Urgent Request for Attendance at March 8th Demonstration

Dear Nurse Friend/Colleague

On March 8, 2000 the Board of Registration in Nursing (BORN) will decide upon recommendations from their Complaint Committee regarding the merits of complaint that my nurse manager fell below the standard for professional nursing care of a nurse executive and for unethical behavior in relation to the care provided to patients by me and my nurse colleagues at Youville Hospital.  No matter the outcome, it is the BORN's fiduciary responsibility to examine all evidence, weigh the complaint in measuring the standard of nursing practice and provide consistent due process according to their legal responsibilities. 

It is well within the purview of the regulatory framework for my attorneys to offer counter argument to the findings of the Complaint Committee before the entire BORN. My attorneys followed legal procedure (at 801 CMR 1.01(11) ( c) 1.)  and asked for ten minutes time through official communiqué. Yet, my attorneys have been denied permission to speak on behalf of my complaint. 

For me, and other nurses throughout the Commonwealth, the BORN's continued "censure and silencing" is further evidence of the lack of follow through on proper procedures to meet their duty.  I plan on requesting again, that my attorneys be given 10 minutes of oral presentation on behalf of my complaint.  If you would like your name to be added to a letter supporting this action, please just reply to me by Monday, March 6.  If you are concerned about confidentiality, utilize your e-mail name without the address, but please include your town of residence and your licensure title (RN or LPN).  Also, I am asking each to include your professional nursing organization affiliation.  If you are a not a nurse, also indicate your support for nurses as a consumer.

This issue is about protecting the health, safety and welfare of the
public by assuring that nurse managers, as licensed professionals, are held accountable to their standards of practice in their specialty.  It is further to assure that positions of power will not be used to intimidate or harass nurses who speak up on behalf of patients.  This is behavior, unbecoming a nurse, inconsistent with professional standards, unethical, violates the Nurse Practice Act and is a danger to the patients we serve.  This complaint is about holding all nurses accountable, not just those who directly care for patients. 

Barry Adams, RN