Thursday August 27, 2009
She may not have a nursing degree, but 55-year old Sara Castle of Georgia has just won more than a few years? worth of a nursing salary after taking her case to court.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Sara Castle filed the suit against Appalacian Technical College after she was expelled in August of 2007 for being a whistle-blower. Castle notified school administrators that a teacher was repeatedly skipping hundreds of clinical instruction hours. When nursing students arrived at the scheduled time in the morning, they would often be sent home after a few minutes, instead of staying to complete several of hours of training with the instructor.
It was a pattern of behavior that Castle felt could endanger the future patients of these would-be nurses. So she voiced her concerns, the teacher was fired, and Castle was dismissed from the school 13 weeks before graduation, despite her passable grades.
?After two days of testimony, it took the jury less than an hour to rule in Castle?s favor . . . She was awarded $400,000 in punitive damages and $50,000 for emotional injuries,? the AJC quotes.
Castle has no current plans to return to school to finish her degree; the trial has taken up much of her time the past two years. Hopefully she will be able to find a way to become a nurse some day. She seems like someone who stands up for her beliefs, especially those that affect patient safety, and her integrity would serve her well as a nurse!
More on Nursing Careers:
Top 3 Nursing Careers
Nursing Career Profile
Types of Nurses
What are your thoughts on the jury's decision? Was it a fair judgment? Did Sara Castle do the right thing, and would you have blown the whistle if you were in a similar situation? Share your experience and perspective below!Nursing Student Wins $450K In School SuitSource: www.about.com
View this post on my blog: http://travelnursesuccess.com/nursing-student-wins-450k-in-school-suit
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