Whistleblowing in Nursing Jeremy Mann Tia Standifer Breann
Whistleblowing in Nursing Jeremy Mann, Tia Standifer, Breann Fawcett, Alexis Goeglein, Meghan Shaw
What is it? ● Whistleblowing is when an employee discloses information to a superior which is evidence of an illegal, fraudulent, or dangerous act. ● Whistleblowers are protected by law in most states, but this doesn’t mean they don’t see other forms of retaliation. ● Nurses particularly at risk for these situations
Why is it a problem in nursing? ● Nurses face ethical and moral dilemmas often ● The systems in place do not always prevent retaliation ● Our goal is to keep patients safe ● Can you see where there might be problems?
Moral and ethical thing to do Legal protection Pros of Whistleblowing False Claims Act: “one of the strongest whistleblower protection provisions in the United State” Financial reward If lawsuit is won by the whistleblower However. . . only Whistleblow after thoughtful consideration
Cons of Whistleblowing Affects your career: You might be labeled as a tattle tail thus decreasing your chances of being rehired in the future. Affects your relationships: Your trusted friends might ditch you to keep their career standing. And you cannot talk to anyone about the specifics to keep the confidentiality of the case. It takes a really long time! Approximately 4 -10 years to get the case resolved!
Nuances of Whistleblowing "From one perspective, whistle-blowing is the ultimate act of justice, serving to right a wrong. From another perspective, whistle-blowing is the ultimate breach, a grave betrayal” (Dungan, Waytz & Young, 2015).
The Current State of Whistleblowing The occupational health and safety administration (OHSA) currently has whistleblower protection programs for protecting employees who report violations of different workplace problems.
What can you do as a nurse? File a complaint: You can file a complaint if your employer has retaliated against you for exercising your rights as an employee. Know your rights: An employer cannot retaliate by taking “adverse action” against workers who report injury, safety concerns, and other protected activity. Worker Protections: Since passage of the OSA Act in 1970, Congress has expanded OSHA’s whistleblower authority to protect workers from retaliation under twenty-two federal laws.
Current State Whistleblowing studies Quality of Care Workload
Future “Some states have enacted legislation that protects nurses and other healthcare staff members from retaliation when they report a case, but others have not. There is no federal legislation that specifically protects nurses. ” (Ellis, Hartley, 2014)
Questions 1. What organization provides whistleblowing protection for employees? Answer: OHSA
References https: //www. nursingtimes. net/clinical-archive/leadership/whistleblowing-what -influences-nurses-decisions-on-whether-to-report-poorpractice/5010979. article http: //whistleblowerlaw. com/whistleblowing-in-the-workplace/ https: //www. whistleblower. org/what-whistleblower https: //www. whistleblowers. gov/ Dungan, J. , Waytz, A. , & Young, L. (2015). The psychology of whistleblowing. Current Opinion in Psychology, 6, 129 -133.
References Cont’ http: //thomasdurrell. com/things-a-whistleblower-needs-to-keep-in-mind/ http: //whistleblowerlaw. com/whistleblowing-in-the-workplace/
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