Ex Patient's Mom Badmouthing Me

Nurses Relations

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So up until recently I was in home health. I have always pretty much enjoyed it, but my last experience soured me to it. The mother didn't like me, I guess, though I honestly don't know why as I did everything she asked. After I moved to a town much further away I gave my two weeks notice. Then she sent in a complaint to my agency saying I was not doing my job. The things she was accusing me of just aren't true. When my agency tried to find me another job, she was friends with that mother and told her not to hire me because I was a "horrible nurse." Its been horrible. Even now that I'm not working for her anymore she won't leave me alone! How do I move on past this? This is the first time in my nursing career anything like this has happened to me.

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Specializes in ER/ICU/STICU.

What do you mean "she will not leave me alone"? If she is continually harassing you and preventing you from obtaining employment, it might be time to consult an attorney to draw up a letter to tell to "knock it off" in a nice, legal, professional way.

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Thank you. I'll wait and see if she does anything else. But yes, that is basically what she's doing.

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What was she accusing you of doing? She could just be a mom who isn't dealing very well with her kids illness. If you are confident in your skills then I would not take this from her. File a report for harassment.

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So sorry that this happened to you, but that is one of the draw backs with being part of home/private care. You will not please everyone all the time, and at the drop of a hat clients can turn on us. I think you are going to be ok though and be able to move on. I think that your agancy can find you someone that this person does not know and you will do just fine. I also do not think she is harassing you, but that it was just bad luck that your potential next client was friends with the women and of course she is going to give her opinion. But if she is somehow finding out who your potential clients are and talking with them, then yes i'd be taking some action.

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So sorry that this happened to you, but that is one of the draw backs with being part of home/private care. You will not please everyone all the time, and at the drop of a hat clients can turn on us. I think you are going to be ok though and be able to move on. I think that your agancy can find you someone that this person does not know and you will do just fine. I also do not think she is harassing you, but that it was just bad luck that your potential next client was friends with the women and of course she is going to give her opinion. But if she is somehow finding out who your potential clients are and talking with them, then yes i'd be taking some action.

But if she is spreading lies, is this not libel?

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But if she is spreading lies, is this not libel?

You have a point that it is not easy or plesant to have lies spread about you, but the lies she is spreading can not be too damaging since the agency still wants her to work for them and is trying to find her other clients. So her job is not at risk because of them. If the agency was going to fire her and she was going to loose her job because of them then I'd see it more serious and defend myself. Also things may never go any further then this, and her next clients will never know anything about these lies and they will see her and love her for the care she gives them. their opinon of her and how she does her job could be completely different then what this women feels about her.

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She sounds like an unpleasant person and anyone who knows her would take her complaints with a grain of salt. Frankly, I wouldn't want another patient whose mom was friends with this lady. It likely would have been more of the same bad treatment.

My husband has his own business and had a mentor who told him to "trust your gut" when taking a new client and not take anyone who is impossible to please. No matter how much a difficult client is willing to pay, it's never worth it.

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First of all you need to get out of home care. You need to take your talents some place more stable.. I have been in healthcare for the past 15 years. It was okay for me, I thought, because I could make my schedule, only one patient,etc. Now, I truly regret it because it is hard to go back to the hospital where I need to be. I have had the same problem in the past. Our patients' parents do not understand that we have lives too. The mother probably took offense to you leaving the case because MANY time in home care they think we work for them. As far as what you can do if you decide to stay in home care try another agency. There are many out there and they pay about the same. Good Luck!!

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