A former nurse at Mercy Springfield (Mo.) has sued the health system and is claiming she was fired for reporting a concern about inadequate staffing and infection control, according to a Springfield News-Leader report.
In the lawsuit, Cheryl Shultz claims the following:
- One unit was failing to provide safe, appropriate care due to low staffing levels and too few experienced, well-trained staff members.
- She saw chemotherapy infusions started by unqualified nurses.
- One employee removed needle caps with her teeth.
- There was improper chemotherapy labeling from the pharmacy.
Ms. Shultz used the hospital's internal reporting system and sent emails to her direct supervisor with her concerns, according to the report. After that, she was removed from a charge nurse position and worked as a chemotherapy nurse. In February of this year, she was fired.
In a response to the lawsuit filed by Mercy, the system refutes several of Ms. Shultz's claims, including all of the statements of how she reported patient safety concerns, according to News-Leader.
Ms. Shultz is seeking compensation for lost wages and employment benefits, general damages and punitive damages.