Just when we thought nursing couldn’t get anymore challenging (thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic) along came a chilling verdict of guilty in the criminal prosecution of RaDonda Vaught for a medication error.
Is the most important healthcare profession overwhelmed to a breaking point? How are you personally coping with the state of nursing and healthcare? Are you thinking about leaving the profession for a safer or less stressful option?
You chose to be an RN. You can’t take that back. Nursing is your profession and to some extent your identity. As hard as you might try, you probably won’t single-handedly change it this year or the next or the next.
In 1982 I chose to revolutionize my own nursing career and the careers of other RNs when I pioneered legal nurse consulting. More than ever I believe Nurses Week should not just be a celebration, but also a time for reflection of what you want your nursing career to be.
For 40 years it’s been my goal to help RNs find and own your voice, believe in yourself and speak up for what you know without fear of discrimination, harassment or suppression. It’s also been my goal to free you to be your own boss, make your own choices and design a nursing career that fulfills you. These goals will be how I define my RN career until I draw my last nursing breath.
How about you? Where will your nursing career take you next?
We Are Nurses and We Can Do Anything!®
P.S.Comment and share how you’re personally coping with the state of nursing and healthcare.
Hello. I became a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant in 2020 as a career long “dream.” Although my business is slow to take off, the process is comforting. I am currently working full time for an insurance company doing home visits. Speaking with members every day is a great relief and encouragement. I am blessed by those I encounter. The verdict, to me, makes little sense. I am a nurse practitioner and that advanced practice scope does open me up to increased risk. My reaction is not fear, but vigilance. I find a great lack of understanding of what nurses do, and in my case, nurse practitioners. I am not leaving the profession, it is my calling or mission. I am trying to navigate through these times and learn as I go. Thank you to Vickie Milazzo for your vision all those years ago.
I am working towards CLNC® Certification because as someone who chose nursing as their 2nd career, I hope my mind functions better than my body in the next decade. After 12 years of ICU nursing and especially after fighting on the frontline of the pandemic, my colleagues and I suffer from PTSD, compassion fatigue, and extreme burn out. I work with the finest group of nurses however and together we will rise above. Our team is fragile, as great turnover in staff has lead to an energetic but inexperienced workforce. Supervisors and administration are focused on education in addition to staff retention. Maximum sentencing for an RN lethal medication error seems extreme and will not help anyone who is working toward the above goals.
LegalNurse.com is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
The National Alliance of Certified Legal Nurse Consultants (NACLNC®) is the largest and oldest association of legal nurse consultants.
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*The opinions and statements made by Vickie Milazzo, the founder of Medical-Legal Consulting Institute, Inc. are based on her experiences and expertise, should not be applied beyond the specific context provided, and do not guaranty or project actual results. Vickie Milazzo is no longer involved in the operations or management of the business, but is involved as an independent education consultant.
Hello. I became a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant in 2020 as a career long “dream.” Although my business is slow to take off, the process is comforting. I am currently working full time for an insurance company doing home visits. Speaking with members every day is a great relief and encouragement. I am blessed by those I encounter. The verdict, to me, makes little sense. I am a nurse practitioner and that advanced practice scope does open me up to increased risk. My reaction is not fear, but vigilance. I find a great lack of understanding of what nurses do, and in my case, nurse practitioners. I am not leaving the profession, it is my calling or mission. I am trying to navigate through these times and learn as I go. Thank you to Vickie Milazzo for your vision all those years ago.
I am working towards CLNC® Certification because as someone who chose nursing as their 2nd career, I hope my mind functions better than my body in the next decade. After 12 years of ICU nursing and especially after fighting on the frontline of the pandemic, my colleagues and I suffer from PTSD, compassion fatigue, and extreme burn out. I work with the finest group of nurses however and together we will rise above. Our team is fragile, as great turnover in staff has lead to an energetic but inexperienced workforce. Supervisors and administration are focused on education in addition to staff retention. Maximum sentencing for an RN lethal medication error seems extreme and will not help anyone who is working toward the above goals.