A veteran nurse says she was fired from Virtua Voorhees Hospital in New Jersey after reporting a serious error in the maternity ward—two newborns were accidentally given to the wrong mothers and breastfed before the mistake was discovered.
Joyce Fisher, a labor and delivery nurse with seven years at the hospital, says she discovered the issue during her shift on July 5, when a distressed mother insisted the baby she was holding wasn’t hers. After checking identification bracelets, Fisher confirmed the infants had been switched during an overnight nursery stay. Each had been breastfed by the wrong mother, raising concerns about possible disease transmission, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Fisher says she promptly reported the incident to her supervisor, who confirmed the mix-up occurred before her shift began. However, just days later, Fisher was fired for “gross negligence.” The hospital argued she should have verified the babies’ IDs at the start of her shift. Fisher disputes this, saying such a procedure was never part of her training or policy at Virtua.
She has since filed a wrongful termination lawsuit, alleging she was retaliated against for reporting the mistake.
While the hospital declined to comment on specifics due to ongoing litigation, it said in a statement that it encourages staff to report safety concerns without fear of retaliation. However, experts caution that punishing employees who speak up can create a culture of silence. “The narrative that is going to spread like wildfire is that it’s not safe to report, which doesn’t serve anyone,” said clinical ethics professor Cynda Rushton.
Fisher’s nursing license remains active, but she fears her 16-year career may be over. “This could have happened to any nurse who clocked in that morning,” she said. “It happened to be me.”
Both families involved were tested for potential infections and were medically cleared.