Preparing to Blow the Whistle: A Survival Guide for Nurses

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2011.07.006Get rights and content

Abstract

Fear of retaliation and the stigma associated with being a “troublemaker” or a “whistleblower” contributes to the underreporting of problems in health care. Any nurses or nurse practitioners placed in the difficult situation of reporting a problem that an employer has not addressed need guidance to decide whether to report, how to report, and what they should do to protect themselves and their families when they do report. They need to maximize the effectiveness of their report and minimize the negative repercussions.

Section snippets

Whether to Report

Whether to report depends on the type of problem, its seriousness, the evidence that you have about the problem, and the potential costs. These are the essential factors in assessing your concern. In some situations you may be afraid to make even a routine report. That is a sign of a bad system and a problem in itself. Does your employer not have or not follow appropriate procedures? Is your supervisor not accepting of reports? Is there an ethics hotline? Can you report anonymously? You should

How to Blow the Whistle

Now that you have assessed the problem, the next step is to plan. You must anticipate that your employer may not see you as a hero but more like an attacking enemy. This could become a war. You need to identify your sources of support and your helpers, outline a strategy that will result in effective reporting to the right source and that will, to the extent possible, minimize the negative consequences for yourself professionally and personally. Your plan should be designed to protect your

Conclusion

While no one should rush into the act of blowing the whistle without adequate preparation and a full understanding of the potential consequences, the fact remains that the whistleblower is society's best (and frequently our only) line of defense against abuses that could ultimately erode our health care system. Our conclusion is that we should all have enormous respect for these bold truth-tellers whom we call whistleblowers, support them, and work toward the day when whistleblowing is no

References (8)

  • American Nurses Association

    Code for ethics for nurses with interpretative statements

    (2001)
  • VD Lachman

    Whistleblowers: Troublemakers or virtuous nurses? Medsurg Nurs

  • Texas Nurses Association

    Patient advocacy protections: Whistleblower laws

  • Council on Licensure, Enforcement, and Regulation. National Certified Investigator/Inspector Training

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (7)

  • Psychosocial Implications of Whistleblowing Regarding Substance Use Disorder Among Healthcare Professionals: A Scoping Review

    2024, Journal of Nursing Regulation

  • Legal and Ethical Aspects of Nursing Quality and Safety

    2021, Quality and Safety Education for Nurses: Core Competencies for Nursing Leadership and Care Management, Third Edition

  • Whistleblowing: A concept analysis

    2020, Nursing and Health Sciences

  • Possible Outcomes for Whistleblowers After They Speak Out

    2018, Accounting, Finance, Sustainability, Governance and Fraud

  • Whistleblowing as a countermeasure strategy against food crime

    2017, British Food Journal

  • Addicted Health Care Professionals: Missing the Wood for the Trees?

    2014, American Journal of Bioethics
View all citing articles on Scopus

In compliance with national ethical guidelines, the authors report no relationships with business or industry that would pose a conflict of interest.

1

Nayna C. Philipsen, JD, PhD, RN, CFE, FACCE, is a professor, director of program development, and assistant to the dean for legal affairs at Coppin State University and a health educator at St. Agnes Hospital, both in Baltimore. She is also the former director of education and licensure for the Maryland Board of Nursing.

2

Donald Soeken, LCSW-C, PhD, is a clinical social worker and diplomat of the National Association of Social Workers who counsels whistleblowers. He founded the Whistleblower Suppport Center & Archive and Integrity International/Associated Mental Health Specialties to meet the counseling needs of whistleblowers.

View full text
Copyright © 2011 American College of Nurse Practitioners. Published by Elsevier USA All rights reserved.