It Never Ceases to Amaze Me

Dear MNA RN,

The lengths this nursing administration will go to silence nurses are incredible. Over the past months, I have seen and heard of horrific instances that staff are enduring because nursing leadership is out of control. It makes me sick.

The nursing staff at BWH is an incredible group of professionals that “make it happen” for our patients and families each and every day. This occurs despite having leadership which appears to lack integrity and professional boundaries. This hospital would not and could not function if the staff nurses acted in the same manner. So just who is running the show?

Each time management fails to do their job they make the nurses suffer. Hospital administration always asks me to have the nurses speak to their managers first to see if they can resolve a particular issue at the unit/floor level. I do this. Not surprisingly, for the most part, things do not get resolved. As an example, ask the nurses on the BMT unit about their response from Nurse Manager Cindy Jodoin and Director Carolyn Hayes when they brought serious care issues to their attention. The nurses had a gag order placed on them and a “witch hunt” ensued. Issues had been brought forward during the past year and management did nothing. So now the nurses will pay. I think the hospital needs to be reminded we are mandated reporters and have whistle blower protections and are not afraid to use them. Unfortunately, this is just one example out of many where angry managers and administrators retaliate against nurses who are doing the right thing.

If you read and believe the BWH Nurse or BWH Bulletin, all is just ducky here at the hospital. Leadership through rose colored glasses will not make our problems go away. We have the Shapiro Center opening in the spring and still have no concrete plans for patient and visitor safety, staff safety and the management of flow that will affect all staff who will work there. The small amount of information that has come out is concerning at best. The classes that are being scheduled are of particular interest, especially the “nurse is a nurse” class. That is my title for it, but it makes the point that all nurses cannot care for all patients. The fact that all nurses are being given medical, surgical and some ICU/intermediate refresher classes begs the question: what is the hospital planning on doing? All of the patient care rooms in Shapiro have the ability to become ICU beds so….you should be concerned. Nurses have developed clinical expertise based on the specialty of the patients they care for. The “nurse is a nurse” mentality went out with nursing caps, giving up your chair to a physician and men not being allowed to practice nursing!

It never ceases to amaze me how far we have come and how far back nursing leadership wants to push us. Remember, stand together, have a unified voice and enjoy the push forward that we as BWH nurses will continue to fight for. Nobody disrespects a BWH nurse ………nobody.

In unity,
Barbara Norton RN, MNA Chairperson