By Debra Wood, RN, contributor
Fulfilling a lifelong desire to write a book has ended a 26-year perioperative nurse’s career at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, with the venerable institution terminating the employment of Adrienne Zurub, RN, MA, CNOR.
“I was fired Jan. 21,” Zurub said. That was about two weeks after Notes from the Mothership: The Naked Invisibles published.
“The book is not about the clinic, but they sensationalized it for me, and that serves a greater purpose. The book stands on its own right,” Zurub said.
In the book, Zurub presents a holistic look at her life and her search to know herself. The first section discusses her childhood, the next presents Zurub against a backdrop of nursing, and the third explores her forays into stand-up comedy, acting, play writing, speaking, poetry and other creative pursuits.
“It’s a distilled collection of some of my writings and some things I wanted to present first as representative of me,” Zurub said.That portrayal includes some criticism of what Zurub calls the clinic’s physician orientation. She talks about surgeons swearing and saying derogatory comments to her and other members of the open-heart team.
Eileen Sheil, executive director of public & media relations at Cleveland Clinic & Health Systems issued a written statement, saying, “We can’t comment on specific personnel matters. A critical-care patient environment demands teamwork, trust, and strict adherence to patient confidentiality. Breaches of patient (and co-worker) trust are not appropriate. This goes beyond the release of specific names.”
Zurub said she did not breach any patient’s confidentiality and has always embraced teamwork, learning its value as a child in a family with nine children.
“I did not learn [about teamwork] at the clinic; I brought the value to my practice in nursing, within the clinic,” Zurub said.
From the time she was 11 or 12 years old, Zurub has dreamed of penning a New York Times bestseller. Notes from the Mothership has not made the list yet, but the book has sold out at Amazon.com, with more copies on the way.
Zurub jotted down ideas and story lines throughout her life. About two years ago, she moved from full-time to per-diem status at the hospital to devote more time to writing. She hired an editor to help her sift through “mountains of material” and formed her own company to publish the book, so she could retain control of its content. And she hired a major distributor to help bring the book to market. Zurub denies being a disgruntled employee or professing to be “Norma Rae.” She still would refer someone needing open-heart surgery to the Cleveland Clinic, but she thinks the hospital should forgo the “old-boy, autocratic approach” and recognize that nurses contribute to making it a world-class facility.
“I think they do not take full advantage of the potential, eagerness, enthusiasm and expertise of their nursing force,” Zurub said. “Nurses are treated like second and third class. Nurses do not command the type of salaries that professionals in other disciplines would command.”
Cleveland Clinic’s stand has generated publicity about the book on nursing blogs and traditional media outlets, consequently, increasing demand. Zurub has ordered a second printing. She also has heard from nurses across the country, with stories of similar experiences in their hospitals, and praising her courage to speak up.
“Hopefully, the attention to my book will provoke discussion and change,” Zurub said.
Zurib plans to write more, possibly a book about the Cleveland Clinic. She also expects to continue her other artistic and intellectual pursuits.
“If I didn’t have the outlets I have created for myself and kicked open other doors, I would be bitter and angry I stayed in the profession,” Zurub said. “I love learning new things. [Publishing] was something that seemed incomprehensible a year and a half ago. I accomplished that, and it adds to the collage of me.”
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