Trust Collapses Faster

One nurse made a medication error.

She reported it immediately. Exactly as trained.

Ten years of "Just Culture" training said: speak up when you make a mistake, we'll fix the system, not punish you.

She spoke up.

They fired her eight days later.

Then prosecuted her.

Then convicted her of felony charges.

Nurses across the country watched.

Then error reporting declined.

"This is an absolute witch-hunt for nursing, and nobody feels safe." More than a third of healthcare workers now believe their mistakes will be held against them.

Error reporting… the foundation of patient safety… declined across the industry.

One nurse. One prosecution. Thousands of nurses learning the real rule.

The cascade doesn't just stop. It reverses.

Ten years to build trust. One contradiction to destroy it.

Whether as sole cause or accelerant, the pattern held: safety collapses faster than it builds because everyone updates their priors at once.

They don't need to be punished personally. They just need to see it happen once.

Watch for the contradiction. The moment authority says "speak up" then punishes someone for speaking?

The cascade is already reversing.

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• See also: Voice Needs Practice (cascade building vs. cascade reversing)