[myfanwy]

Hi All,
I have been a nurse for 30 years and worked in four different countries. Two years ago I moved to a place in Canada called Cape Breton. It is a beautiful island on the Northern tip of Nova Scotia. It is a dream place to live and we were so pleased to be there. I worked for the Cape Breton District Health Authority on a tempory Visa until I got my premenant residency. Those two years were hell. It is a totally disfunctional place and the bulling from the management is unbelievable. The locals accept it as their lot and are too frigtened to speak out incase they loose their jobs. I thought I would keep my head down and just ride it out. More and more nurses were leaving either through injuries or just leaving the area. Then the medical staff started to leave and that meant the hospital ER, where I worked had to close every now and then. They still kept nurses in the ER as they had no where to send the admitted patients. I was disciplined for questioning the management after I complained that it was gruel and unreasonable to keep patients on stretchers in the ER, (In a room designated for 6 observation patients we had up to 23 people, one toilet and one sink for washing) when there was 15 empty beds up stairs! The unit was closed to " let staff have vacation" however the reality was they mandated to work in the ER to cover the over flow.
One day when the ER was closed a patient came in off the ferry complaining of chest pain and saying he had 5 stents a year previously. I put him on a stretcher attached the monitor, the ecg tech arrived and did the ecg while I got ready to start and IV and give asa. My college then appeared and said that a manager had ordered him not to touch the patient and to call in a paramedic to take care of the patient,.
I was, as he was dumb struck, you must remember at this time I had been told that it was a disciplinary to question the management. I the earner in the house hold and did not want to loose my job. I reported the incident to the CNA who agreed it is not the correct practice and then to the College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia. The latter did some kind of investigation along with the union. The result was that a "reasonable nurse would not have been embarrassed by this ". Inference being that I am an unreasonable nurse.
I have since left the CBDHA claiming constructive dissmissal. I was told that that was not the case by the management. They had decided and I was to get back to work or else. The union "fairly represented" me by not asking me one question about my side of things, then voted 6 nil in favor of the management that I had resigned. In Canadian law you cannot say someone has resigned only the person can do that, so I have still been dismissed and have a hearing with the labour board in progress. In the middle of this my father died, I was off injured at the time (another problem with this place is no lifting equipment),and I went to his funeral. The hospital management appealed to workers compensation that Ishould not have been paid while I was at the funeral and that I should have come to work if I was well enough to fly!! I won the appeal.
Now I have to face an enquiry by the College of Registered Nurses for a long string of complaints, non of which has anything to do with nursing or patients but the bruised ego of the manager. The college however have thrown their own rule book out the window for this one. I have though all this never been interviewed by anyone about what happened or why. The managers word has never been questioned. Most of these people know each other or are related as nepatism is accepted as a way of life in Nove Scotia.
What gets me is I now work out of province seeing my family when I can I have no spare cash and cannot afford to defend myself, but earn too much to get help else where. I would be better off if I had commited a crime.
Why oh why is this happening to me. I am a good person who has done nothing wrong I was protecting the patients to the best of my ability. This is a tax payer service but the management is so protected that they are just winning on this. I have been to see lawyers, who say I have a very solid case but with out the pay they will not act. I have to go outside Cape Breton for help as most lawyers are related to people in the hospital management and will not take the case for that reason.
The government is disinterested as I am not a vote catching case and maybe they do not care about the mismanagement of their hospitals.
Why I write this I do not know maybe it helps me think and I can only hope that there may be someone out there who can help me and the patients of that island.
:firedup:

[HeyFraydo]

I have been considering Traveling to diffrent countries outside of the USA but didn't consider the liability issues, management culture and such. Definitely life isn't fair many times. What are you going to do know? What were your experiences in other countries?

CJ Travel NurseToolbox

[myfanwy]

Hi,
I have had positive experiences everywhere except in Cape Breton.
Since I wrote this the emergency rooms have been closed on a rota for 2 to 3 weeks at a time " lack of Nursing staff". What a surprise!
Canada has some wonderful places to travel too, I am in British Columbia at the moment and it has been a fabulous 6 weeks. I loved traveling in the States used Medstaff and Banner Health and would recommend both. I use Solutions staffing inc and Venture healthcare here in Canada and they are fantastic.
Ireland was wonderful the UK is not well paid,( they do not seem to have such a shortage of nursed either), but lots to see and close to France, holland Portugal,and Spain. Well worth a try.
:houra: