(ARCHIVED) When caregivers harm

Apparently, the public wants something for nothing when it comes to protecting the consumers. I'm on the inside and I can tell you that it will take money and additional staffing to process complaints efficiently and in a timely manner. Most people do not or refuse to understand the administrative process, which includes DUE PROCESS. Just like criminal law, there are delays, continuances of hearings, new evidence presented, etc.

DD @ 8:13 AM PDT, Jul 23, 2009

Nursing is not a recession proof job. Newly RN graduates are finding it difficult to get a job because hospitals and other smaller facilities requires at least 1 to 2 years of experience. Therefore, if these so called bad nurses are to be sentence and prosecuted early, it will create more jobs and opportunities for new RN graduates to enter the labor force.

Paul @ 11:40 PM PDT, Jul 22, 2009

Wow this is powerful! I don't understand questioning the Compact state thing as I am sure other states adequately check their Nurses to assure they are properly credenialed.

Concerned @ 1:26 PM PDT, Jul 22, 2009

Terry was a complete embarrassment. As a testament to her poor leadership and alarming lack of accountability, Terry blames others for her failure to protect the public. Although tasked with holding nurses accountable for their actions, she woefully failed to be accountable for her own. When one is completely incompetent, lacks accountability and possesses no ethical/moral scruples whatsoever, there is little defense. I guess when a nurse is accused of being dangerous or incompetent the nurse either gets disciplined or is appointed as the BRN executive officer. I will be happy to have her name off of BRN letterhead.

ProudRN @ 8:49 AM PDT, Jul 21, 2009

My opinion is that when action is taken by one board in whatever state that ALL state nursing boards endorse that action and follow suit on the nursing license. One license to practice within the U.S. would prevent those problem persons from moving from state to state to maintain a license. With a single license for the nation when there are problems with that person they are not discarded by moving to a different state and getting a new license or volunteering to surrender a license in one state while maintaining a license in several other states! One license to practice would help eliminate many of the problems currently faced.

W R, retired @ 8:16 AM PDT, Jul 20, 2009

California has stated that they did not Join the Multi-State Compact because they couldn't verify the qualifications of nurses liscenecd by other Compact states. Heck, according to the article, they can't even seem to verify the qualifications of their own states nurses. At least with Multi State Compact liscensed RNs, they would know that SOMEONE is watching out for rogue nurses.

Jackson, RN @ 7:53 PM PDT, Jul 19, 2009

I am an LVN and I am appalled by what the nurses in the article are doing. Do they not realize what they are doing? Working on the job and taking care of patients while on drugs is not cool. All of these situations that are in this story are sad to read. How can these people call themselves nurses? Their behavior disgusts me. Hitting patients and causing permanent disability makes me sick! If you cannot handle the job maybe it is time for that nurse to get out of what they are doing and go learn something else and into another career.

Rita Webber LVN @ 4:25 PM PDT, Jul 19, 2009

Not only are they abusing patients they are also abusing fellow nurses. Now known as the mafia some foreign nurses bear false witness to gain job openings for their family and friends. I was once poisoned by another nurse with coumadin, a blood thinner, for asking him to let me know when he leaves the floor.

Carmen Peters @ 12:17 AM PDT, Jul 19, 2009

This should have happened long time ago. Is there an article about newly RN grads not finding a job? I thought there is a nursing shortage?!

Ralph @ 7:30 PM PDT, Jul 17, 2009

As a subsciber to the Times for many years, I am appalled at how this story was twisted to villify the BRN and Ruth Terry. The truth is that RN's as all citizens are protected by the law. The investigations must follow due process and there are very few investigators to handle the caseload. This was purely a ploy by a reporter to sensationalize rather than analyze what is a serious problem.As for the Governer this was political posturing and not a true conviction to fix the system to better protect patients. The reputations of truly caring professionals were ruined.

Theresa Ullrich @ 5:02 PM PDT, Jul 17, 2009

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