[elizabells]

My god... I'm assuming this isn't a union hospital. How can you be written up for refusing to come in from home? Were you officially on call at the time? What are your state's Safe Harbor laws?

I agree with the above poster. Run for the hills.

[ClassOf2004]

Originally Posted by elizabells

My god... I'm assuming this isn't a union hospital. How can you be written up for refusing to come in from home? Were you officially on call at the time? What are your state's Safe Harbor laws?

I agree with the above poster. Run for the hills.

I'm in IL and I don't know what our Safe Harbor laws are. I was not on call. My clinical leader (who knew how upset I was at work last week Weds and Thurs when I was forced to float to that unit and who I have been telling about my discomfort with the other unit for almost a year) called me 90 minutes before my shift started to tell me that I was going there again on Monday.
Funny thing is when they wrote me up there was no mention of why I refused to come in that night. I had to squeeze in my explanation on 2 lines while their explanation of the situation took up 11 lines.
No wonder so many nurses leave the profession. I'm on the verge of being a greeter at Wal Mart.

[elizabells]

I am *baffled* that you can be written up for refusing to come in on your night off if you're not on call. I really, really think you need to at least speak to a lawyer, if not hire one. This place is so shady, it's unbelievable. Someone is going to get hurt, and one of you unlucky 7 is going to get thrown under the bus. I consider myself a strong NICU nurse, but if they sent me to antepartum? I'd be a mess. My interpretation of FHR strips would amount to heartbeat/no heartbeat.

[ClassOf2004]

Originally Posted by elizabells

I am *baffled* that you can be written up for refusing to come in on your night off if you're not on call. I really, really think you need to at least speak to a lawyer, if not hire one. This place is so shady, it's unbelievable. Someone is going to get hurt, and one of you unlucky 7 is going to get thrown under the bus. I consider myself a strong NICU nurse, but if they sent me to antepartum? I'd be a mess. My interpretation of FHR strips would amount to heartbeat/no heartbeat.

It was my night to work but she called me 90 minutes before my shift started to tell me that I was floating to L&D and taking care of 2 patients. One of the patients was on continuous monitoring. After I refused, another coworker of mine was told that she had to float to antepartum to take my place yet her assignment consisted of only 1 patient who was not being monitored continuously
At the meeting my unit manager said that what I did constituted abandonment in her eyes because I abandoned the patients. How is it abandonment if I wasn't even at work, didn't swipe in, and didn't get report?
I swear this hospital is very highly ranked in my state and gets very high patient satisfaction scores but if the public knew how the nurses were treated they would be shocked.
I am so frustrated with my clinical leader, my unit manager, and HR I don't know what to do. I don't want to lose my job I just don't want to be forced to work in an area I haven't been trained to work in. Is that asking too much?

[elizabells]

That's not abandonment. It's, at worst, a no-show, or I guess a call-off with inadequate notice, which is a write-uppable offense, but it is absolutely not abandonment. Your sup needs to review your NPA before throwing around heavy words like that.

And no, love, it's not too much to ask. I think someone upthread (or maybe another thread; I'm tired) asked: how has it come to this? Why do we see these threads EVERY DAY? "My boss wants me to do something incredibly, stupidly unsafe, for which I could lose my license (not to mention kill someone), and if I say no I'll lose my job, which is not an option." We are educated professionals. How did we end up in this position? Please, please don't think I'm blaming anyone in this situation; I'm not. But how in the name of Flo do we put a stop to it? I'm a union girl, I'm relatively safe. But I also know that my union is better than most, and that not all unions actually protect their nurses. How have we let our fellow nurses, our sisters and brothers and OURSELVES become so manipulated and beaten down that this is acceptable? How have we allowed people like this manager get this kind of power? This is clearly not someone who gives the slightest fig about patient safety. My unit was 20 patients over census last month, because my unit brings in 70% of the profit for our hospital, so they just keep stuffing in transfers. Why is this okay?

What the hell, you guys?

[bollweevil]

Originally Posted by ClassOf2004

Met with my manager today and she wrote me up for refusing to go to L&D to take care of a patient I am not properly trained to take care of. She then informed me that I will not get my yearly bonus and my raise will be cut in half.
Way to treat your employees ________ Hospital.

Get a lawyer. This is really outrageous and you need to stomp them. figuratively, that is. Legally. No violence but do NOT take this kind of monstrous injustice lying down because the next step will be to fire you.

How did she justify this? How can she justify punishing you for being a safe nurse? You must speak up to those who are above her. Remember how English Prime Minister thought he'd throw Czechoslovakia to Hitler and Hitler took it and wanted more. He wanted all of Europe and some of Asia and Africa, too, not to mention the middle East. War followed this "appeasement" process. War, death of millions of people, and the enslavement of even his fellow Germans. Maybe not inconcentration camps but mentally, religiously. You must take a stand or she will do to you what Hitler did to the world.

[bollweevil]

Originally Posted by ClassOf2004

Forgot to add that I got a final written warning today at the meeting. Not sure why it was a final one because I have never been disciplined before today.
Oh well, guess managament really doesn't care about their nurses.

Now you're learning. And they can do whatever they want. It's time to get a new job or fight back. No more dealing with this alone. Get a lawyer, involve the state Board, etc. You have no choice. her intent is to fire you. If you spit on the sidewalk or smile crosseyed, she'll fire you.

[bollweevil]

Originally Posted by ClassOf2004

It was my night to work but she called me 90 minutes before my shift started to tell me that I was floating to L&D and taking care of 2 patients. One of the patients was on continuous monitoring. After I refused, another coworker of mine was told that she had to float to antepartum to take my place yet her assignment consisted of only 1 patient who was not being monitored continuously
At the meeting my unit manager said that what I did constituted abandonment in her eyes because I abandoned the patients. How is it abandonment if I wasn't even at work, didn't swipe in, and didn't get report?
I swear this hospital is very highly ranked in my state and gets very high patient satisfaction scores but if the public knew how the nurses were treated they would be shocked.
I am so frustrated with my clinical leader, my unit manager, and HR I don't know what to do. I don't want to lose my job I just don't want to be forced to work in an area I haven't been trained to work in. Is that asking too much?

You have already lost the job unless you get a lawyer. NOW. And in their eyes, yes, it is asking too much. You see, you are being reasonable and you are standing up for yourself, which, to the bully, which is what your bosses are, is a terrible threat. They want you scared and compliant. bossable. Get it? GET THAT LAWYER, FRIEND. And, no, abandonment requires you to first have accepted the assignment, I believe. Check your state Board website, your state's Nurse Practice Act.

But it doesn't matter what it says there unless you fight back. Wise up, wake up. Get . don't get careless. Don't give in to fear. Again, GET A LAWYER. If you have malpractice coverage, they can get you a lawyer. It might not be the greatest idea to call them, I'm not sure. But I like what someone above said - an anonymous call to JCAHO and an anonymous call to the hospital's insurer and/or it's attorneys, if you might know who that is.

BTW, you can write out your side of things and have it attached to the write-up. Just write, "SEE ATTACHED" on the write-up.

[ClassOf2004]

Originally Posted by bollweevil

Get a lawyer. This is really outrageous and you need to stomp them. figuratively, that is. Legally. No violence but do NOT take this kind of monstrous injustice lying down because the next step will be to fire you.

How did she justify this? How can she justify punishing you for being a safe nurse? You must speak up to those who are above her. Remember how English Prime Minister thought he'd throw Czechoslovakia to Hitler and Hitler took it and wanted more. He wanted all of Europe and some of Asia and Africa, too, not to mention the middle East. War followed this "appeasement" process. War, death of millions of people, and the enslavement of even his fellow Germans. Maybe not inconcentration camps but mentally, religiously. You must take a stand or she will do to you what Hitler did to the world.

She said that by me refusing to take care of the patient and calling in sick that I abandoned the patients (who weren't even patients on MY unit). So then with that reasoning aren't we all abandoning our patients when we call in sick?

[elizabells]

Originally Posted by ClassOf2004

She said that by me refusing to take care of the patient and calling in sick that I abandoned the patients (who weren't even patients on MY unit). So then with that reasoning aren't we all abandoning our patients when we call in sick?

No. She's wrong, whether because she's an idiot or she's trying to scare you. This is NOT abandonment. Check your Nurse Practice Act for the actual definition, but usually abandonment requires that you be in the building, on the clock, and have taken responsibility for the patients by accepting the assignment (i.e., taken report) and THEN left without ensuring coverage.