|
Sample
Letter for an Apology by BORN
October 7, 1999
Ms. Marie McCarthy
Chair
Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing
239 Causeway Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02114
Dear Ms McCarthy:
I
am hereby joining with other outraged colleagues and licensees
of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to demand that the BORN
issue a written apology to Barry A. Adams, RN, for the dismissive
and disrespectful treatment he received from the BORN’s Complaint
Committee on September 22, 1999. I also call upon
the entire Board of Registration in Nursing to reopen Mr. Adam’s
complaint against his former director of nursing for unethical
conduct, unprofessional conduct and patient neglect.
The Board admittedly has no obligation to explain
its actual decisions in a public forum. However, it
should not demonstrate public disdain and blatant dismissal of
nursing professionals attempting to use due process to advocate
for what they believe to be in the best interest of the public
health and safety. As one of the state agencies mandated
to protect the public, the public and the profession should expect
no less of the BORN. Any nurse in Massachusetts who violates
his or her professional, ethical and behavioral trust to patients
should be held accountable. As more and more nurses are coerced
into silence in the face of unsafe patient care conditions, it
is critical that nurses be willing to risk speaking out for their
patients. For that to happen, the BORN must be objective
and apply the same disciplinary standard for all nurses in its
determinations.
The decision by the BORN to dismiss Adam’s complaints
raises heightened concern on behalf of the nursing community
about the current BORN’s ability to objectively, fairly and consistently
investigate, evaluate and determine the outcome of complaints
against individual nurses. It also creates the appearance
of a troubling double standard. The BORN appears to aggressively
discipline those who have little or no control over their practice
environment while failing to discipline those nurses who have
the overall responsibility for patient care and conditions of
the entire practice environment.
We urge the BORN to restore trust with the public
and with the nursing profession by re-evaluating its position
in this case, and by making a commitment to providing equal accountability
for all practitioners under BORN jurisdiction.
Respectfully,
________________
Click here to view a
sample letter to send to Governor
Click here to for address,
fax, and e:mails of BORN and Governor
Back to BORN Reform
Page.
|
