It’s Nurses Week and with the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has finally caught on to what I discovered at age 18 when my dad was in the hospital for open heart surgery. While the surgeon was certainly important, it was the nurses who were the real heroes of my dad’s recovery. They were with my dad every moment, guiding him through a successful post-op recovery.
I was recently contacted regarding a federal lawsuit alleging that Houston Methodist deducted 30 minutes each shift for breaks whether the nurses took them in whole, in part or not at all. There are more than 20 similar lawsuits throughout the U.S.
Over the past few weeks I have received emails and private messages from registered nurses throughout the U.S. asking me about their rights to refuse to treat an Ebola patient at their RN job. I have also been on national television with Stuart Varney of Varney Co. to bring attention to this very issue.
It’s been 41 days since Thomas Eric Duncan presented as the first Ebola patient to be diagnosed (and misdiagnosed) on American soil. I’ve been on national TV four times to address hospital preparedness for Ebola and I am in deep gratitude to the 500 registered nurses throughout the U.S. who took your time to share what you know about the state of hospital preparedness.
I’ve been asked to go back on “The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson” on FOX NEWS today due to the fourth Ebola patient diagnosed in the U.S. They want to know if the 3.1 million RNs are any better protected today than they were four weeks ago.
Wednesday I was on “Street Smart” on Bloomberg TV and yesterday on “The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson” on FOX NEWS to address the rising fear among RNs of treating Ebola patients without adequate training, preparedness and appropriate PPE.
Exciting news for RNs! The national media has picked up on the results of the National Nurses’ Stress Survey. Live today, I will be addressing the elephant in the hospital room, i.e., dangerous levels of stress among RNs. Tune in (or, if you’ll be hard at work at your RN hospital job, set your DVR) today, June 7, 12:15pm EST on FOX Business Network’s Varney & Co. show.
A huge thank you to everyone who took our survey “Are You Way Too Stressed Out?” A remarkable 3,312 of you took the time out of your busy day to complete the survey, and this high response rate highlights the seriousness of this issue to the nursing world.
Yesterday, a nurse at the Houston CLNC® Certification Seminar asked me, “How does it feel to be a celebrity?” My response, “I’m a working CEO (who, for the record, gets up at 4am every morning). I don’t have time to bask in admiration. Plus, if my head ever starts to swell, my staff is quick to remind me there’s real work to do. There’s nothing like 20 employees to help me keep it real.”
I admit, when it comes to my appetite (for life that is), I’m a greedy person. I have high expectations for my life and career and I plan on having them as long as I have a life. Without expectations and desires, we don’t have a life at all. I’m big on acting on our dreams, not just dreaming them.
*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.
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