What is considered abuse by your boss?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in Home Health/Hospice.

My DON is known for screaming at her employees. I got it one day for something very very trivial and I had to just walk away from her because I was beginning to see red, and wasn't calm enough to tell her that her yelling is abusive and that when she is calm then i will talk to her like an adult. If I didn't walk away I would've said things that would've got me fired on the spot.

Is getting text messages about me HAVING to come to a mandatory meeting even though I had a doc's appointment that I waited over three months for because "we don't ask much of you and you're like a child not coming to them", threatened with termination so I had to cancel that appointment and come in?

Is being yelled at because I had issues with my heart and had to call off 30 minutes prior to my shift (and trust me I did not want to do that at all) and then being told "WHATEVER" and hanging up considered abuse?

Have any of you been abused by your boss/director/DON? And did you ever do anything about it?

Michelle

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Specializes in LTC.

i am so sorry you have to go through this... have you ever considered going above her and reporting her behavior? this absolutely sounds like abuse of power. if that doesn't work, i would start looking for a new job if i were you. :heartbeat

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Specializes in Home Health/Hospice.

Hi there, so I see you are a LTC nurse so you understand. Okay so i can't go to my administrator because my DON has her under her thumb, and they are best buds and would support one another.

As for looking for another job I've been perusing the want adds for a while and hoping something comes up. I don't want to go to the other LTC facility but I may have to. Also it's a very small town so nursing jobs are not available like they used to be. Also....this small town is crazy, my boss would call other LTC places and tell them not to hire me just because that's how she is.

I may have to whistle blow her...I think I'm going to do that.........

Michelle

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You must have a back up plan. The DON will possibly not change. You must prepare for this. If you can catch her when she is calm and ask to speak with her to let her know your feelings about the yelling, great. If she won't change you will need to get the majority to speak up and confront her. If she still won't change and you can no longer tolerate it you may have to look for jobs at longer distances that pay more for the travel. Also you can pray that she finds a better position elsewhere that may take time. But in the meantime, pray for the right way to approach her when she is calm, start by telling her about her strong points and ease in the weak areas. Tell her you love your job but can't take the yelling so much. But at the same time have a back up position in mind if it continues or isn't accepted so favorably. Good Luck and May God Bless you with Peace on the job. Whistle blowing usually results in having no job and no results esp if the others don't confirm the verbal abuse then you will be left out to dry. I saw a 12 year status report on one father and son whistleblower website called whistleblowing.org. 12 years and the Supreme Court ruled against them. Let it go and live.

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I would whistle blow, it is completely unreasonable and unacceptable to treat people that way. How do they keep employees?

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I wish I had a good answer for you. I actually was working at a LTC and though I was looking for something else I was not planning to leave until I had something elsewhere, even if it took a while. Then one day I find out my DON basically had a mental breakdown and quit. They got a new DON--someone who had been close with the owner and worked there in the past but had left for another facility when I started. The day she started was the day I gave my 2 week notice. In the first few hours she was there she was rude, offensive and just out of control. I knew I couldn't last there with those kind of conditions. She like your DON would walk around screamig and yelling and telling staff they were stupid and useless. Now granted the place had its issues and there were are few staff that needed to go but she was unprofessional and nasty to everyone. So I know how you feel. I knew myself and decided my sanity was not worth it. Funny part is I had all of my medical equipment stolen while there (stethoscope, pulse-ox, BP cuff, etc) and so one day a nurse from there called me at home after I had left to tell me she had seen who had stolen my things and knew they were mine because my name was still all over them! lol-- I went and filed a report with the police and went to the facility with the officers. They went into the office with the DON and the nurse I had accused and came out and said to me-- who is that lady in the yellow?" I said --"the director why?" They both were like--"oh my God she is nasty!! Wow! she seems nuts!! Was she your boss? Man I can see why you left here!" --this was two police officers who didn't know anything about her and this is the image she gave them!!! I laughed out loud!!! lol That was priceless!! Move on and save your sanity. I gaurentee she will never change!

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Specializes in Home Health/Hospice.

yeah I think when and I'm saying when because I'm visualizing it I find another job, then I will speak to her about her bx, and to the administrator and possibly write a letter to the CEO of the company. Thanks for your advice, there is an anonymous whistle blower for the company but I don't trust it, and because we have people working there that need the jobs they wouldn't back me up, maybe one or two but that's it.

Michelle

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
yeah I think when and I'm saying when because I'm visualizing it I find another job, then I will speak to her about her bx, and to the administrator and possibly write a letter to the CEO of the company. Thanks for your advice, there is an anonymous whistle blower for the company but I don't trust it, and because we have people working there that need the jobs they wouldn't back me up, maybe one or two but that's it.

Michelle

The anonymous whistle blower is the Corporate Compliance Officer. And you are correct not very anonymous. If you work at an employee at will state they can fire you for coloring your hair. Just becasue your boss is a jerk doesn't make it illegal. Check this site for advice. My advice start looking for another job before the toxic enviorment get to you and you get fired.......

http://www.canmybossdothat.com/

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Specializes in Home Health/Hospice.
The anonymous whistle blower is the Corporate Compliance Officer. And you are correct not very anonymous. If you work at an employee at will state they can fire you for coloring your hair. Just becasue your boss is a jerk doesn't make it illegal. Check this site for advice. My advice start looking for another job before the toxic enviorment get to you and you get fired.......

http://www.canmybossdothat.com/

I am going to take a look at your link now.

Thanks

Michelle

:up:

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find a way to deal with it or find a new job. the orifices i've come across in nursing are nothing compared to the orifices in the other careers/jobs i've had.

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Have you thought about taping her with you cell phone camera? A picture is worth a thousand words!

I would then send it to the local news, papers, and the Board of Nursing, if not the Department of Health!

The squeaky wheel gets the grease!

JMHO and my NY $0.02.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Somewhere in the PACNW

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Unless you feel it is your responsibility to engage in a campaign to change her behavior, suggest you find a new job since you find her to be so distressing to your well being at work.

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