At the Philadelphia CLNC® Certification Seminar this week I counseled a CLNC student who had been unjustly terminated from her RN job at the hospital. She had a 25-year record that was flawless. Without getting into the details, I’ve heard similar stories over the years from other RNs who have been unjustly terminated for being whistleblowers (e.g., reporting an impaired or incompetent MD to administration).
In typical hospital fashion, administration doesn’t get rid of the doctor who is malpracticing on patients – they get rid of the RN who has the courage to bring this avoidable issue forward.
This same CLNC student was contacted by an attorney yesterday to consult on a case involving the facility that fired her. She asked if this situation would be a conflict of interest, but she wasn’t really asking. She wanted me to tell her the case wasn’t a conflict. I was sensing that she couldn’t wait to get her revenge.
The CLNC student argued with my assessment of the conflict, but I never wavered. I told her she was too angry about her situation and probably couldn’t be objective about the case. Her response, “So I’ve lost my first potential attorney-client?” My response, “Absolutely not! Go to the attorney’s office, explain that you have a conflict and tell him you’re ready to consult on a different case. Trust me, the attorney will respect you for not just grabbing any case that comes your way.”
I was surprised to witness this energetic, feisty nurse act depressed for the rest of the day because I didn’t tell her what she wanted to hear. I gave her the day to sulk and approached her the next morning. This time my advice was a little more buck-up than the day before, “It seems to me you are seeking vengeance. Vengeance is never a good motive. I know getting fired has been rough. But right now, while anger is eating away at you, the hospital villains probably aren’t even thinking about you. It’s time to snap out of it and make the appointment with the attorney or you’ll really have something to be angry about – that you let your emotions get in the way of your success as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant.”
This CLNC consultant will have to decide between conflict or vengeance. I can only hope she heeds my advice.
I’m Just Sayin’
P.S. Comment and share how you control your emotional energy to make intelligent decisions in your CLNC business.
