No jobs for Nurses

I have just heard from another nurse that is unable to get a job due to the mere presence of a Board Order. For some reason, some employers have decided that any disciplinary probation warrants termination or a refusal to hire. The employers are not reading the facts that led to the Order and too often they are refusing to employ nurses that either made errors due to mitigating factors or nurses that agreed to the Board's disciplinary restrictions purely because they could not afford to fight the BON.

Employers should take the time to read the Orders, check references and throughly interview nurses. They are turning away extremely qualified, caring professionals. Too often the nurses who take the difficult patients or that are in a charge position are the ones that get investigated by the Board simply because they put themselves out there to care for patients, while the nurses who show up, take simple assignments and never fully engage are kept safe. Ask yourself--which type of nurse would you rather have care for you.

So, EMPLOYERS---Give the nurses a chance! You are losing out on hiring competent, caring, experienced nurses who just happen to have been in the wrong place at the wrong time or who decided to continue working even though the unit was short and because of their dedication, they were overwhelmed and made an error.

Let Your Legislator Know-Support HB 998

Go to Texas Jurisprudence and read about HB 998 filed by Fred Brown. It is a helpful bill and it needs to pass. Please take the time to contact your Legislators.

What does Panasonic know that we don't?

Bloomberg.com just posted a story that Panasonic ordered employees working in some areas outside of Japan to return to Japan because of concerns about an influenza pandemic. This action seems interesting since supposedly there has not been a huge increase in cases.

Picking a Local Attorney

Just recently, I have heard from a few nurses that utilized local attorneys to handle their cases before the BON. These attorneys are not administrative lawyers and have little or no experience with the BON. I am speaking to the nurses because they are either not satisfied with their legal representation or the local attorney has told them that they are unsure of what to do next with the BON. When choosing an attorney (for the BON, for a property issue, family law, whatever the issue), do a little research and chose experience. Frequently, hiring an experienced attorney will not cost more or it may actually cost less (One of the nurses had already paid a local attorney TWICE what I charge and the case was still pending). Be sure to Google the attorney's name and see what they list as their experience, check them out on the State Bar of Texas, and ask questions when you talk to them. My clients come from all over the state of Texas and the nation. They do not have to live in Austin for me to represent them before the Texas Board of Nursing.

I use the same thought process when choosing a doctor. If I have an idea of what area is affected and it is serious, I will go see a specialist rather than my regular GP (my insurance company allows me to choose). The cost is almost the same, but I am seeing the specialist rather than being referred later on. Think of it as cutting out the middle man.

Just my Thoughts and Opinion.