Kind of a vent/want opinions

Published Aug 16, 2013

61 Posts

So i went on vacation this week and apparently they cleaned house at my job this week.

I've posted this incident before but basically i normally worked 11-7. I picked up a 3-11 saturday shift for some vacation money, and one of our alzheimer's pts had been very sick the past few weeks/month or so.

He had a cxr that showed pneumonia

When this man got sick he would hallucinate, but it wasn't anything my shift couldn't handle, along w his ordered xanax.

So that evening i was working and one

Of my cna's called me down to look at him bc he couldn't walk, normally he ambulates pretty well w a walker. When i saw him he kept hallucinating he got shot in his left leg. So we got him into bed and his left leg was shorter than the other and i can't remember if it was turned in or out, and there was some puffiness in his knee and upper thigh.

I was like there is no way in heck this man broke his hip, he hadn't fallen (that had been reported) and if he had fallen he couldn't of gotten up on his own.

So i sent him to the ER, low and behold he fractured his left hip.

Management was playing the blame game,

APS was called in..and while i was gone they fired the CNA's that worked 3-11 and 11-7 the night before, bc they couldn't get a straight story from anyone, and the 7-3 charge nurse that worked that morning.

My judgement saved my job. But i did find out this man passed away across the street at our neighboring rehab facility.

Heartbreaking.

To top this all off the 7-3 nurse had the guts to text me and ask me "how did you know about mr doe's hip was broken? Did he tell you?"

Uhhh he couldn't walk??? Him hallucinating about his leg???

I didn't reply of course..hippa violation and i don't know if this could blow up into a court case or something insane, esp bc he passed away.

It's just crazy. I have only been a nurse for two years and this by far has been the best judgement call i've ever made.