I want this book. It’s been on my wish list for a long time, but I can never find a copy when I go shopping. I found this picture over at Tiny Pineapple. The website’s proprietor has the best nurse book collection that I’ve ever seen. Seriously, I’m totally jealous.

Meet Vicky Blair, R.N. She’s the nurse testifying in court. She’s drop dead gorgeous, she has many handsome suitors, and she works at a glamorous, upscale hospital. Some girls have all the luck, however Vicky and I do have a couple of things in common. We both hate testifying in court, but we do it because it’s the right thing to do.

This drama started a few months ago when a patient, Mr. Jailbird, attacked four nurses at the Greatest Hospital in the World. He tried stabbing my coworkers and me, and I testified against him in court. Yesterday, I returned to court to give my victim impact statement and to be present during the sentencing phase of the trial. Mr. Jailbird arrived at court wearing a nice new suit, and he was accompanied by his public defender and by an entourage of caseworkers. His attorney told the judge that Mr. Jailbird is now a law abiding citizen that doesn’t belong in jail. She reported that he has been able to control his behavior since his last day in court. A caseworker also made glowing comments about Mr. Jailbird’s “fabulous progress,” and then it was my turn to speak.

As you can well imagine, I had a different point of view. I told the judge that I was so happy to hear about Mr. Jailbird’s good behavior. I said that it just proves that he can stay out of trouble when it serves his own purpose. I also offered the judge some additional information about the patient’s background that was pertinent to the case. Mr. Jailbird’s attorney stood up and started screaming something about HIPAA. The judge told her to sit down and to be quiet. He said that as the victim of a crime, I had the right to speak my mind in court. As a side note, HIPAA goes out the window when you are testifying in criminal court.

So the judge and I continued to have our little chat over the bench while Mr. Jailbird’s attorney continued to have a stroke. I asked the judge not to send Mr. Jailbird to a state psychiatric hospital. I said that Mr. Jailbird knows how to manipulate the system, and that he could be discharged within 30 days of admission if he told his doctor that he wasn’t a risk to himself or others. I concluded my statement by saying that Mr. Jailbird needed to go to jail because he needed to suffer the consequences of his actions. A lot of people have “issues”, but they don’t try killing three old nurses, a pregnant nurse and her unborn child.

The judge looked grim. The information in my victim impact statement really upset him. The judge said that Mr. Jailbird was manipulating the system. I thought Mr. Jailbird’s attorney was going to pass out. The judge deferred sentencing once again, and our next court date is February 26th, 2009. He said that he would sentence Mr. Jailbird after he had a chance to review ALL of the facts. As I was leaving the courthouse, I was accosted by one of Mr. Jailbird’s caseworkers. She started screaming at me in the courthouse lobby in front of courthouse security staff. She told me that, as a mental health professional, I had no right to be “mean” to Mr. Jailbird. She’s not too bright is she? Stupid people. I’m looking forward to my next day in court.