Written up and confused.

Nurses LPN/LVN

Published

I have been a nurse for 2 years now and have been fortunate enough to avoid any deaths on my shift until recently. Last week I had a hospice patient with a DNR who was exhibiting Cheyne-Stokes breathing, fixed pupils, and a thick green secretion in her mouth. She also was known to pocket food- I found bits of banana pocketed in both cheeks at the time. Without a second thought, I retrieved the suction machine from the crash cart and used a Yankauer to suction the pocketed food from her cheeks and some of the green secretion around her teeth. The family was present and was very grateful and surprised by the things coming out of her mouth. The patient hung in there until the next shift at which time she expired. The next morning my new unit manager wrote me up for suctioning without a physicians order. Her MD had a standing order to suction PRN and the only Hospice orders I could locate in the chart said to D/C all previous meds, not all previous orders. Her hospice has no standing order to suction, however. This supervisor threatened my license and basically called me a lousy nurse for my actions. Am I completely wrong here?

Specializes in Emergency.

Your supervisor is not in a position to threaten your license, that is a decision which can only be made by your state board of nursing. She is a bully. Your actions were quite correct and appropriate. I would make a formal complaint about her if it is possible to go higher up, additionally, most nursing homes/hospices (if that is where you work) have state bodies which oversee and govern them - you may consider making a complaint in this direction. Finally, threaten her with harassment via an attorney - well worth the couple of hundred dollars for a nicely written letter! Your license is your lively-hood, do not let anyone threaten it or take it away - no job is worth that.

Good luck!

This is shocking! Im sorry this happened to you.

I always did mouth care-it is comfort care!

Specializes in kids.

Agreeing with all the other posters! You so did the right thing! Im glad your DON stood up for you!!!!!:roflmao:.

Now ask her to remove it from your file. she has that authority. Obviously never use this manager as a reference!

I work hospice and mouth care is very important. Your new mgr. feels threatened. Find a new job and always remember that there is always someone judging your actions to their standards. Keep your standards high. In the medical world today, you are only politically correct if you function and think like everyone else in the box. Don't compromise continue to think and act different according to your gut. Good luck and will keep you in prayers.

I work hospice and mouth care is very important. Your new mgr. feels threatened. Find a new job and always remember that there is always someone judging your actions to their standards. Keep your standards high. In the medical world today, you are only politically correct if you function and think like everyone else in the box. Don't compromise continue to think and act different according to your gut. Good luck and will keep you in prayers.

I agree with all of that except thinking with your gut. I've never believed in that. Use your mind and think. Guts get you in trouble sometimes. :blackeye:

How old is your nursing manager- 4 yrs old. I have heard some dumb things in my day, but needing an orer to syction a DNR hopsice patient is probably the dumbest!!!!!! Is this what we have coming out of these schools now a days? Just what we need - more stupid morons to run nursing.

Specializes in ICU.

The original poster needs to transfer out of that unit asap or line up another job.

If the new manager did this, what's to stop her from making allegations of something like diverting narcotic, theft or pt abuse?

Yes there are people working in health care who will steal in order to get a coworker fired.

She needs to part ways from this disturbed woman who will retaliate because she went to the DON.

Hi rn/writer...would you mind telling me where a good place to start would be for finding professional liability carriers? I am a new grad RN in New Jersey.

Thanks in advance

I have NSO. You can find other companies by Googling "nursing ."

It used to be that only certain types of nursing were fairly vulnerable to lawsuits. Now, with such a litigious society and with administrative types running amok at times and even peers becoming more hazardous, any one of us could end up with a target on our back.

Having liability insurance doesn't prevent that. But it does better equip you to navigate treacherous waters.

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