Hi there, I work on a general medical/surgical floor and had an incident come up the other day. I was given a large patient load without a nurse tech for help. Usually on our unit we have a tech assigned to a nurse if that nurse is looking after more than five patients. Anyways, several hours into the shift I was already drowning. I told my supervisor that I was having troubles and she told me to try and handle it and if I needed help to ask for it. I had a patient who soiled the bed and took some time to clean him up and the mess. As soon as I got him back in bed he soiled it again almost immediately. I stepped out of the room for a moment to ask my supervisor if she could check on my other patients and she said she would. I finished cleaning up my patient, went down the hall, and they were doing a rapid response on one of my patients. A rapid response is called when a patient is having chest pain. I went in and helped and afterwards I thanked my supervisor for the help. The patient was fine. He was having some indigestion.
Yesterday I was called to have a meeting with my director and chief nursing officer. The patient that had the rapid response told my supervisor and the rapid response team that he had been having the chest pain for almost an hour. I was then told that I was neglecting my patient and that I "knowingly put the patient in harm" because a rapid response was not called sooner. I responded by telling them about my day and how I was drowning but it had no effect. The chief nursing officer then said that the papers would be passed up the chain of command and that this is very very serious and she doesn't think the turnout will be good for me or my future. She then recommended that I resign. I was terrified and so I resigned.
What are your thoughts on these events? I feel like the whole situation was extremely unfair. Or am I just a terrible nurse? Will this effect me in the future in any way? I'm terribly worried and depressed about all of this. Any advice or thoughts would be really appreciated.
