By Jeff Labine

Outspoken nurse sees support from colleagues, public

Feb 23, 2017 | 4:00 PM

A decision to fine a Prince Albert nurse for speaking out on the care her grandfather received is getting backlash from both the nursing community and the public.

The Sask. Registered Nurses’ Association (SRNA) found Carolyn Strom guilty of professional misconduct in October for a Facebook post she made back in February 2015 criticizing the care her grandfather received. In the past, Strom alleged the facility and employees weren’t providing the best end of life care for her grandfather.

The ruling means Strom could face a $30,000 fine and a decision is expected to be handed down in the next 60 days.

Since the story was published on Wednesday on paNOW.com, Strom received a lot of support on Facebook. The following are comments on paNOW‘s story from Facebook users.

“If she can’t advocate for her family, then who can? She didn’t make a post about someone else’s family member or about a patient. It was about her own family member. I have made similar posts,” user Pam Linfitt wrote.

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Joanne Stumpf, in the same comment section, called the situation ‘terrible’ and said just because Strom was a nurse shouldn’t mean she can’t have an opinion on how a loved one is being treated.

“I have seen first-hand how subpar care leads to the elderly suffering needlessly as the end of life approaches,” Stumpf wrote. “I do not believe she should be punished for caring.”

User Tash Cha criticized the media for using Strom’s photo and name, arguing she has been punished enough.

Several members of the public weren’t the only ones backing Strom.

An anonymous letter posted on the Radical Nurse, a blog for nurses and students to voice their opinions, defended Strom’s actions.

“We do not believe that Ms. Strom harmed the standing of the nursing profession in any way,” the letter states. “Ms. Strom acted as an advocate for patients, which is entirely in keeping with her, the SRNA’s and the [Canadian Nursing Association’s] professional standards, values and ethics. Nurses who bear witness to poor care should be able to speak up without fear of reprisal, retribution or slandering.”

The letter, which was supposedly written by registered nurses from this province as well as in Ontario and Quebec, called on the SRNA to reconsider its decision.

An online petition was also launched by anonymous registered nurses three months ago and has reached more than 500 signatures.

PaNOW.com reached out to the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN) for a comment on the decision and the impacts this would have on nurses using social media. The union’s president Tracy Zambory in an email stated “because the matter is still before the disciplinary committee SUN will not be making any comment at this time. SUN is following the case closely and is considering its implications for all SUN members.”

Email: Jeff.Labine@jpbg.ca.

On Twitter: @labinereporter.