If You See Something, Say Something...That Should Be the Policy..

We are living in a world where it seems that ethical behaviors are not encouraged nor rewarded. Even worse, this article shows that ethical actions are sometimes penalized.

We are all human, and none of us is exempt of making mistakes. The problem arises when we are to proud to recognize our mistakes, and even worse, embracing the defensive side when someone pointed them out to us. While reading this article, I could not help asking myself: “Why would a nurse be penalized for reporting a doctor’s unethical conduct?” I must admit that up to this minute, my question has remained unanswered.

I honestly feel that the Mrs. Mitchell should not be penalized for reporting Dr. Arafiles because, first of all, Dr. Arafiles was not doing the right thing. He has been reprimanded in many occasions for indecencies in his prescriptions ‘writing and his way of performing surgery. Secondly, Dr. Arafiles had restriction in his license. Thirdly, he was sending e-mails messages to patients about herbal-supplements that he was selling on the side.

I to some degree, understand Mr. wiley’s logic when he says that the report was made to the state despite of internal efforts to discipline Dr.Arafiles. However, sometimes it is irrelevant to follow ‘complaint’s hierarchy’, depending on the magnitude of the event that has occurred. For instance, let say I live in the dorm and I was told on day one that any issue should be reported to the Resident Assistant. However, if I start receiving threats from a fellow hall mate, I may feel that that the Dean Assistant may be more capable to deal with this issue, or even the Campus Safety Director, and consequently decide to go to them instead; especially if my R.A has not shown in the past the capability dealing with issues of this nature.

I feel that Nurse Mitchell was just doing the right thing. Nurses should be encouraged to freely report anything that is not in accordance to the hospital’s principles, or anything that violates the right procedures to treat patients.