to be considered professionals. We lay claim to concepts like critical thinking, but then throw those same concepts out the window, and let emotions and prejudice guide our behavior. Yes Banner Del Webb may be the worst hospital to work for in the country, and it the dislike for the company may run deep. The AZ BON may not be the most transparent agency around. But that should mean that they are automatically the ones that are wrong here.
The group of people who have gathered together to support Amanda doesn’t appear to be using the critical thinking skills that are so important to our profession. Instead they refuse to even consider the possibility that Amanda made a bad choice that night. It is much easier to claim a great conspiracy, and it’s easy to hint that anyone who questions Amanda is part of that conspiracy. Even though they live in far away corners of the county. I watched on blogger actually get accused of being part of a conspiracy, and I was told that they felt sorry for me because I couldn’t take Amanda’s word for it, just because she’s a nurse.
Isn’t it possible, that Amanda made a mistake? It may have been well meaning, but in hind sight was the wrong choice. And blaming a prima donna MD for the problem is a cop out.
I’ve spent a career that started in the 70’s. I guess I was fortunate, I started in the US Military were I learned what it meant to stand up for my troops, and how to accept responsibility for my mistakes. And I made a lot of mistakes. I’ve spend uncounted hours, educating MD on how indispensable nurse are. That we are the ones that make them the success they are and to listen to me when I have something to say. They don’t have to accept what I’m saying, but they have to listen. Only twice in the past 30 years have I had to go over their head over something I considered extremely dangerous. I’ve gone into a closed room with MD’s who didn’t seem to trust me, or even actively dislike nurses. We came out of the room, we came out as equals. Once they realized that I truly was looking out for the patient, and not just being contrary because they were the MD’s and I was the nurse, they started to see me an equal. Different roles, but equals, and respected. I don’t need all those hours and effort undermined by someone who made a mistake and now can’t admit that she did.
Now that more information about the whole case has come forward, the followers aren’t using those critical thinking skills. It turns out that the patient wasn’t in the hospital to have a transplant or even a transplant workup. She was in the hospital for a broken hip and head injury. Not exactly the story that was painted initially. But that doesn’t seem to matter to supporters. They are unable to change their viewpoint, their minds are closed, because everyone is always against us, and we never make mistakes.
Did Amanda get hosed, yeah she did. There is no excuse for it taking over a year for this investigation to be done with. But some of that isn’t actually the BON’s fault. They only have so much funding and it’s hard to coordinate investigations and it’s expensive. Could Amanda have avoided this? Maybe.
It’s time to stop claiming we’re victims and it’s time to actually take our place at the table. Be the professionals we claim to be.
But it’s so much easier to play the victim card, or even better yet, claim a grand and encompassing conspiracy involving so-called “evil players” like physicians, Boards of Nursing, and hospital admistrators. For some it’s as if the evidence and reason be damned, they’ve found the Holy Trinity of players on which to project their collective paranoia.
Personally I can’t wait for Amanda Trujillo to just go away. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, she is a stain on this profession, but one which appears to be more easily removed that her most ardent supports, who disgustingly seem to be using her as a springboard for their own supposed “success” in whatever cockamamie scheme they’re trying to hoist upon unsuspecting and naive individuals.
A pox on all their houses.
Great points, Craig. I especially appreciate your thoughts around critical thinking. So key for our work and somewhat elusive in much of the commentary. Please check out and share my related blogpost “Red Flags and Questions I see in the Amanda Trujillo Case” http://www.confidentvoices.com/2012/04/25/red-flags-questions-i-see-in-the-amanda-trujillo-arnp-case/
Take care and thanks,
Beth