Complaint from BON

Specialties Geriatric

Published

Hello all,

I am not new here, but seems like its been a while since I logged on with yet another woe is me story.. I am now a 5 yr nurse and coming into my stride with how things work in the wonderful world of nursing.

So, I received the dreaded letter from MQA informing me that a formal complaint has been lodged against me from 2 yrs ago. I recall the incident and I was summarily fired the next day. I happened to be a supervisor and had only worked there 3 weeks. I was finished my shift and was staying to help some of the girls do some filing and waiting the 11-7 to come off of her smoke break to get report from me.. she always did that..

The oncoming and off going nurse were in report and an aide informed them that patient x was not looking good. Patient x, as told to me by these 2 nurses was a hospice patient and DNR. Well, patient x was dead and cold no pulse, no RR and pallid. I did check this along with the LPN. The 2 LPN's asked me to call TOD, (I asked why.. they said it needed to be an RN).. I called TOD and the nurses called the family etc.. I was told in report by UM that Dr. order was obtained for hospice and I received a call from hospice for next of kin name. I also did check (online search which said my state RN could call TOD for hospice patient).

When I was term'd I was told patient was a "full code". There were some conflicting family dynamics at the time and he UM told me about some of it, (girlfriend, x-wife, not honoring patient wishes) . I called her months later and she interestingly quit.

Basically, the wording on the complaint against me indicates patient x wanted to be hospice and the family wanted to delay, so I guess there was no hospice? but nursing staff was told patient was hospice and so I as an RN was practicing outside of scope calling TOD on a full code patient in a LTC whom I believed and saw written order that patient was hospice and DNR

There is so much about this nursing life that is sketchy at best. Knowing what you have to do to be safe and the employers practice of hiring 'new' unseasoned nurses and really learning what you need as you go along.

Its troublesome and I do have NSO and will be contacting a lawyer..

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Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

Was there a DNR order in the chart?

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

You can't always do CPR...if rigor has set in and the patient is obviously dead, you don't have to initiate CPR...at least in Massachusetts.

Do you have ? If so, call an attorney.

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Hello Phoenix.

Who reported you to the BON? It sounds to me like the Nursing Home is trying to cover up THEIR own wrongdoing by making you the scrapegoat. If you saw the Hospice and DNR.. and that's what was in the chart, I believe you!

For profit nursing homes can be ultra shady. They probably hadn't updated the chart (until afterwards) and don't want the liability so of course blame the nurse. How awful.

Also.. what are you supposed to do when the patient (according to the signs you describe) is already clearly deceased for a while.. (meaning she hadn't just coded).

An an autopsy could likely pinpoint the time of death. It's a nursing home too... patients aren't hooked up to monitors like an ICU where an alarm sounds if the heart stops.

Nursing homes are so horribly understaffed too.

So so sorry to hear that you have to deal with a BON complaint. Keep us posted!

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