Ethics Edge
|
Real talk on ethics,
advocacy, and nursing
with integrity.
Ethics Edge
Real talk on ethics,
advocacy, and nursing
with integrity.
Jodi O'Malley, MSN RN | July 31, 2025 | 4 min read
The Jury Got It Wrong: When Nurses Fail the Family Too
Grace Schara was a 19-year-old young woman with Down syndrome who entered a Wisconsin hospital with COVID-19 and never walked out. Her death was not just a tragic loss — it was the outcome of a cascade of nursing failures. According to expert testimony, thirteen separate breaches of the nursing standard of care contributed to her preventable death.
The case — the first known COVID-era hospital death to reach a jury — ended without justice. But the truth is now a matter of record.
An experienced nurse expert, Suzi Eichinger, RN, testified during the trial and outlined in detail how the actions — and inactions — of the nursing staff violated both clinical standards and the ethical framework meant to protect vulnerable patients and their families. Her analysis exposes just how far the profession has drifted from its ethical foundations.
This six-part blog series will walk through each of the 13 breaches, starting with the first two failures that occurred mere hours into Grace’s hospitalization. These early missteps not only shaped the trajectory of her care but also undermined her father’s legal and emotional role as her advocate.
Breach #1: Failure to Assess or Support the Power of Attorney
On October 7, 2021, at 03:46 AM, Grace’s night shift nurse failed to assess or document the emotional and communication needs of Scott Schara — Grace’s father and legal Power of Attorney. No psychosocial evaluation was conducted. No care plan was created. No referral to a social worker was made. His presence and distress were ignored.
This omission fractured the foundation of collaborative care. Without recognition of the POA’s legal standing or emotional state, the health care team missed a critical opportunity to provide support and ensure informed consent throughout the hospitalization.
Violations of the 2025 ANA Code of Ethics:
Provision 1: Respect for Human Dignity
Provision 2: Commitment to the Patient
Provision 5: Integrity and Accountability
Ethical Principles Violated: Compassion, Beneficence, Respect
Breach #2: Omission of the POA from the Plan of Care
Later that same shift, a formal nursing care plan was developed. It failed to include or even reference the role of the legal Power of Attorney. Despite Scott’s status as both the decision-maker and the patient’s primary caregiver, his authority was erased from the official record.
By excluding him from the care plan, the nursing team set the stage for decisions to be made without appropriate legal oversight, consent, or family-centered input. This omission would later impact issues such as resuscitation decisions and sedation protocols — with irreversible consequences.
Violations of the 2025 ANA Code of Ethics:
Provision 2: Commitment to the Patient
Provision 4: Accountability for Nursing Practice
Ethical Principles Violated: Autonomy, Fidelity, Justice
These Were Not Just Documentation Errors
These two failures weren’t about incomplete charting or missed checkboxes. They were about silencing the patient’s only advocate. They were about ignoring legal authority, failing to collaborate, and abandoning ethical nursing practice at the bedside.
And they matter — because what happened to Grace Schara can happen again. In fact, it already has.
Grace’s story is not just a case study. It is a warning — and a call to action — for every nurse who believes in the profession’s promise to protect, advocate, and heal.
Accountability Begins with Truth
As this series continues, each of the remaining 11 breaches will be examined in detail, exposing how systemic nursing failures — fueled by poor communication, policy overreach, and ethical apathy — contributed to a patient’s preventable death.
The jury may have delivered the wrong verdict.
But the record now tells a different story.
Because silence isn’t safety.
And the time for ethical nursing is now.
Watch now on Rumble: https://rumble.com/v6wi23c-jury-got-it-wrong-when-nurses-fail-the-family-too.html
Jodi O'Malley, MSN RN | July 31, 2025 | 4 min read
The Jury Got It Wrong: When Nurses Fail the Family Too
Grace Schara was a 19-year-old young woman with Down syndrome who entered a Wisconsin hospital with COVID-19 and never walked out. Her death was not just a tragic loss — it was the outcome of a cascade of nursing failures. According to expert testimony, thirteen separate breaches of the nursing standard of care contributed to her preventable death.
The case — the first known COVID-era hospital death to reach a jury — ended without justice. But the truth is now a matter of record.
An experienced nurse expert, Suzi Eichinger, RN, testified during the trial and outlined in detail how the actions — and inactions — of the nursing staff violated both clinical standards and the ethical framework meant to protect vulnerable patients and their families. Her analysis exposes just how far the profession has drifted from its ethical foundations.
This six-part blog series will walk through each of the 13 breaches, starting with the first two failures that occurred mere hours into Grace’s hospitalization. These early missteps not only shaped the trajectory of her care but also undermined her father’s legal and emotional role as her advocate.
Breach #1: Failure to Assess or Support the Power of Attorney
IOn October 7, 2021, at 03:46 AM, Grace’s night shift nurse failed to assess or document the emotional and communication needs of Scott Schara — Grace’s father and legal Power of Attorney. No psychosocial evaluation was conducted. No care plan was created. No referral to a social worker was made. His presence and distress were ignored.
This omission fractured the foundation of collaborative care. Without recognition of the POA’s legal standing or emotional state, the health care team missed a critical opportunity to provide support and ensure informed consent throughout the hospitalization.
Violations of the 2025 ANA Code of Ethics:
Provision 1: Respect for Human Dignity
Provision 2: Commitment to the Patient
Provision 5: Integrity and Accountability
Ethical Principles Violated: Compassion, Beneficence, Respect
Breach #2: Omission of the POA from the Plan of Care
Later that same shift, a formal nursing care plan was developed. It failed to include or even reference the role of the legal Power of Attorney. Despite Scott’s status as both the decision-maker and the patient’s primary caregiver, his authority was erased from the official record.
By excluding him from the care plan, the nursing team set the stage for decisions to be made without appropriate legal oversight, consent, or family-centered input. This omission would later impact issues such as resuscitation decisions and sedation protocols — with irreversible consequences.
Violations of the 2025 ANA Code of Ethics:
Provision 2: Commitment to the Patient
Provision 4: Accountability for Nursing Practice
Ethical Principles Violated: Autonomy, Fidelity, Justice
These Were Not Just Documentation Errors
These two failures weren’t about incomplete charting or missed checkboxes. They were about silencing the patient’s only advocate. They were about ignoring legal authority, failing to collaborate, and abandoning ethical nursing practice at the bedside.
And they matter — because what happened to Grace Schara can happen again. In fact, it already has.
Grace’s story is not just a case study. It is a warning — and a call to action — for every nurse who believes in the profession’s promise to protect, advocate, and heal.
Accountability Begins with Truth
As this series continues, each of the remaining 11 breaches will be examined in detail, exposing how systemic nursing failures — fueled by poor communication, policy overreach, and ethical apathy — contributed to a patient’s preventable death.
The jury may have delivered the wrong verdict.
But the record now tells a different story.
Because silence isn’t safety.
And the time for ethical nursing is now.
Watch now on Rumble: https://rumble.com/v6wi23c-jury-got-it-wrong-when-nurses-fail-the-family-too.html
Jodi O'Malley, MSN RN
Jodi O’Malley, MSN, RN is a multifaceted professional, encompassing roles as an author, columnist, radio host, and motivational speaker. With a background as a transformative life strategist and a faith-based master’s prepared ER nurse, her career path took a dramatic turn when her advocacy for transparency in healthcare led to her sharing an insider video with Project Veritas. This courageous act revealed significant underreported vaccine injuries and systemic corruption within the healthcare system, where policies overshadowed patient rights.
Jodi O'Malley, MSN RN
Jodi O’Malley, MSN, RN is a multifaceted professional, encompassing roles as an author, columnist, radio host, and motivational speaker. With a background as a transformative life strategist and a faith-based master’s prepared ER nurse, her career path took a dramatic turn when her advocacy for transparency in healthcare led to her sharing an insider video with Project Veritas. This courageous act revealed significant underreported vaccine injuries and systemic corruption within the healthcare system, where policies overshadowed patient rights.
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