Recently terminated

[beausilk74]

Hello all,

I need some advice from nurses who have been in my shoes in the past or any constructive advice that can help me move forward from this ordeal. I was terminated from my job after according to my employer's statement, I falsified documentation by scanning medications but physically I did not witness or give PO medications to a patient with expressive aphasia, instead I left medications to his wife to administer.

So this is my side of story.

After scanning all the medications, as I attempted to administer them, however, he (he is a MD) was not cooperative which it could be due to his medical condition or just he didn't want to. I am not sure exactly why he was not cooperative. So I asked his wife (according to a day RN during shift report, she administers medications for the patient) if she wouldn't mind giving them to him. She agreed to it and I left the room. He was not on aspiration precautions so I was not worried about him aspirating, it just takes time for him to swallow PO meds.

I didn't clarify with my employer whether that day RN did the same thing or not but I knew my employer would not have disclosed that info anyway.

I have been working on that floor close to 2 years and sometimes patients are not ready to take their medications right away for whatever reasons, then I would leave them at bedside until they are ready to take. Was this wrong? Was I supposed to chart as "refused" if they didn't want to take them at the time medications were due?

Please help, I think my head is going to explode and thank you for reading my post.

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

How would this be a discrimination situation under the EEOC?

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

I'm no expert, but EOCC?

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

I'm no expert, but EOCC?

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Federal agency charged with investigating claims of discrimination in the workplace. For race, gender, sexual orientation, age (if over 50), disability status, religion, pregnancy status etc.

http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/

Hence my query as how does failure to follow the legal standard of care qualify as "BS" or an EEOC violation?

[SubSippi]

Red Kryptonite, how would you say it during an interview? I am hopeful that there got to be a job that I would enjoy more but I am very worried that I would end up being at a job that I am unhappy again.

Don't say that in an interview!! You want to avoid mentioning any situation when you could have potentially harmed a patient. I'm not judging you, I've made plenty of mistakes, but telling an interviewer about that could make you seem like you lack common sense.

[OrganizedChaos, LVN]

Well I don't think you need anymore "never leave medication at the bedside;" seriously? She's asking for help.

Listen girl; you fall down, you get back up. If you feel that it was wrong, than get an attorney and fight it. I hired an attorney after I was fired from a BS charge and it took over a year but I won. I see BS all over this incident. Obviously you aren't protected by a union so get a lawyer but first go file for unemployment. Unemployment will refuse you at first until the unemployment office investigates the incident and I bet there's a good chance they will clear you for unemployment...than go after your workplace!

Call the EEOC and if they can't help you call legal aid if you can't afford an attorney. You could also do this pro se (sue them yourself). Ignore the naysayers and do what you think is best for you and your career.

Good luck to you...

Yeah it's bs she was fired but there are cliques in every job. She can't sue then for that nor would she be able to prove it. Especially since she shouldn't have left the meds at the bedside (everyone learns that in nursing school). It would be her vs. the hospital, a waste of time & money & she would lose.

[caliotter3]

I was told one time by an employment attorney that the first step is the EEOC, if the situation warrants it, then an attorney, once the EEOC comes forth with nothing. But one must have a case to begin with, if they do not want to waste their time and money. The EEOC is almost always just a formality, even when you have a valid complaint. You can have a valid complaint, but when it is your word against the employer, well, the employer almost always wins out in the end. He said that realistically, the ex-employee's time and effort is almost always better spent in looking for a new job.

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

Oh no! I know WHAT it means, I didn't know how in the world the PP thought it applied to OP in the case of his/her termination

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Federal agency charged with investigating claims of discrimination in the workplace. For race, gender, sexual orientation, age (if over 50), disability status, religion, pregnancy status etc.

Types of Discrimination

Hence my query as how does failure to follow the legal standard of care qualify as "BS" or an EEOC violation?