St. Joseph nurses accused of re-enacting scene from classic disaster comedy

Nurse Bonnie Ratchet

The North Coast Journal‘s Ryan Burns reports that four ICU nurses and a supervisor placed on administrative leave from St. Joseph Hospital have now been fired for allegedly “over-sedating patients, disregarding medication schedules and spending too much time on the Internet — all while maintaining a ‘party-like atmosphere’ during night shifts.”

One of the five nurses, who worked the night shift together, told Burns, “Part of the reason we get paid more is to be up all night. There’s a lot of slack time. We read books, play games, watch the Internet, go check eBay.”

Potlucks and jam sessions were also part of the nightly routine, Burns reported, with two of the nurses involved “regularly strumming their guitars.”

The one nurse dumb enough to participate in this interview said the crew first made sure nearby patients were sedated, adding, “It’s actually very soothing.”

Okay. Well, if you say so, friend.