Examples Of Whistleblowing In Nursing

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Whistle-blowing: An Ethical Dilemma in Nursing Today A whistle-blower can be defined as “a person who exposes any kind of information or activity that is deemed illegal, unethical or unsafe”. Whistle-blowers are not always seen in a favorable light within the nursing field, despite their positive intentions. Historically, the stigma attached to whistle- blowing keeps many people from bravely coming forward out of fear of retaliation. “To define the term further within the scope of nursing, whistle-blowing is an action taken by a nurse within his or her organization to correct a dangerous situation. Whether this be towards a fellow nurse or another person on the healthcare team” (Firtko & Jackson, 2005). Personally, I see whistle-blowing …show more content…

Nurses are not just loyal to their patients. We are loyal to our employers and the members of our healthcare team which makes whistle-blowing a tough decision, but often growth and advancement is stunted because of unaddressed issues in healthcare. We take a tremendous amount of pride in what we accomplish within those teams. It is a sad dose of reality though that not everyone is and/or can act ethically and follow proper protocol. So when the standard of care declines we need to find ways to use our voice to bring about …show more content…

P. (2014). Professional Nursing: Concepts & Challenges. Philadelphia: Elsevier Health Sciences. Drew, K., & Garrahan, K. (2005). Whistleblower protection for nurses and other health care professionals. [Abstract]. J Nursing Law. Retrieved August/September, 2016, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=DrewM[Author]&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=16317841 Firtko, A.J., & Jackson, D. (2005). Do the ends justify the means? Nursing and the dilemma of whistleblowing. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 23(1), 51-57. Hughes, C. (2017, August 20). Whistle-blower nurse settles case with Albany VA. Retrieved September 18, 2017, from http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Whistle-blower- nurse-settles-case-with-Albany-VA-11944914.php Lowe, R. (2010, March 03). Whistleblowing Nurses Case Highlights Need for More Open Quality-of-Care Culture. Retrieved September 18, 2017, from

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