I recently accomplished this goal. I was interning at a hospital and I witnessed one of my superiors using abusive behaviour towards patients. I confronted her about it, when that solved nothing, I went to her superiors, and finally ended up taking my allegations all the way to the Health Board. It was a frightening process, and I probably lost a job opportunity because of it, but standing up for someone else who couldn’t do it for themselves should be something that is innate in all of us. Unfortunately, most of the staff was aware of this nurse’s behaviour, but no one stepped up to the plate. In my opinion, they are just as responsible for letting her actions continue. The nurse was suspended for 3 months pending the outcome of the investigation, and after I completed my internship last week, I have since learned that she is returning to work this week. This will not deter me from standing up for what I believe in in the future, and I hope others will follow my lead and protect those vulnerable patients.
